CIFAL Flanders KICK OFF 2026

Programme:
09h00 Registration and welcome coffee
09h30 Plenary Session 1
Keynote Speakers:

• Opening words from Peter Wollaert, UNITAR Fellow and Managing Director CIFAL Flanders
• Keynote speech by Jan Danckaert, Rector Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Insights by Patricia Delbaere, Sustainable Development Expert at the Federal Planning Bureau
• Reflections by Oskar Bonte, UN Youth Representative
• Panel debate with reflections by
• Xavier Vanrolleghem, Senior Advisor Flanders Investment & Trade
• Peter Garré, Managing Director Bopro

11h00 Coffee Break
11h15 Action Learning Sessions 1 (choose one of the sessions)

• ESG Frontrunners: Insights on Sustainability Reporting (Including Arno Vanermen, Bopro, Elke Thurman, Eva Schobyn, Johan Van Damme, Peter Wollaert and Topsana Du Bois)
• Action Learning Network Flemish Agencies & Entities: From Policy to Practice: Advancing Sustainability in Flemish Agencies & Entities (Including Bridget Thielens Lomo and Yves Dierckx)

12h45 Vegetarian Lunch
14h00 Action Learning Sessions 2 (choose one of the sessions)

• SDG Ambassador Community & Action Learning Network Higher Education Institutions: Connecting Changemakers (Including Bridget Thielens Lomo, Griet Sinove, Karen Van Bastelaere and Topsana Du Bois)
• Panel Debate: The UN at a Crossing Point (Including Birgit Van Hout, Camila Salazar, Marise Habib and Vic Vereecke). Hosted by CIFAL Flanders – UNA Belgium (in English)
• SDG Guided tour of the Marie-Elisabeth Belpaire Building

15h30 Coffee Break
15h45 Plenary Session 2

• Awarding new SDG Ambassadors (HOGENT & Het Facilitair Bedrijf)
• Introduction Board of Directors
• Launch CIFAL 2.0
• Closing words by UNITAR

16h45 Networking Reception

The event will be in Dutch.