The 6th European Sustainable Cities and Towns Conference kicks off today with 1,500 participants descending on the city of Dunkerque (France) from 19 – 21 May. Three jam packed days lie ahead as the conference focuses on a variety of sustainable issues, touching upon international trends and local innovation, political networking and key messages for the future.

Michel Delebarre, Former Minister of State; Mayor of Dunkerque and President of the Metropolitan Council of Dunkerque is one of the renowned speakers that will welcome participants before the opening plenary begins. 2050 – Where are cities going? is the title of the session, which features a video presentation by filmmaker Yann Arthus-Berthrand, with ICLEI founder Jeb Brugmann following with his presentation, Anatomy of our urbanising planet.

The opening day of the conference also features an innovative interactive debate, Turning challenges into solutions – The local approach. The 1,500 participants will be placed in small round table groups and will have the chance to interact and discuss questions related to the topic. Other events during the day include a plenary on climate change, economic crisis and social challenges and a number of parallel sessions.

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