HAMBURG (Germany): The first Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) brings together politics, science and business as well as civil society and international organizations to develop solutions for the challenges of the times. Around 1600 participants from 102 countries discussed a wide scope of issues in more than 60 sessions: from sustainable hydrogen supply chains for global shipping to fair raw material relations for battery production and an international financial architecture that is fair for all. The aim of the conference was to develop concrete initiatives to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals jointly agreed by all countries of the world.
The Hamburg Sustainability Conference was an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Michael Otto Foundation and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. It will continue to take place in the coming years and thus initiate and support long-term change processes, stated the initiators of the conference.
The conference was opened by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Hamburg's First Mayor Peter Tschentscher as well as the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner. Among others, the President of Namibia Nangolo Mbumba, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, heads of the state of nearly a dozen countries, Chadian civil rights activist and representative of the indigenous peoples Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim and Kenyan activist Mercy Mutana participated in the conference. The collaboration of representatives from politics, business, science and civil society from all parts of the world enables new alliances for concrete initiatives.
Development Minister Svenja Schulze said “The principle of international cooperation is under enormous pressure worldwide. In many countries, nationalists advocate for isolation and stir up fears about the future. That the global community managed to adopt a pact for the future in September in New York under these circumstances is therefore a victory for multilateralism . We want to build on this and develop concrete answers to questions about the future through new alliances. The major challenges of our time cannot be solved in a national shell but only through international cooperation.
First Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher said “With the international Sustainability Conference, Hamburg is making an important contribution to more sustainable global development. Our city itself is pursuing an ambitious SDG strategy. With Germany's largest seaport and around 100 consulates, we have excellent connections to all continents. We look forward to new concepts and new ideas for implementing the United Nations' SDGs.”
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said “Coming on the heels of world leaders agreeing to the Pact of the Future on the margins of the UN General Assembly, the Hamburg Sustainability Conference is the first next step towards turning these global commitments into tangible action to steer our world to a more sustainable path”.
Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Otto Group said “The major challenges of our time can only be addressed through close cooperation and a collaborative effort among politics, business, and society. The global consensus on the Sustainable Development Goals is, therefore, a significant achievement of multilateralism. However, these goals must be pursued with much greater urgency”.
Future issues including how shipping corridors can be created and supplied with green hydrogen so that it is possible to travel in a climate-neutral way. How can batteries, which are so important for climate protection, be produced using raw materials that are themselves sustainably sourced. How can the international financial architecture be reformed so that it can support all countries in sustainable development. How can the enormous potential of the private sector and civil society actors be better utilized to achieve the global goals for sustainable development for all and what guidelines can politicians set so that the sustainability pioneers of today set the standards of tomorrow and many more were discussed.
The Hamburg Sustainability Conference was an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Michael Otto Foundation and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. It will continue to take place in the coming years and thus initiate and support long-term change processes, stated the initiators of the conference.
The conference was opened by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Hamburg's First Mayor Peter Tschentscher as well as the Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner. Among others, the President of Namibia Nangolo Mbumba, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, heads of the state of nearly a dozen countries, Chadian civil rights activist and representative of the indigenous peoples Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim and Kenyan activist Mercy Mutana participated in the conference. The collaboration of representatives from politics, business, science and civil society from all parts of the world enables new alliances for concrete initiatives.
Development Minister Svenja Schulze said “The principle of international cooperation is under enormous pressure worldwide. In many countries, nationalists advocate for isolation and stir up fears about the future. That the global community managed to adopt a pact for the future in September in New York under these circumstances is therefore a victory for multilateralism . We want to build on this and develop concrete answers to questions about the future through new alliances. The major challenges of our time cannot be solved in a national shell but only through international cooperation.
First Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher said “With the international Sustainability Conference, Hamburg is making an important contribution to more sustainable global development. Our city itself is pursuing an ambitious SDG strategy. With Germany's largest seaport and around 100 consulates, we have excellent connections to all continents. We look forward to new concepts and new ideas for implementing the United Nations' SDGs.”
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner said “Coming on the heels of world leaders agreeing to the Pact of the Future on the margins of the UN General Assembly, the Hamburg Sustainability Conference is the first next step towards turning these global commitments into tangible action to steer our world to a more sustainable path”.
Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Otto Group said “The major challenges of our time can only be addressed through close cooperation and a collaborative effort among politics, business, and society. The global consensus on the Sustainable Development Goals is, therefore, a significant achievement of multilateralism. However, these goals must be pursued with much greater urgency”.
Future issues including how shipping corridors can be created and supplied with green hydrogen so that it is possible to travel in a climate-neutral way. How can batteries, which are so important for climate protection, be produced using raw materials that are themselves sustainably sourced. How can the international financial architecture be reformed so that it can support all countries in sustainable development. How can the enormous potential of the private sector and civil society actors be better utilized to achieve the global goals for sustainable development for all and what guidelines can politicians set so that the sustainability pioneers of today set the standards of tomorrow and many more were discussed.
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