Events, conferences & seminars
on international co-operation
Edited by Guy Kervella

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City Mayors’ international events pages list and review conferences, conventions and seminars on international co-operation between cities and local government bodies.

EVENTS ON THIS PAGE
September 2008
Uniting The Nations Weekend
(Gala reception & festival)
Event: Join other mayors and other dignitaries for the Gala Reception on 5 September 2008 - and stay for the Multicultural Festival incorporating the International Community on 6 September. With the newly appointed Dame Shirley Bassey as 2008 Ambassador, this event is something mayors should be supporting, as it grows, City to City on a global scale.
Date: 5 September 2008
Location: Banqueting Suite, City Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham Central, United Kingdom
Organiser: Women In Music / Uniting The Nations Festival
Contact: Geri Minelli
Telephone: +44 (0)7929 151 979 / +44 (0)121 24 66 003
Email: unitingnations@live.co.uk
Internet: www.unitingthenations.org

Cities of Opportunity
‘The urban promise of upward mobility’
(An EUKN International Conference)
Event: Europe is a city. Some 75 per cent of Europeans live in urban areas. They are responsible for over 80 per cent of all economic activity. Prosperous cities‚ equals a prospering Europe. At the same time, opportunity and prosperity are not equally distributed within the city. Every European urban area contains neighbourhoods, districts, streets that are more or less deprived. Deprived urban areas are often viewed as being problematic and harmful within the urban fabric.
From a more positive point of view, deprived urban areas hold an enormous potential for socio-economic development. The challenge is to harness the potential of deprived urban areas and their inhabitants and offer them opportunities to access the wider society.
The 2008 edition of the European Urban Knowledge Network’s (EUKN) international conference will change the perception of deprived urban areas as an accumulation of problems to a view that is more in line with the actual situation in our cities. The conference will focus on how to harness the potential and energy present in deprived urban areas and on exploring ways in which these areas and their inhabitants can play their part in the creation of comprehensive, well-balanced and vital cities.
Speakers include:
• Patrick Le Galès, Research Director at CNRS and at Sciences Po
• Ella Vogelaar, Minister for Housing, Communities and Integration
• Opstelten, Mayor of Rotterdam
• Dominic Schrijer, Vice-Mayor of Rotterdam
The social programme includes a boat tour on the River Maas and a panoramic conference dinner wioth a view of the Rotterdam skyline.
‘Cities of opportunity ˆ the urban promise of upward mobility’ is organised by the European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN) in co=operation with the City of Rotterdam, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and Nicis Institute. EUKN is a decentralised knowledge network with National Focal Points (NFPs) in 16 EU Member States. Nicis Institute hosts the EUKN Secretariat.
Cost: €200 for two conference days
Early Bird (before 15 July): €150 for two conference days
Date: 22-23 September 2008
Location: City Hall - Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Organiser: European Urban Knowledge Network
Contact: Bart Nijhof
Telephone: +31 70 344 0513
Email: bart.nijhof@nicis.nl
Internet: click

October 2008
Lausanne Summit
Event: The Summit will bring together the Mayors of cities who have organised, will organise, or are considering organising, the Olympic or Youth Olympic Games, both summer and winter.
Joining together for the first time, past Olympic hosts will share experiences that will build the platform for the future success of each and every Olympic and Youth Olympic Games to come.
Date: 9-11 October 2008
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Organiser: Lausanne City
Contact: Caroline Anderson
Telephone: +41 21 693 8593
Email: info@olympiccities.org
Internet: www.olympiccities.org

Metropolis Congress 2008
Event: The Congress' overall theme is 'Connecting Cities' highlighting the increasing importance of cities, more so than nations, as principal hubs of international interaction. Globally, major cities are increasingly connecting via transnational public and private networks. Over 100 global cities will be gathering in Sydney to develop these interdependent webs of collaborative governance, knowledge exchange and advanced service provision.
'Connecting Cities' will also investigate how the structure of metropolitan regions can replicate the success of these networks at a regional level, developing as polycentric cities of diverse functional hubs. At a local level, Sydney's increasing global profile as a focal point of financial, construction and design partnerships with cities around the world will be explored. A vibrant city of 4.3 million people, the Connecting Cities theme will also highlight the increasing numbers of tourists, global businesses and civic leaders visiting Sydney to make the most of its unique position as a gateway to Asia.
Date: 22 - 25 October 2008
Location: Sydney
Organiser: NSW Department of Planning & Metropolis
Contact: Metropolis Congress Secretariat
Telephone: +61 2 9254 5000
Email: info@metropoliscongress.com
Internet: www.metropoliscongress2008.com

November 2008
Coastal Cities Summit: Values & Vulnerabilities
Event: The International Ocean Institute-USA and the city of St. Petersburg, FL, USA, are hosting a Coastal Cities Summit on 17 to 20 November 2008 to address the complex challenges that coastal city leaders face as populations increase, resources are depleted, and the impacts of climate change are felt. The Coastal Cities Summit intends to bring together coastal city leaders, managers and academicss to discuss environmental, social, economic, and public policy challenges and viable solutions. The 3-day conference will focus on three themes: Climate Change, Risk and Vulnerability as well as Sustainable Development. All sessions are intended to give a long-needed voice to those who are on the front lines taking leadership on climate change, providing implementation and response plans and continuing to focus on protecting citizens from possible extreme events and human-induced degradation.
Date: 17-20 November 2008
Location: St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Organiser: International Ocean Institute - USA
Contact: Mara Hendrix
Telephone: +1-727-873-4745
Email: mara@ioiusa.usf.edu
Internet: www.coastalcities.org

March 2009
Biovision - Life and the City
Event: The 2009 edition of the World Life Science Forum will be dedicated to the contribution of life sciences to urban issues.
Date: 8-11 March 2009
Location: Lyon, France
Organiser: Fondation Scientifique de Lyon
Contact: Gilles Cnockaert
Telephone: +33 603 524 290
Email: gilles@mondofragilis.net
Internet: www.biovision.org

June 2009
City of Tomorrow 09
Event: City of Tomorrow 09 (CoT) is a premier internationally focused exhibition, open to all cities around the world and to top businesses. The inaugural exhibition in 2009 will focus on sustainable urban development, tourism, environmental sustainability issues, infrastructure development and FDI. CoT aims to provide a platform for city representatives and businesses to showcase their potential to private and corporate investors, the general public, potential tourists and companies engaged in the hospitality sector. The exhibition will be an excellent opportunity for networking with top officials and business leaders. CoT will provide a platform for local governments to showcase their cities‚ achievements and to seek out global opportunities. Poised to become and annual international networking exhibition and conference, City of Tomorrow will be focusing on investment in cities, tourism and sustainable development.
Date: 2-4 June 2009
Location: Madinat Jumeirah Dubai- UAE
Organiser: M3D MediaCom
Contact: Mike Milord
Telephone: +97148019252
Internet: http://www.cityoftomorrow09.com

June 2009
ICLEI World Congress 2009
Event: ICLEI World Congress, a key gathering of ICLEI members, ICLEI‚s strategic partners and experts, is a golden opportunity to learn about the achievements of the most advanced cities and towns, and to build upon past successes to advance local action for sustainability. The event will facilitate exchange and capacity-building among local governments and other stakeholders who play leading roles in the path towards sustainability. It will be a dynamic platform with keynote presentations, reports, debates, workshops, networking events, site visits and an exhibition.
Date: 14 to 18 June 2009
Location: Edmonton, Canada
Organiser: ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Contact: International Training Centre
Telephone: +49 761 36 892 20
Email: world.congress@iclei.org
Internet: www.iclei.org/worldcongress2009