#GenerationRestoration From Brownfields and Concrete Jungles to Sustainable and Green Urban Landscapes

In our rapidly urbanizing world, the fate of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development depends significantly on the transformation and sustainability of urban areas. Cities consume over 70% of global resources, produce more than 50% of waste, and are responsible for 70% of CO2 emissions.
However, they are also the epicenter of climate solutions and can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Today, cities are not only custodians of SDG 11 but act as catalysts for the achievement of all 17 SDGs due to the cross-cutting nature of urban issues. In recent years, there has been a renewed focus on the role of cities in mitigating and adapting to climate change (SDG 13), restoring the earth’s biodiversity (SDG 15), and promoting good health (SDG 3).
This event aims to showcase and discuss how cities can leverage nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration to transform degraded or underutilized spaces (brownfields), as well as highly dense built environments, into sustainable green urban landscapes.
Examples from Egypt and the 25 #GenerationRestoration cities will be presented by international experts, policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders, who will discuss innovative solutions and best practices for scaling up actions.

Agenda
- Welcome, Agenda & Moderation (5 minutes)
Sharon Gil, Cities Lead, Climate Change Division, UNEP or Ahmed Abdulhakeim, Senior Manager, Strategic Planning & Sustainable Development (TBC)

- Opening remarks: City Action to achieve the SDGs and the Global Biodiversity Framework (10 mins):
Mr. Abdelkhalek Ibrahim - Minister Assistant for Tech Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Utilities and Urban Communities, Egypt
Ms. Claudia Hiepe - Senior Officer on Environmental Policy, BMZ Germany

- High-level panel (30 mins): Voice from City Leaders
Mr. Ulpiano Suarez - Mayor, City of Mendoza, Argentina
Mr. Khaled Abdelal - Governor, Cairo Governorate
Representative, Istanbul, Türkiye (TBC)
Governor, Kisumu, Kenya (TBC)

- Technical Panel (40 minutes): Scaling up action to deliver on #GenerationRestoration
Ms. Kobie Brand - Head of Biodiversity, ICLEI
Mr. Khaled Seddik - Executive Director, Urban Development Fund, Egypt
Mr. Simone Borelli - Urban Forestry Officer, FAO (TBC)
Ms. Carmen Vogt, Head of Global Section Cities, GIZ (TBC)
Representative, Cape Town, South Africa (TBC)

- Summary and closing (5 minutes)
Gulnara Roll, Head, Cities Unit, UNEP