Mayor Vico Sotto invited as keynote speaker at climate security conference in Manila

The National Resilience Council (NRC) has formally invited Mayor Victor Ma. Regis “Vico” N Sotto to deliver the keynote address at the upcoming international conference “Thriving with Climate Security in Metro Manila: Narratives of Resilience from the Ground” to be held on 11 June 2025 at the Areté, Ateneo de Manila University. As the Mayor of Pasig City, Mayor Sotto has been recognized for championing community-centered urban planning and climate adaptation initiatives.

Co-organized by Ateneo de Manila University, Manila Observatory, NRC, and La Trobe University, Australia, the event brings together leading academic, government, and community partners to examine the unique challenges and resilience strategies of Metro Manila’s coastal communities in the face of climate change.

The conference is part of the broader Coastal Cities at Risk in the Philippines Project (Ateneo), with additional support from Eastern Visayas State University, Visayas State University, Lingnan University (Hong Kong), and the University of Melbourne (Australia). The initiative aims to forge collaborations and build a robust research ecosystem that bridges traditional climate security and everyday human security in local communities.

With an eye on innovation and policy impact, the conference’s four main goals are to:

1.  Build lasting partnerships;
2. Foster community support, relevance, and policy impact;
3. Produce academic publications; and
4. Secure an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant.

For further information about the event, designated staff from Ateneo de Manila University and La Trobe University can be reached through Prof/Dr Emma Estenzo Porio (eporio@ateneo.edu) and Associate Professor Brooke Wilmsen (b.wilmsen@latrobe.edu.au), respectively.

images credits: Canva AI