Sustainable territorial and local development

The days until the 6th European conference on sustainable cities and towns are numbered: those wanting to attend the conference, to be held from 19 to 21 May in Dunkirk, France, have until Tuesday 18 May to sign up.

 

The Dunkerque Conference, where more than 1500 participants are expected to arrive, is the first to discuss climate change since the UN Climate Change Conference held in December 2009 in Copenhagen.

 

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is very involved in the organisation of the conference, and in particular, is organising a session on 'socially inclusive societies" so as to emphasise the social dimension of sustainable development.

 

The conference programme brings together the expertise of several local government networks and other organisations reaching out to local and regional authorities across Europe and presenting the most innovative examples in the fight against climate change.

 

Two political declarations should be approved in the final conference plenary: the 2010 Dunkerque Declaration on local sustainable development and the 2010 Dunkerque Declaration on climate.

 

The event features a number of politicians and technical experts both from Europe and the rest of the world, as well as experts and representatives from EU institutions, international organisations, national governments and the business community.

 

High level participants include Jeremy Rifkin, President of the Foundation on Economic Trends, Alain Juppé, former Prime Minister, Mayor of Bordeaux, France, Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, and Janez Potoènik, EU Commissioner for Environment.