Announcing: HU-NL Green Cities Conference in Budapest
On December 12, a conference will bring together urban greening stakeholders of from Hungary and the Netherlands to exchange best practices and identify new opportunities to cooperate.
Urban greening is both a challenge and an opportunity for metropolises of the 21st century. Cities suffer from a changing climate, dwindling resources like freshwater and clean air, pollution, droughts, volatile energy prices, heat waves and environmental degradation, risking local biodiversity, public health and even local food supples. These new challenges force companies, NGOs, public institutions and local governments to find new, sustainable, green solutions, business models, and to forge new partnerships. They have to find new ways to utilize nature in order to improve the urban environment, making cities more sustainable, more competitive, and their residents happier.
Hungary and the Netherlands face similar issues
The Netherlands, which is often seen as the country of water, has paradoxically also had to deal with heat waves and droughts in recent years. Hungarian cities faced water shortages during the 2022 European drought, and issues like air pollution or the urban heat island cause concern for citizens’ safety. That is why municipalities and NGOs in Hungary have initiated multiple new and innovative city greening projects.
To jointly take a closer look at urban greening challenges, the Netherlands Embassy organized a study visit for Hungarian cities to the Floriade Expo 2022, which focused on city greening and the vision of urban sustainability.
As the next step in forging new partnerships in the public and private sectors between Hungary and the Netherlands, the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Hungarian Ornamental Horticulturalist Association are co-organizing a Green Cities Conference on December 12, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary with the participation of Hungarian city officials and Dutch stakeholders and company representatives.
A shared vision for a green future for our cities
Aside from discovering potential mutually beneficial business opportunities in urban greening, the Hungarian and Dutch participants will engage in knowledge exchange panels where they can share best practices and past experience in various urban greening topics. Featuring on the agenda are the following:
- Opening by H.E. Désirée Bonis, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Hungary and Mr. László Orlóci, President of the Hungarian Ornamental Horticulturalist Association;
- Keynote contributions on urban greening in Hungary and the Netherlands;
- A panel discussion on climate change and climate resilience of modern cities with leading Dutch urban greening companies;
- Urban greening project presentations by Hungarian city representatives;
- A networking lunch and dinner;
- A guided visit to prominent urban greening project in Budapest.
Time and location: December 12, 2023 09:00-20:00, Hotel Novotel Danube, Budapest, Bem rakpart 33-34
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Is your company active in urban greening solutions in the Netherlands? Contact us for more information on and registration for the conference here: bdp-lnv@minbuza.nl |