Innovate4Cities 2021 Conference - a multi-day virtual event October 11-15

4 March 2021- The Innovate4Cities Conference will be an international gathering at the nexus of cities, climate change science and innovation. This groundbreaking meeting will be co-hosted by UN-Habitat and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM). It will bring together over 1,000 city leaders, scientists, researchers, innovators, academics, youth and business people to advance pragmatic and action oriented research and science that will help cities reduce their carbon footprint and increase resilience to climate change.

“The UN Secretary General has called 2021 a ‘make or break year’ to confront the global climate emergency, highlighting that COVID-19 recovery plans offer the opportunity to build back greener and cleaner,” said UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif. “The Innovate4Cities Conference aims to accelerate knowledge creation and solutions implementation, and to mobilize the transformative potential of cities towards zero carbon and climate resilient cities.”

The first Cities and Climate Change Science conference, attended by over 800 participants in Edmonton, Canada in 2018, led to the Global Research and Action Agenda on Cities and Climate Change Science, the GCoM’s Innovate4Cities initiative to drive climate action in cities and the Edmonton Declaration on climate change signed by over 3400 cities.

“As governments look beyond COVID-19, cities have a vital role to play in building back better. On the front lines, they’re integral to facilitating cooperation and securing necessary green investments. In what promises to be a robust discussion of ideas and action, the Innovate4Cities conference will bring together champions of green recovery — those leading the way in transitioning to a more just, healthier, safer and sustainable world,” said Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy Executive Director, Amanda Eichel.

As a follow-up to the 2018 Cities and Climate Change Science Conference the multi-day, virtual Innovate4Cities Conference will provide inputs to the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) being held in November, and the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) cycle.

UN-Habitat

UN-Habitat works in over 90 countries supporting people in cities and human settlements for a better urban future. A significant part of its work relates to responding to natural and man-made crises and on building back in a greener, safer and in a more resilient and inclusive way. Working with governments and local partners, its high impact projects combine world-class expertise and local knowledge to deliver timely and targeted solutions. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on cities, SDG 11, to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
www.unhabitat.org @unhabitat

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

GCoM is the largest global alliance for city climate leadership, uniting a global coalition of over 10,000 cities and local governments and 100+ supporting partners. The cities and partners of GCoM share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and towards a resilient and low-emission society. GCoM serves cities and local governments by mobilizing and supporting ambitious, measurable, planned climate and energy action in their communities by working with city/regional networks, national governments, and other partners to achieve our vision. Led today by UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions Michael R. Bloomberg and European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, the coalition comprises cities across 6 continents and 140 countries, representing over 900 million people or more than 10 per cent of the global population.
To learn more about GCoM, please visit our website, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

For more information on the Innovate4Cities Conference

Please visit: https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/research-innovation/

Contact Susannah Price Chief of Communication, UN-Habitat, +254 722 719867, susannah.price@un.org

Groundbreaking Innovate4Cities Conference to explore climate crisis solutions