On 21 October, IGES, along with ICLEI and the Ministry of the Environment Japan (MOEJ) will host a session at the “Daring Cities 2020” Forum. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President of IGES, will provide a keynote speech which focuses on the Redesign2020 Platform. The session aims to highlight details of the concept, share the outcomes of High Level Launch and focus on the options for collaboration with local and regional policymakers on the road to COP26. Led by MOEJ, supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and managed by IGES, the Redesign2020 Platform was launched on 3 September 2020 through a high level virtual event that gathered 50+ ministers across the world. The Platform for Redesign 2020 is an initiative to enhance international solidarity in addressing two crises at the same time: climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative introduces the concept of “redesign” as complementary to response and recovery efforts, defining it as “paradigm shifts and measures in the long term - more than a few years to a few decades - toward redesigning current socioeconomic and sociocultural systems to be sustainable and resilient”. On 22 October, IGES, ICLEI and MOEJ will organise another session, “Pathways to Zero”, to share notable actions by local governments that promote efforts toward decarbonization. Junichi Fujino, Programme Director of IGES City Taskforce, will moderate the session.
Created by ICLEI and the Federal City of Bonn, “Daring Cities 2020” is a virtual, action-oriented forum to recognize and empower courageous urban leaders – including mayors and other decision-makers, technical staff, researchers, private sector representatives, and community organizers – to disrupt business-as-usual and shift towards business-as-possible. “Daring Cities 2020” showcases and catalyses exemplary local climate action to tackle the climate emergency, including ambitious resilience-building and climate mitigation efforts. The forum will run for three weeks, from October 7-28.