AdaptationHubs’ Miljenko Sedlar, speaks at Pathways2Resilience Summit in Budapest
At the Pathways2Resilience Summit, held in Budapest, from 10-12 February, which gathered around 100 European regions developing climate resilience plans, AdaptationHubs’ coordinator, Miljenko Sedlar, participated in a high-level panel centred around the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.
The event was aimed to connect regions from two cohorts to celebrate achievements, exchange lessons learnt, and strengthen collaboration, with local, regional, and EU representatives, experts, and stakeholders from other sectors present. Throughout the three days, Pathways2Resilience representatives made it clear to regions receiving its support, that it shares valuable synergies with AdaptationHubs. The latter project's connection to the national level, through its National Adaptation HUbs (NAHs) could help streamline adaptation coordination long-term.
Hosted by Phillippe Tuliens, Deputy Manager of Mission Adaptation, panelists included representatives from DG Regio’s Sustainable Growth Unit, the European Investment Bank, Bankers without Boundaries, and the cities of Budapest, Hungary and Zlín, Czechia.
Miljenko Sedlar, AdaptationHubs Coordinator and Head of Climate, North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency (REGEA), was invited to reflect on opportunities for different EU Member States to further support the implementation of regional climate resilience strategies and action plans. Contributing from the lens of multi-level governance, he shared that “AdaptationHubs will break siloes in each of its National Adaptation Hubs, forming "an ecosystem where cities and regions can come together for vertical and horizontal alignment with ministries, bankers, private sector, and more."
Sedlar was well-positioned to speak on these topics based on his wide-ranging experience overseeing climate risk assessments, adaptation planning, and climate-proofing of infrastructure, while serving on multiple working groups and in strategic roles related to European level regional development and national adaptation. These include the Working Group on Adaptation at DG REGIO, DG CLIMA’s adaptation processes, the UK National Adaptation Advisory Board, and the Croatian NECP Dialogue Platform, which is a multi-level governance mechanism to align local and regional climate action with national and European frameworks.
Having coordinated adaptation systems is increasingly expected of countries through several EU frameworks, such as the EU Climate Law and the Adaptation Strategy as well as the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. As Europe faces accelerating climate risks, there is a need to overcome fragmentation through agile, connected governance structures to advance action across Europe. We look forward to seeing how AdaptationHubs, Pathways2Resilience, and other projects in the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change can promote mutual learning and strengthen resilience across Europe at all levels and across sectors.
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