The capital of Paraíba, João Pessoa, was chosen as the venue for the 1st Northeast ICLEI Meeting, which began this Monday, the 13th, and continues until June 15th. The theme of the event, which is in-person and open to the public, is "Electromobility for Sustainable Development". 

The keynote address will be given by specialist Sergio Margulis, senior associate researcher at the International Institute for Sustainability (IIS), the Climate and Society Institute, and WayCarbon. The lecture will be about the impact of climate change in the Northeast of Brazil. On this occasion, the researcher will launch his book "Climate Change," with a book signing starting at 6 PM. 

Confirmed attendees for the first day include the Mayor of João Pessoa, Cícero Lucena; the Secretary of Environment and Sustainability of Pernambuco and Coordinator of the Climate Technical Chamber of Abema, Inamara Melo; the Secretary of Environment of João Pessoa, Welison Silveira; the Superintendent of SEBRAE/PB, Walter Aguiar; and the Executive Secretary of the Northeast Consortium, Glauber Piva. ICLEI will be represented by Executive Secretary Rodrigo Perpétuo; Regional Manager of Low Carbon, Circular Economy and Resilience, Leta Vieira; Regional Coordinator of Resilience, Keila Ferreira; and Coordinator of Institutional Relations and Advocacy of ICLEI Brazil, Ana Wernke. 

A roundtable discussion will address the topic of Municipalization of Environmental Licensing, and confirmed participants include José Mário Falcão, Administrative and Financial Manager of AMUPE (Consortium for Decentralization of Licensing); Walber Farias, Municipal Secretary of the Environment of Conde and member of ANAMMA PB; Talden Farias, lawyer, legal consultant and professor; Daniella Fernandes, General Director of the Environmental Intranet (INEMA); and Vanessa Fernandes, who is part of the Postgraduate Program in Development and Environment at UFPB.  

Also on the agenda is a panel discussion on “The Importance of Intergovernmental Coordination for Climate Action in Northeastern Municipalities,” with the participation of representatives from the following institutions: Catapult, SEEG, and CLIMAS. Announcements, adhesions, and the signing of a Cooperation Agreement with the Northeast Consortium are also planned; as well as the Edinburgh Declaration and the affiliation of municipalities. 

Days 14 and 15

On the other days of the meeting, the panels will highlight the following topics: 

• Climate Compliance of the Suape Port Complex and the Municipalities within its Strategic Territory (Jaboatão, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Ipojuca, Moreno, Sirinhaém, Rio Formoso, Escada and Ribeirão), with the participation of the Director of Environment and Sustainability of the SUAPE Port Complex, Carlos Cavalcanti; 
• Solutions for Sustainability in the Semi-Arid Northeast of Brazil;
• Innovative Solutions for Urban Centers: The challenges of logistics and public transportation; 
• Promoting Biodiversity for the Adaptation and Resilience of Municipalities in Northeastern Brazil; 
• Paths for João Pessoa to make the energy transition of its public transport network. 

The meeting also includes training on how to use the Innovation Observatory for Sustainable Cities (OICS) platform for cities in the Northeast region of Brazil. 

To conclude the event, the program includes an interactive breakfast with researchers from the Federal University of Paraíba to discuss a growing problem in the oceans: plastic. Participants are also invited to take part in a technical visit to observe the coral reefs and experience sustainability in practice through the use of a green mode of transportation: kayaking. 

To register and participate in the opening of the 1st ICLEI Northeast Meeting, Click here.

The event is a partnership between ICLEI South America and the City Hall of João Pessoa, with the support of MRV, an ICLEI partner company in 2022, Novo Olhar Sustentabilidade, Instituto Ranking PB, Clean World, and the City Hall of Brejo da Madre de Deus.

The initiative also has the institutional support of Sebrae/PB, MCR2030, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), the National Association of Municipal Environmental Agencies (Anamma), Race To Zero, Race To Resilience, APL, GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).