Budapest to host Green Cities Conference on 12 December

The Embassy of the Netherlands in Budapest, in association with the Hungarian Ornamental Horticulturalist Association, will co-host a Green Cities Conference at Budapest’s Hotel Novotel Danube on 12 December 2023.

The conference will bring together Hungarian city officials, urban stakeholders, government administrations, organisations and green professionals 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 fresh water and clean air,  pollution, droughts, volatile energy prices, heat waves and environmental degradation, risking local biodiversity, public health, and even local food supplies. These new challenges force companies, NGOs, public institutions, and local governments to find new, sustainable, green solutions and business models and forge new partnerships. They have to find new ways to utilise nature to improve the urban environment, making cities more sustainable, more competitive, and their residents happier.

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 take a closer look at urban greening challenges jointly, the Netherlands Embassy organised a study trip 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 between Hungary and the Netherlands in the public and private sectors, the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Hungarian Ornamental Horticulturalist Association are co-organising a Green Cities Conference on 12 December 2023 in Budapest.

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 experience in various urban greening topics. Featuring on the agenda are the following:

Désirée Bonis, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Hungary and Mr. László Orlóci, President of the Hungarian Ornamental Horticulturalist Association, will attend the opening ceremony.

For more information on and registration, bdp-lnv@minbuza.nl