The Congress

Three days, 48 sessions, four plenaries and one key concept: Adaptation

Resilient cities 2010 concluded on 30 May after three days of discussion, learning and exchanging on the topic of urban adaptation to climate change.

The final plenary boasted an illustrious speakers panel and ended with the first Bonn Declaration of Mayors, unveiled by Marcelo Ebrard, Mayor of Mexico City.

• Watch local leaders discuss disaster risk reduction and their reasons for sigining on to the UNISDR's "Making Cities Resilient" campaign.
• Read the full text of Yvo de Boer's final plenary speech here.
• Find out what media are saying about Resilient Cities 2010
• Read the Resilient Cities post-congress press release
• Read the Bonn Declaration of Mayors in English, French and Spanish
• View the Congress summary of David Jackson, Head of Regional Office, Asia and Pacific, United Nations Capital Development Fund
• Visit the Resilient Cities photo gallery. Stay tuned for updates!

Why Resilient Cities 2010?

Adapting to the dramatic implications of climate change is a monumental challenge facing cities of the 21st century. The first-ever global forum on this topic, Resilient Cities 2010, ran 28-30 May in Bonn, Germany.  

Cities - where half the world population lives and where two-thirds of humanity will live in the decades to come - are severely affected by the impacts of climate change. Urban adaptation is crucial.

ICLEI is the first local government network to support the UNFCCC Nairobi Work Programme on Adaptation. The Resilient Cities Congress series is part of ICLEI's Action Pledge to meet the objectives and expected outcomes of the Nairobi Work Programme.

As a contribution to the Congress, the Mayors Adaptation Forum organized by the World Mayors Council on Climate Change in collaboration with the UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction will ensure a close dialogue between mayors and global leaders on adaptation.

Resilient Cities 2010 enabled exchange, learning, networking, debate and policy development on approaches and solutions to climate change adaptation for cities and local governments.