CitiesWithNature Action Platform webinars huge success in reaching and inspiring cities globally

Biodiversity, ecosystems & built environment

Health & social well-being

In the build-up to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 – which will take place in Montreal from 7-19 December 2022 – ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center, in collaboration with ICLEI’s regional offices, provided capacity-building webinars to demonstrate uploading actions and commitments to the CitiesWithNature Action Platform, recognized in the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2021-2030).

The road to COP 15 is a crucial moment for local and subnational governments to demonstrate their commitments to actions that will contribute to the successful implementation of the new global biodiversity framework (GBF) and its targets. As a result, the CitiesWithNature Action Platform webinars not only trained cities across the world on using the platform, but also explained the importance of their engagement and participation in the platform in the build-up to COP15.

The CitiesWithNature team that served as recurring speakers in all the webinars are:

Ingrid Coetzee
Director Biodiversity, Nature & Health, ICLEI Africa

Stefania Romano
Senior Professional Officer – Global CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature Coordinator: Recruitment and Advocacy

Willemien Calitz
Communications Officer

Jade Sullivan
Professional Officer: Biodiversity, Nature & Health

USA RO	Speakers: Calyn Hart Program Officer, ICLEI USA
Southeast Asia RO	Speakers: Russel James Andrade Biodiversity Focal for ICLEI Southeast Asia; Project Assistant Victorino Aquitania Regional Director ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability Southeast Asia Secretariat Dr. Rajan Chedambath Director: The Kochi Municipal Corporation and the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development Puerto Princesa City Dr. Lena Chan Senior Director of the International Biodiversity Conservation Division, National Parks Board (NParks) of Singapore
SAMS & MECS	SAMS (Portuguese) Speakers: Marília Israel de Azevedo Borges Biodiversity Analyst at ICLEI South America Rodrigo Corradi Deputy Executive Secretary at ICLEI South America Oliver Hillel Programme Officer at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity Bianca Cantoni Coutinho Advocacy Officer at ICLEI South America Jaime Holguin Representative of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) Luciano Paes Secretary of Climate of Niterói Gabriel Neves Municipal Secretary of Green, Environment and Sustainable Development Municipal Government of Campinas Leta Vieira Technical Regional Manager: Low-Carbon, Resilience, Biodiversity and Circular Development, ICLEI ICLEI SAMS (MECS) Speakers: Ivana Del Río Technical Secretariat - ICLEI Mexico Maria Mejia Lead - BiodiverCities by 2030 Initiative at Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Óscar Figueredo Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, Colombia Paulina Soto Director of Programmes and Projects Sergio Aranguren Biodiversity Coordinator, ICLEI Braulio Diaz Institutional Relations and Advocacy Regional Manager, ICLEI
Oceania RO	Speakers: Steve Gawler Regional Director ICLEI Oceania Cr Amanda Stone Councillor, Yarra City Council, Australia, ICLEI Global Executive Committee Member and ICLEI Oceania Regional Executive Committee Helaine Stanley Program Advisor CWN Academy Nadine Gaskell Biodiversity Coordinator, City of Knox
European RO	Speakers: Shreya Utkarsh Officer: Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience Gillian Dick Spatial Planning Manager – Research & Development Development Plan Group Neighbourhoods, Regeneration & Sustainability, Glasgow City Council Marta Mansanet Cánovas Policy Officer: European Committee of the Regions Holger Robrecht Deputy Regional Director of Sustainable Resources, Climate and Resilience
Africa RO	Speakers: Bronwen Griffiths Head: Sustainable Partnerships & Financing, Spatial Planning & Environment: Environmental Management Department, City of Cape Town Alex Kivumbi Principal Community Development Officer, Makindye Ssabagabo, Uganda