ICLEI World Congress 2018 in Montréal

Cities from across the globe focus on the challenge of sustainable urban development

MONTRÉAL, June 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - From June 19 to June 22, Montréal will be hosting the ICLEI World Congress 2018, an international gathering of local and regional governments for sustainable urban development. There are various issues with which cities are confronted and which require action. These include an increase in the intensity and frequency of floods, storms, draughts, a diminishing biodiversity, as well as social exclusion. The Congress provides four days of extensive programming to inspire, integrate and transform our approaches and our lifestyles. Come meet committed people, discuss the power of collective action and contribute to growing sustainability locally, nationally, as well as worldwide. 

Inspiring: a vision for the cities and regions of 2030
On June 19, the Congress will open with a presentation by the mayor of Montréal, Valérie Plante, followed by that of Isabelle Melançon, Québec minister of sustainable development, the environment and the fight against climate change. These will be followed by two conferences: Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility, will give a speech on The world we live in, and Severn Cullis-Suzuki, environmental activist, speaker, and television host, will present a speech titled The future we strive for.

The subsequent plenary will provide participants with roundtables during which they will work on finding inclusive and innovative solutions to sustainable urban development problems, namely by discussing the roles of citizens and of the private sector. Roundtables will be made up of participants representing city governments, research, science, the private sector and industry, community organizations, national governments and international organizations, so as to allow for exchanges from a variety of standpoints. Special consideration will be given to women's leadership and the integration of a gender perspective, to private sector collaboration and partnership, as well as to the financial sector.

Integrating innovative practices in sustainable urban development
June 20, the program will explore innovative solutions and collective local measures as part of the effort to reach sustainable development goals.

Plenary and sub-plenary sessions:

• Achieving the global goals through innovative solutions and collective local action (plenary 3)
• Shaping low emission cities, towns and regions (sub-plenary 1)
• Healthy cities for all (sub-plenary 2)
• Transitioning toward resilient cities and regions (sub-plenary 3)
• Circular cities: Designing urban systems that fit planetary boundaries (sub-plenary 4)
• Nature-based solutions: Transforming environmental and societal challenges into innovation opportunities (sub-plenary 5)
• Achieving sustainability through strategic procurement (sub-plenary 6)

During the afternoon, Jean-François Parenteau, Montréal's executive committee member in charge of citizen services, sustainable development, procurement and the environment will take part in the Talanoa Dialogues, a special session co-organized by ICLEI and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, in order to review and reinforce national climate agendas through an inclusive, multi-stakeholder process.

Transforming the urban landscape of the world collectively
June 21, plenaries will spotlight the initiatives that are transforming city practices.

• Fostering women's leadership in the implementation of sustainable development solutions (plenary 4), speech by Mayor Valérie Plante
• Transforming the way we live together: Reconciliation and cooperation toward our sustainable future (plenary 5), speech by Mayor Valérie Plante
• Transforming the way we collaborate: Multi-level and collaborative governance for sustainable cities, towns and regions (plenary 6)
• Harnessing private capital for sustainable investments (sub-plenary 7)

In the afternoon, participants will be welcome to attend technical visits and discover exemplary municipal projects in Montréal:

• The Complexe environnemental de Saint-Michel and the Parc Frédéric-Back, a unique metamorphosis
• The Parc du Mont-Royal, a model for the protection of iconic natural heritage
• The Outremont site and its vicinity, a beacon project in sustainable development at the very heart of our metropolis
• Space for life, the Botanical garden and the phytoremediation projects
• Montréal ? city of sustainable development initiatives in the downtown core
• The Quartier de l'innovation, an ecosystem of solutions for sustainable development
• The Quartier Sainte-Marie: improving quality of life
• Green lanes and active transportation
• Sharing experiences concerning the Verdun and Kahnawake urban beach projects
• The Laboratoire transitoire, a renewed urban factory in Le Sud-Ouest borough

Collaborating for the advancement of sustainability at a global scale
June 22, Laure Waridel, co-founder and former president of Équiterre, and Ross Douglas, CEO and Founder, Autonomy, will present innovative ways to build partnerships and collaboration during plenary 7 ? Going forward in collective partnerships. The plenary will end with a speech by Ashok Sridharan, president of ICLEI and by Mayor Valérie Plante.

Free activities for the general public will take place at the Maison du développement durable
The Maison du développement durable proposes two lunch-time conferences open to the general public. On June 20, discover best practices in urban agriculture in both Brazil and Montréal, with Evelyn R. Nimmo and Gaëlle Janvier. On June 21, attend a conference by Limin Hee, from Singapore, and take part in discussions concerning the impact of sustainable development on living environments.  

Information and registration:

https://lamdd.org/actu/2018/bresil-montreal-les-meilleures-pratiques-en-agriculture-urbaine 
https://lamdd.org/actu/2018/singapour-montreal-comment-nos-milieux-vie-peuvent-ils-nous

Discover complete programming and register for the World Congress ICLEI 2018, at: worldcongress2018.iclei.org

About ICLEI ? Local Governments for Sustainability
ICLEI ? Local Governments for Sustainability Local Governments for Sustainability is the leading global network of more than 1,500 cities, towns and regions committed to building a sustainable future. As a global network, ICLEI is a point of connection between local and regional governments from across the globe. Through its World Congress, ICLEI engages its international network for peer-to-peer exchanges and the creation of strategic alliances with key players and with non-government partners who are influential in the field of sustainable development.

The ICLEI World Congress 2018 is an environmentally responsible event, funded by Ville de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, Co-Operators and Hydro-Québec.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal