International conference on climate adaptation
The 'Adaptation and resilience conference', organised by the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development together with the Minaraad and the European umbrella organisation EEAC, will take place in Brussels on 23 and 24 April. Themes to be discussed will include: what risks do we face and how can we adapt to climate change? What policy initiatives exist in the EU and member states? How to finance them? What are equitable policies in this area?
After the 2021 disaster, Belgium, and neighbouring countries, were again hit by floods in December last year. The message is clear: these extreme weather events are the visible consequences of climate change in our own region, and we will have to take them into due consideration to avoid new catastrophes. Decisive policies are needed that, like climate, transcend borders.
The conference will therefore start on 23 April with what is happening or planned at the European level in terms of adaptation. Experts from the European Commission, the European Environment Agency and EEAC will discuss the EU Climate Risk Assessment and the implementation of the EU Adaptation Strategy. Afterwards, we look at financing adaptation with speakers from the European Investment Bank and the OECD, among others, and members of EESC, ETUC and EEAC address the social aspect: what does 'leave no one behind' mean in adaptation? Finally, there will be a panel discussion on good examples on adaptation.
On 24 April, we will take a closer look at the concrete adaptation strategies of the Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium. The aim is not only to show how each country tackles the problem, but also to see what we can learn from each other and how cooperation can be started or expanded. Concrete projects for adaptation, drought and flood crisis management and interregional cooperation will be explained by speakers from the different countries mentioned.
The 'Adaptation and resilience conference' will take place on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 April at the Residence Palace in Brussels. The language of communication will be English. This event is linked to the annual meeting of the EEAC (European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network), the European umbrella organisation of which the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development and the Minaraad are members.
You can find the full programme and the names of the speakers on our website. If you wish to participate as a journalist, please contact Sven Vermassen: sven.vermassen@frdo.be