Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga
Ernesto Ottone R., Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO

The session will explore how integrating culture in urban strategies and policies can unlock opportunities for reshaping international development agendas, notably beyond 2030, in line with the Braga Manifesto. At the end of the presentations, the floor will be open to all participating Mayors.

Maria da Conceição Da Silva Évora, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Guinea-Bissau (TBC)
Nicole Yardeni, Deputy Mayor of Toulouse
Ryana Parks-Shaw, Mayor Pro Tem of Kansas City
Catherine Vallières-Roland, Deputy Mayor of Québec
Neven Bosilj, Mayor of Varazdin
Yana Lyubenova Genova, Deputy Mayor of Sofia
Alvaro Ortiz, Mayor of Concepción
Changjin Zhang, Deputy Mayor of Yangzhou
Amit Saini, Deputy Mayor of Mumbai
Charlemagne Yankoty, Mayor of Porto-Novo
Mahoulouth Diakhate, Deputy Mayor of Dakar
Assad Zogaib, Mayor of Zahlé
Aref Alrawjeeh, Mayor of Madaba

Official photo

Host: Carolina Lapa, Communication Director, Teatro Circo de Braga

Lunch
Mayor to Mayor Networking session
Guided tour at the INL

I: Anchoring culture in local policies
The first segment will focus on middle to long term strategies as well as concrete projects and initiatives aimed at ensuring the systematic anchoring of culture into public policies in Creative Cities.

Speakers:
María Francisca Carazo, Mayor of Granada
Jair Galvão, Deputy Mayor of Penedo
Trent Sullivan, Mayor of Geelong
Esam Almullad, Mayor of Al-Ahsa

II: Stimulating investments to build the sustainable cities of tomorrow
Mayors’ pivotal role in driving investments for sustainable urban development will be the focus of the second segment. Discussions will highlight their efforts in promoting cultural education, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure development, aiming to enhance the local cultural sector’s dynamics and sustainability, benefiting all city residents.

Speakers:
Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice
Marcela Herbert Pesquera, Representative of the Governor of Querétaro
Frédéric Nzoki Epoh, Mayor of Nkongsamba
Assad Zogaib, Mayor of Zahlé

III: Empowering the Young Generations for Building Urban Resilience through Creativity and Innovation
Duration: 30 minutes + 5 minutes QA
The third segment will showcase proactive measures to empower the young generations by releasing their creative potential. Mayors will be invited to reflect on forward-thinking strategies and mechanisms to allow youth to advocate for resilience and peace in the urban context.

Speakers:
Vigdis Stensby, Mayor of Hamar
Kyoo-il Jo, Mayor of Jinju
Yomelela Tyali, Mayor of Buffalo City
Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Mayor of Surkarta

Conclusions on the three roundtables by the Moderator

Moderator: Alexandra Cunha, Researcher and Professor, School of Business Administration of São Paulo and Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná

16:30 – 17:00
Arrival at Bom Jesus de Monte

17:00 – 18:30
Welcome & Guided tour

18:30
Cocktail at Colunata Eventos with DJ set

19:45
Dinner and Welcome words by the Mayor

22:00
Return to the City Center