After a year’s hiatus, the European Development Days (EDDs) returned in style to the (virtual) conference halls of Brussels for their 14^th edition. The hybrid, two-day conference took place on 15 and 16 June under the banner of ‘The Green Deal for a Sustainable Future’. The 17 thematic segments, jam-packed with high-level panels, project presentations, lab debates and practitioner interviews provided insights into ongoing efforts and powerful ideas to ‘build back greener’ from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 19 000 participants can attest to the quality of the sessions and the richness of debate.

This year’s edition of the EDDs put a specific spotlight on the voices of young leaders, who are at the forefront of the battle against biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental degradation. This provided a welcome balance in vantage points, highlighting especially that a sustainable future must also be inclusive and equitable.

Day 1, ‘A Green Economy for People and Nature’, provided insights into state-of-the-art approaches to avoid further deterioration of nature and simultaneously take advantage of economic opportunities that arise from employing greener practices – be it for food, energy, water, oceans, chemicals, education, finance, recycling or the way we shape urban environments. 

Day 2, ‘Protecting Biodiversity and People’, zoomed in on specific ecosystems, discussing the tools available to restore, preserve and sustainably manage the natural resources of our planet. Forests, seascapes, transboundary watersheds, wildlife, as well as the role of landscape management, climate change, indigenous peoples & local communities, protected areas, research, data and technologies were the subject of several focused segments.

A few special events were organised in parallel to the main segments, such as on female climate leadership or youth action in biodiversity. Some of these even boasted Hollywood involvement: actors Ben Affleck and Idris Elba both contributed to discussions throughout the course of the EDDs. Most notable was an announcement by Commissioner Urpilainen to support an electrification project in the Virunga area of the DRC to the tune of EUR 20 million. The closing session saw the official release of the ‘Eight Actionable Priorities for Biodiversity Action’, drawn up by a high-level group of experts commissioned by the DG INTPA, Director-General. The recommendations cover: (i) conservation of critical ecosystems; (ii) restoration of degraded land/seas; (iii) safe and sustainable food systems; (iv) legal, sustainable and safe wildlife use, (v) knowledge and capacity building; (vi) indigenous peoples and local communities; (vii) multilateral environmental agreements and governance; (viii) greening finance.

Crucially, the EDDs emphasised the concrete link between the climate change and biodiversity crises, and created important momentum for both the UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow and the CBD COP15 in Kunming later this year.

For a deeper dive, all sessions of the European Development Days 2021 are available publicly and can be re-watched on DG INTPA’s YouTube channel here. Please make sure to also peruse the EDD website for further information.

See you next year for the 15^th edition of the EDDs, on 14-15 June 2022.