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Dates
Press Breakfast
Monday, 27 August 2012, 10:00 am
Information about the International Geographical Congress and the various fields and foci of geography research, with a particular focus on society and the environment.
Among the participants: Dr. Frauke Kraas (Geographer and member of the IGC Local Organising Committee, University of Cologne Institute of Geography)
We will be happy to arrange interviews with one or more of the scientists and experts attending this year’s IGC.
Location: University of Cologne; room to be announced at a later date
Keynote lectures
Two main lectures will be given on each of the IGC’s four core topics – one featuring the scientific perspective presented by an expert from the field of geography, the other presented by an expert from a related organisation.
Monday, 27 August 2012 - “Society and Environment”
11:45 am
Dr. Klaus Töpfer
(former Federal Minister of Environmental Affairs and Former Executive Director of UNEP)
12:30 pm
Dr. Anne Buttimer
(Geographer, University College Dublin/Dublin, Ireland)
Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - “Urbanisation and Demographic Change”
11:45 am
Dr. Martin Lees
(Club of Rome)
12:30 pm
Dr. Surinder Aggarwal
(Geographer, University of Delhi/New Delhi, India)
Wednesday, 29 August 2012 - “Global Change and Globalisation”
11:45 am
Dr. Eduardo de Mulder
(Initiator of the UNESCO International Year of Planet Earth)
12:30 pm
Dr. Bruno Messerli
(Geographer, University of Bern/Bern, Switzerland)
Thursday, 30 August 2012 - “Risks and Conflicts”
11:45 am
Alexander J. Müller
(FAO Assistant Director General/Rome, Italy)
12:30 pm
Dr. Derek Gregory
(Geographer, University of British Columbia/Vancouver, Canada)
IGC Opening Ceremony at the Kölner Philharmonie (Cologne Philharmonic Hall)
The IGC 2012 will be officially opened with a concert at the Cologne’s Philharmonic Hall. The traditional opening speeches will be accompanied by a diverse musical programme featuring performances by a sym-phony orchestra, a choir and a big band. Other highlights of the evening will include the award ceremony for the winners of the international Geography Olympiad “iGeo” (www.geoolympiad.org) presented by the State Minister for Education Sylvia Löhrmann. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn from Thailand will also speak during the opening event.
Date: 26 August 2012
Start: 3:00 pm
Location: Kölner Philharmonie (Cologne Philharmonic Hall)
Reception at Cologne’s historic Town Hall
The Lord Mayor of Cologne will hold a reception for the attendants of the IGC 2012 on the second evening of the Congress in the “Piazetta” of Cologne’s historic Town Hall (Historisches Rathaus). There is no other building in Cologne that embodies the independence of Cologne’s citizens quite like the historic Town Hall. It was erected by the Cologne guilds at the end of the 14th century as a symbol of their dominance in the town and has survived the centuries almost unchanged. With its location in the heart of the city, the citizens of Cologne continued in the tradition of the city’s Roman founders, who erected their praetorium on the same site and shaped the city’s fortunes from here.
Date: 27 August 2012
Start: Presently scheduled for 8:00 pm
Location: Historic Town Hall (Historisches Rathaus)
Congress Dinner
The Congress Dinner will take place in the stylish atmosphere of Cologne’s “Gilden im Zims” brewery. This brewery in the heart of Cologne’s old town adds elements of modern gastronomy to the tradi¬tions of the Cologne breweries, creating a unique atmosphere.
Date: 28 August 2012
Start: 8:30 pm
Location: Restaurant “Gilden im Zims”
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony of the IGC 2012 will be held in the University of Cologne’s main hall. The first-ever International Geographical Science Award (International Wissenschaftspreis der deutschen Geographie) sponsored by the Frithjof Voss Foundation will also be presented at this time. After the newly elected Executive Committee of the IGU is introduced, the IGU flag will be officially passed on to China, the hosts of the next International Geographical Congress four years from now.
Date: 30 August 2012
Start: 4:00 pm
Location: Main building of the University of Cologne