Nations talk, cities act? How the pandemic enhanced the international role of cities

The outbreak of COVID-19 led to a hiatus in international relations. While the governmental level featured impasse (UN) and harsh negotiations (UE) to define a common strategy, the city level experienced a blossoming of initiatives aimed at harnessing the potential of collective intelligence, cooperation, and solidarity.

The majority of the over 200 active city networks deployed cooperative tools and platforms to that purpose, whose outcomes have been made readily available to the world.

What will be the impact of such an approach on the reshuffle of international relations that this pandemic seems destined to generate? Can cities stimulate a collaborative turn in international relations towards a more sustainable and just future?

A conference chaired by Nilda Mesa, Adjunct Professor at SIPA, Columbia University; Faculty member at PSIA, Sciences Po

Speakers:

• Mr François William Croteau, member of the executive council of the City of Montreal, in charge of the issues of smart cities, information technology, innovation and higher education
• Mr Sami Kanaan, Mayor of Geneva
• Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, Lecturer at PSIA-Sciences Po and Columbia University in Paris; Chair of Urban Flag

Please register here 

This event is part of the online conference series “Reimagining Cities” co-organized by the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po and Columbia University in Paris.

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