The EU Directorate-General for International Partnerships is organising a panel workshop to outline how the EU is supporting sustainable urban development in our partner countries and to discuss how to underpin such efforts through effective partnerships among cities.

Today, over 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2045, this number will surpass 70%, or 6 billion. Cities will be central to the European Union’s efforts to support livelihoods both in Europe and beyond in the years to come. Regions and cities are at the heart of the transformation to sustainable development, but this transformation is not even. To respond to the global crises, increasingly urban in nature, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships has strengthened its support to an integrated urban development approach in partner countries. The EU has put in place different instruments and concrete country strategies to facilitate access to finance through the European Fund for Sustainable Development plus (EFSD+) with a dedicated window on cities.

Agenda:

Paolo Ciccarelli, Head of Unit Sustainable Infrastructure and Urban development at European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), will deliver an opening note, providing an overview of how DG INTPA is supporting cities in our partner countries.

Jean Bossuyt, Senior Executive at ECDPM, will moderate a panel debate with city representatives exploring the lessons and experiences from selected City-to-City partnerships that the EU have supported:

Panelists:

• Anna Artigas, FAMSI (Área de Programas Responsable oficina técnica en Mauritania)
• Mend-Amgalan, FRIENDSHIP programme (Strengthening EU-Mongolia Friendship through Equitable, Resilient and Innovative Growth in Darkhan Uul- Province)
• Luís Mauricio Zanin, INOVA JUNTOS, Coordinator of the programme (run by Confederação Nacional De Municípios (Brazil) and in cooperation with Centro de estudos sociais in Portugal). The project promotes triangular urban cooperation, and aims at establishing and connecting “spaces of territorial innovation»

To join the discussion, please register to the #EURegionsWeek and sign up for the event.

Wednesday 12 October 2022, 16:30-18.00