From June 23rd to 25th, the International Congress The Protection and Defense Conference and the ICLEI Brazil National Meeting in Porto Alegre should strengthen the State's connection to an international agenda of sustainability and territorial resilience.

Porto Alegre is preparing to host the CIPDC 2026 — International Congress on Civil Protection and Defense, between June 23rd and 25th. The event takes place alongside the 4th National ICLEI Meeting Brazil, also promoted by the Rio Grande do Sul state government and ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability. The program includes panels and lectures with national and international experts, a presentation of the preparedness strategy for El Niño 2026/2027, and territorial workshops for the development of the Rio Grande do Sul State Civil Protection and Defense Plan.

The organizers expect to have more than a thousand participants, including public managers, state civil defense chiefs, multilateral organizations, academics, and international experts. With this high-quality forum, it is hoped to connect Rio Grande do Sul to an international agenda of civil protection, sustainability, and territorial resilience.

For Rodrigo Perpétuo, executive director of ICLEI South America, the CIPDC was born from a unique context: after the biggest climate catastrophe in Brazilian history, Rio Grande do Sul chose to transform experience into a method, with planning and engagement from partners. Thus, with the reconstruction of the state, Rio Grande do Sul and Brazil are gradually becoming among the benchmarks in protecting the population against climate change.

“From this perspective, the meeting takes on even greater importance. Public policy tends towards fragmentation. The event proposes to reconcile adaptation, prevention, and response policies with territorial and urban development policies. The idea is to listen to academia, highlight good practices, and strengthen integrated action as a benchmark for addressing the climate crisis,” he states.

“"The congress is the moment when this experience becomes visible to the world, with the participation of experts from multiple continents, with confirmed delegations from South America, Europe, and North America," he added.

El Niño and the challenges of 2026 – One of the challenges in environmental risk management among municipalities that will emerge strongly in 2026 is the El Niño phenomenon. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the world needs to prepare for a more intense El Niño this year, with an increased risk of heavy rains and droughts in the coming months. The phenomenon has already begun in the Pacific Ocean and, according to the American agency, the chances of it lasting until the end of this year are 82%.

The International Congress on Civil Protection and Defense — CIPDC 2026, which takes place alongside the 4th National Meeting of ICLEI Brazil, is an event organized by ICLEI — Local Governments for Sustainability, co-organized by BRDE and managed by Capacitá Eventos. The event has platinum sponsorship from the Military House / Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul and the Government of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and MRV is an annual partner of ICLEI in 2026, in addition to support from Banrisul, Corsan, Grupo Equatorial, Octave, PUCRS, Randoncorp, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

Service

• International Congress on Civil Protection and Defense (CIPDC) and 4th National Meeting of ICLEI
• June 23-25
• Event Center of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)
• Av. Ipiranga, 6681 – Partenon, Porto Alegre – RS
• More information and registration: https://cipdc.com.br

Press Information: Ana Pena and Aurea Figueira: +55 11 985792035