P1 Opening plenary
The global sustainability challenges are growing in both scope and magnitude with each passing day. Along with more intense and frequent droughts and storms, colossal biodiversity loss and constraints over key resources, the increasing social stratification and exposure to health hazards are threatening the integrity of our urban systems. As a result, local governments face growing difficulties in addressing the pressing matters of today, let alone preparing for the future.
In the face of these growing difficulties, the Opening Plenary of the ICLEI World Congress 2018 seeks to invigorate congress participants with the inspiration needed to address these sometimes daunting challenges.
The keynote addresses will provide participants with both the common ground and the inspiration needed to spark fruitful discussions and exchanges throughout the following days. “The world we live in” keynote will present participants with a shared understanding of the global and interconnected sustainability challenges facing us today, illustrating the framework and conditions in which we currently operate. The following keynote address on “the future we strive for” will then aim to inspire participants with an ambitious vision of the sustainable urban future we wish for our cities, towns and regions. Participants will then be ready to collectively map out the interconnected pathways to the sustainable urban future towards which we aspire.
The session will also provide an opportunity for the presentation of the ICLEI´s Regional Executive Committee Members and Global Executive Committee Members for the period 2018-2021, including the announcement of the newly elected ICLEI President, First Vice President and Vice Presidents.
Master of Ceremony
Philippe Desrosiers
Welcome remarks
Valérie Plante
Mayor, Ville de Montréal, Canada
Isabelle Melançon
Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Québec National Assembly, Canada
Presentation of the Members of the 2018 – 2021 ICLEI Council, ICLEI Global Executive Committee, the ICLEI Vice Presidents, the ICLEI First Vice President and the ICLEI President 2018-2021
Gino Van Begin
Secretary General, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
David Cadman
Former President, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (2006 – 2015)
António Guterres (Video message)
Secretary-General of the United Nations
Welcome address
Park Won Soon (Video message)
Mayor, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea
Global Executive Committee Member, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
President, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (2015 – 2018)
Ashok Sridharan
Mayor, City of Bonn, Germany
President, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
Keynote addresses
The world we live in
Naoko Ishii
CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility
The future we strive for
Severn Cullis-Suzuki
Environmental activist, speaker, television host and author