- The European Commission has launched a new initiative to promote the use of renewable energy sources.
The achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals will be the central focus of an annual international conference in Hamburg from now on. The aim of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) is to bring together decision-makers from politics, business, science, and civil society from around the world to explore possibilities and practical ways to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, said Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary for Development at the Federal Government (SPD), at the presentation of the conference concept in Hamburg City Hall.
The first HSC will take place on October 7 and 8 in the Chamber of Commerce Hamburg and in the City Hall. Up to 1200 participants are expected, including several heads of state and government, particularly from the Global South, and the President of the World Bank, Ajay Banga.
The conference will be opened by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who had already invited other heads of state to the Sustainable Development Forum of the United Nations in New York last year, said Flasbarth. Initiators are, besides the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Hamburg Senate, and the Michael Otto Foundation.
Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals still far away
The UN member states agreed in 2015 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to enable a dignified life for all people worldwide and to permanently secure the natural foundations of life by 2030. Topics include poverty, health, equal opportunities in education and employment, nature conservation on land and at sea, climate protection, resource-saving economic development, and transparent government action.
Flasbarth drew a sobering mid-term balance: "We are neither on track to combat poverty or hunger, to provide education for all, to have a health system for all people worldwide, or to achieve energy access - we are not close to achieving the goals," he said. Therefore, it is important to "increase the speed worldwide to reach these goals." Ultimately, it is about "the fundamental question of peaceful coexistence on Earth."
Conference to create global alliances
States alone are not able to achieve the SDGs. Instead, politics, business, science, and civil society worldwide must pull together. And this is where the conference comes in, said Flasbarth: "We want to create alliances (...) We want to see how we can achieve the goals together."
The HSC is not a "negotiating conference," said its CEO, Imke Rajamani. It is not about binding final declarations. Forums will be set up for three central topics: the restructuring of the international financial architecture, the facilitation of private investments to achieve the SDGs, and the shaping of transformation processes.
A topic of this year's conference will be "Green Shipping Lines," focusing on the decarbonization of maritime transport through the use of green hydrogen and the establishment of corresponding structures.
"Our forums will remain," said Rajamani. The exact contents will be adjusted from conference to conference. "The actual work of alliance-building and the actual work of finding solutions and coming to joint action steps - that is an annual process." They rely on networking all actors. "It's not just about those who already talk to each other."
From talking to acting
The entrepreneur Michael Otto has been dealing with the topic of sustainability for 35 years, said the chairman of the Michael Otto Foundation, Johannes Merck. For the Hamburg honorary citizen and former CEO of the Otto Group, it is important to "move from talking to acting now."
The economy is currently not just part of the solution, but "but overwhelmingly unfortunately still the problem," said Merck. "A conference that sets out with the promise to unleash the power of the economy for the achievement of the UN sustainability goals is for us an exceptionally necessary and inherently very plausible undertaking."
University of Hamburg offers events on sustainability
The conference also fits well with the port city of Hamburg, said the head of the Senate Chancellery, State Councilor Jan Pörksen. "We have had relations with the whole world for centuries." The public should also be involved. "There will also be numerous events at the university where Hamburgers can inform themselves about sustainability." Furthermore, live streams of the conference panels are planned.
The HSC aims to discuss the role of education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as it is one of the crucial topics included in the SDGs. Despite the agreement on the SDGs in 2015, Flasbarth highlighted that progress towards achieving education for all is still lagging behind.
Collaboration between politics, business, science, and civil society is essential to ensure education for all and reach other SDGs. The conference's goal is to foster such collaborations, creating alliances that can help accelerate progress towards these goals.
