★Please note that registration is required to participate in this event.
In-Person Attendance:
Registration link:
https://e-ve.event-form.jp/event/100905/symposium
Registration deadline: May 10th (Saturday) *with a possibility of extension
■Event Details
- Date and Time: 22 May 2025 (International Biodiversity Day) 14:00-17:00
- Location: Kanazawa Bunka Hall, Conference Room 3F, Kanazawa City, Japan
- Format: In-person attendance (Japanese-English simultaneous translation will be available)
- Organizer: United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Studies of Sustainability Ishikawa Kanazawa Operating Unit (UNU-IAS OUIK)
- Co-hosted by: City of Kanazawa and Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ)
- Supported by: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) Japan, Ishikawa Prefecture, The Hokkoku Shimbun
The “Generation Restoration Project,” led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is an international initiative aimed at contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement through Urban Nature Restoration. In 2023, Kanazawa City was designated as a model city, recognized for its efforts in conservation and restoration that involve citizen participation and traditional knowledge. This symposium will bring together representatives from model/pilot cities around the world to discuss how culture and citizen engagement can support nature restoration and to collaboratively explore the best practices for creating sustainable cities.
■Key Topics of Discussion:
Reintegrating Nature into Urban Spaces
– Strategies for restoring biodiversity, enhancing green infrastructure, and promoting sustainable urban planning.
Cultural Landscapes and Urban Identity
– How cities can preserve and celebrate their cultural heritage, recognizing urban nature as an integral part of it, while adapting to modern challenges.
Community-Led Urban Regeneration
– The role of citizen engagement in shaping sustainable and inclusive cities.
Global Perspectives on Ecosystem Restoration
– Lessons from diverse cities on integrating cultural and ecological restoration in urban development.
Resilience and Adaptation
– How cities can respond to climate change and environmental challenges through ecological and cultural restoration.
■ Programme (tentative)
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Part 1／Keynote Speeches |
| 14:00-14:05 | Opening Remarks: Takashi Murayama (Mayor of Kanazawa City) |
| 14:05-14:20 | Keynote 1: “Urban Nature for People and Planet: Restoring Ecosystems, Rebuilding Community” |
| by Yulia Rubleva (Associate Programme Management Officer, Urban Nature, UNEP) | |
 Yulia is an Urban Nature focal point in the Cities team of the United Nations Environment Programme. She brings over 11 years of experience in managing complex projects on climate and biodiversity, resource efficiency and environmental sustainability at both national and sub-national levels globally, working in UN organizations (UNESCO and UNEP) as well as in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
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| 14:20-14:35 | Keynote 2: “Nature Contributing to Well-Being, Resilience & Connectivity in Cities” |
| by Ingrid Coetzee (Director, Biodiversity, Nature & Health, ICLEI Africa) | |
 Ingrid Coetzee has over 40 years of experience in sustainability, advocacy (policy proposal), and governance, having worked at national, subnational, and city government levels. Her main focus is on biodiversity advocacy, aiming to make cities greener, healthier, more resilient and livable by mainstreaming nature and its benefits into urban planning and decision-making. Ingrid leads biodiversity advocacy at ICLEI, representing the voice of local and subnational governments in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and related frameworks, such as the Convention on Migratory Species and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. She also coordinates ICLEI’s efforts in the partnership initiatives CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature. Additionally, she represents ICLEI and the interests of local and subnational governments on the UNEP Intergovernmental and Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (IMAG) of GEO7, the AMCEN Civil Society Group, as well as the CLEANAction Coalition and World Coastal Forum. Ingrid also serves as technical lead on ICLEI’s contributions, as one of the 15 Global Partners, to the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (Generation Restoration). |
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| 14:35-14:50 | Keynote 3: “The Role of Cities in Achieving a Society in Harmony with Nature” |
| by Wataru Suzuki (Director, Biodiversity Strategy Office, Biodiversity Policy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau, MOEJ) | |
 Joined the Ministry of the Environment in 1994. After working in the Nature Conservation Bureau, the Wildlife Division, and the Biodiversity Center, he held positions at international organizations such as the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), the technical support body for the IPBES Asia-Pacific regional assessment, and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). He has been in his current position since July 2022. At the CBD Secretariat, he was involved in supporting capacity development in developing countries through the Japan Biodiversity Fund. Currently, he is engaged in the implementation of international frameworks related to biodiversity, such as the CBD and IPBES, representing the position of the Japanese government. |
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Part 2／Introduction of Cities and Panel Discussion |
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| 15:30-16:50 | Theme: Community-Led Urban Regeneration: Culture, Nature, and Global Perspectives |
| Moderator: Togo Uchida (Executive Director, ICLEI Japan) | |
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Joined the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in May 2006. As a Specialist Researcher, he was involved in collaborative projects with international organizations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as with aid agencies in countries like South Korea, China, and Thailand. From April 2009, he worked as a planning researcher at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for three years in Thailand and five years in Cambodia. He was responsible for international cooperation projects in the fields of environment and climate change, engaging in environmental pollution measures, climate change countermeasures, and support for urban environmental infrastructure projects. In July 2017, he joined the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), where he is responsible for SDGs promotion projects in urban areas across ASEAN countries. He has held his current position since July 2018. |
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Panelists from the Cities (tentative)
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| 16:50-16:55 | Closing Remarks: Shinobu Yamaguchi (Director, UNU-IAS) |
| 17:00 | End of Symposium |
※The list of speakers, program, and other details will be updated periodically.
都市生態系再生国際シンポチラシ Urban Ecosystem Regeneration International Symposium flyer 
