From BZ/dpa
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey has called for optimism to remain in view of the global crises. “The times are not easy, on the contrary,” said Giffey at the international metropolitan conference Q Berlin on Thursday.
“We face multiple crises,” Giffey said. The negative effects of climate change are already being felt, but those of the corona pandemic will remain so. The consequences of the war in Ukraine can be seen all over Europe.
Giffey recalled the tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who had come to Berlin. Some of them who fought for peace, democracy and humanity in Ukraine are participants in the metropolitan conference. Giffey urged working together to resolve the issues and staying positive. “Whying doesn’t help,” she said in German in her speech, which was otherwise held in English. “We have to be optimistic.”
After a break of almost ten years, a conference is taking place again in the ICC Photo: Stefan Peter
At the two-day event in the former International Congress Center (ICC) at the Funkturm in Berlin-Westend, topics such as the consequences of wars and crises are on the program on Thursday and Friday under the title “The New Unknown – Navigating a turning point in time”. Mayors of major international cities and representatives from politics, business, science and culture will discuss this.
Giffey said it was important to defend democracy and what people of previous generations fought for. The democratic countries and peoples must confront the enemies of democracy, those who spread hate, fear and fake news.
The Governing Mayor expressly pointed out the unusual conference building, which in some cases resembled a spaceship. The ICC, which has not been used since 2014, is a special place, a symbol of Berlin as a city of freedom. “We want to reopen the ICC,” said Giffey – for Berliners and for international guests. Perhaps the metropolitan conference could be the first step in this direction.
The conference is organized by the tourism company Visit Berlin and funded by the Senate. According to the organizers, around 800 to 1000 participants are expected at Q Berlin.