The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) of the United Nations dedicates itself every year to the state of implementation of 2030 Agenda and specifically to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the second year in a row, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) have been organizing a „German HLPF Conference“ to link the discussions on the German sustainability strategy with the debates at the United Nations.
On 2 December 2020, Prof Dr Imme Scholz, Deputy Director at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) took part in the second German HLPF conference, which was entitled „On the way to the Decade of Action 2020-2030: Which paths lead us to sustainable development?”. The representatives of the development and environmental policy associations, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and the Confederation of German Industry (BDI), discussed very controversially, whether the German sustainability strategy is already convincingly advocating transformative public action and whether it also provides sufficiently clear incentives for changes in the economy and labour markets, both in Germany and in transnational supply chains.
On a podium with Maja Göpel (The New Institute) and Klaus Milke (Germanwatch / Foundations 20), Imme Scholz addressed the consideration that sustainability crises (climate/ corona) make new demands on the commitment to the common good. This obligation should be reflected in the actions of the government, the parliaments, the individual citizens, and in economic life. It was not enough to focus on the common good of one’s own country, but the welfare of the global community and future generations must also be promoted. Finding a fair balance between current and future interests is difficult in Germany, too, said Scholz.
Das High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) der Vereinten Nationen widmet sich jedes Jahr dem Stand der Umsetzung der Agenda 2030 für nachhaltige Entwicklung und spezifischen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Seit zwei Jahren veranstalten das Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) und das Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit (BMU) eine “deutsche HLPF-Konferenz“, um die Diskussionen zur deutschen Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie mit den Debatten bei den Vereinten Nationen zu verbinden.
Am 02.12.2020 nahm Prof. Dr. Imme Scholz, stellvertretende Direktorin am Deutschen Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), hierzu an der zweiten deutschen HLPF-Konferenz teil, die unter der Überschrift „Auf dem Weg in die Aktionsdekade 2020-2030: Welche Pfade führen uns in eine nachhaltige Entwicklung?“ stand. Die Vertreter*innen der entwicklungs- bzw. umweltpolitischen Verbände, des Deutschen Gewerkschaftsbundes (DGB) und des Bundesverbandes der Deutschen Industrie (BDI) diskutierten sehr kontrovers, ob sich die deutsche Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie bereits überzeugend für transformatives öffentliches Handeln stark mache und ob damit auch ausreichend klare Anreize für Veränderungen in der Wirtschaft und auf den Arbeitsmärkten gesetzt seien, sowohl in Deutschland als auch in transnationalen Lieferketten.
Auf einem Podium mit Maja Göpel (The New Institute) und Klaus Milke (Germanwatch / Foundations 20) stellte Imme Scholz die Überlegung zur Diskussion, dass Nachhaltigkeitskrisen (Klima, Corona) neue Anforderungen an die Verpflichtung gegenüber dem Gemeinwohl stellen. Diese Verpflichtung müsste sich im Handeln der Regierung, der Parlamente niederschlagen, der einzelnen Bürger*innen und im Wirtschaftsleben. Es reiche dabei nicht aus, sich auf das Gemeinwohl des eigenen Landes zu konzentrieren, sondern es müsse auch das Wohl der globalen Gemeinschaft und zukünftiger Generationen befördert werden. Einen gerechten Ausgleich zwischen Gegenwarts- und Zukunftsinteressen zu finden, falle auch in Deutschland schwer.
Launch of the 2020 Europe Sustainable Development Report (ESDR) by SDSN & IEEP
On 8 December 2020, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) launched the 2020 Europe Sustainable Development Report (ESDR). was . After the well-received first edition last year, this year’s report sheds a light on the challenges for the EU and international cooperation towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement and the EU Green Deal against the background of the COVID-19-pandemic and its socio-economic impact.
At the same time, the SDGs are now more important than ever as they provide the sound and promising framework to guide the European response to the crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Next Generation EU recovery package as well as the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027) offer the chance to put Europe’s recovery and future on a sustainable path.
The 2020 ESDR with the SDG Index & Dashboards provide an overview for the EU and member states and gives recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the EU Green Deal in Europe and beyond.
The virtual launch event with almost 200 participants was moderated by Conny Czymoch with opening remarks by Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (Parliamentary State Secretary; German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety) and Dr. Maria Flachsbarth (Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation)
Guillaume Lafortune (Director, SDSN Paris) and Eloise Bodin (Policy Analyst, IEEP) presented the results of the 2020 ESDR, followed by the panel discussion with inputs by Heidi Hautala (Member and Vice-President of the European Parliament), Ester Asin (Director, WWF European Policy Office), Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge (Director, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) & Co-Chair, SDSN Germany) and Peter Schmidt (President, Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, EESC) and closing remarks by Prof. Jeffrey Sachs (President, SDSN).
Am 8. Dezember 2020 veröffentlichten SDSN (Sustainable Development Solutions Network) & IEEP (Institute for European Environmental Policy) den 2020 Europe Sustainable Development Report (ESDR). Nachdem der ESDR erstmals im vergangenen Jahr veröffentlicht wurde, steht der diesjährige Bericht im Licht der COVID-19-Pandemie und den sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen, welche die EU und die internationale Kooperation vor große Herausforderungen mit Blick auf die Erreichung der Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), des Pariser Klimaabkommens und des Europäischen Green Deals stellen. Gleichzeitig sind die SDGs wichtiger denn je, da sie einen Rahmen vorgeben zur Gestaltung der Europäischen Antwort auf die Krise infolge der COVID-19-Pandemie. Der Aufbauplan #NextGenerationEU und der nächste Mehrjährige Finanzrahmen (MFR, 2021-2027) bieten die Chance, Europas Wiederaufbau und Zukunft auf eine nachhaltige Weise zu gestalten.
Der 2020 ESDR einschließlich SDG Index & Dashboards gibt einen aktuellen Überblick für die EU und die Mitgliedstaaten und Empfehlungen zur Stärkung der Umsetzung der Agenda 2030 für nachhaltige Entwicklung und des Europäischen Green Deals in Europa und darüber hinaus.
Die virtuelle Veranstaltung zur erstmaligen Vorstellung des Berichtes mit knapp 200 Teilnehmer*innen wurde von Conny Czymoch moderiert und mit Grußbotschaften von Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (Parlamentarische Staatssekretärin, BMU) und Dr. Maria Flachsbarth (Parlamentarische Staatssekretärin, BMZ) eröffnet.
Daran anschließend stellten Guillaume Lafortune (Director, SDSN Paris) und Eloise Bodin (Policy Analyst, IEEP) die Ergebnisse des 2020 ESDR vor.
Heidi Hautala (Mitglied und Vizepräsidentin des Europäischen Parlaments), Ester Asin (Direktorin, WWF European Policy Office), Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge (Direktorin, German Development Institute & Co-Vorsitzende, SDSN Germany) und Peter Schmidt (Präsident, Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, EESC) reagierten auf die Vorstellung des Berichts mit Impulsbeiträgen in der Paneldiskussion, an die Prof. Jeffrey Sachs (President, SDSN) mit einem abschließenden Beitrag anknüpfte.
Staff exchange projects are amongst the casualties of 2020’s pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions. The Promoting Research on Digitalisation in Emerging Powers and Europe Towards Sustainable Development (PRODIGEES) (www.prodigees.info) project proves to be a powerful and encouraging exception. PRODIGEES, which receives funding from the European Union through Horizon 2020’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (MSCA-RISE), is coordinated by DIE, harnessing its Managing Global Governance (MGG) network to strengthen knowledge cooperation between Europe and non-European research institutes. PRODIGEES’ value was highlighted in an issue of DIE’s Current Column in April 2020.
PRODIGEES hosted its kickoff meeting on 30th March, coinciding with the lockdown measures being imposed across Europe. Instead of taking place in Berlin, the conference was hosted virtually, balancing time zones and new conferencing etiquette. This gave the project’s Steering Committee the ability to take immediate action. Within two months the Consortium agreed to adapt the original secondment plan, onboard new partners, and thereby mitigate the risks posed by the national and international reactions to COVID-19. DIE contacted PRODIGEES’ Project Officer in Brussels, setting in motion a contingency plan to stabilise the project through the uncertainties of the pandemic.
Before the initial lockdown, PRODIGEES piloted its program in January with a research secondment performed by Prof. Dr. Ingrid Schneider of the University of Hamburg. While the pandemic brought exchanges to a standstill, the PRODIGEES team used Prof. Schneider’s experience to further develop its programme. Since then, the Steering Committee has postponed all secondments until 2021, with the exception of two researchers arriving to Germany from Instituto Mora in Mexico City. Still, PRODIGEES hosted an event in October for its Transnational Open Access Training, taking the form of an academic module on Sustainable Digitalisation for DIE’s virtual MGG Academy.
Research on sustainable digitalisation is imperative, as more of our work and social lives take place online, and as the pandemic exploits inequalities around the globe. Data privacy and protection is a topic of strong concern, with each country and each organization deciding for themselves how to balance efficiency and convenience with privacy and security. Ingrid Schneider’s PRODIGEES publication, “Democratic Governance of Digital Platforms and Artificial Intelligence?”, speaks to the power struggle between regional models of data procurement and ownership.
Data privacy is only one of the project’s subject areas. PRODIGEES research is split between two main work packages, “Governance and Society” and “Economy and Environment”. These wide umbrellas inspire a diverse range of research topics with local to global foci. Topics range from big data collection in India, blockchain use in Brazil, the Internet of Things for sustainable development in Indonesia, artificial intelligence in climate mitigation and the list goes on among over 80 different research projects.
The ‘digital divide’ was the theme of Dr. Carlos Dominguez’ PRODIGEES research when he seconded to Germany from Instituto Mora this fall. In lieu of Horizon 2020’s pandemic regulations, and due to DIE’s own coronavirus measures, Dr. Dominguez came to Germany but did not perform all of his research within the halls of DIE. As most of DIE staff, he performed his research partly remotely and converted his PRODIGEES workshop, “Digital, but still Unequal: the challenges of digitalisation for emerging powers – Mexico” into a virtual workshop. The virtual workshop used social theories to explore the concept of the ‘digital divide’ in categories such as capital, education, labor skills and cultural production. Using innovative tools such as Zoom’s breakout rooms and Mural’s collaborative boards, Dr. Dominguez demonstrated the power of digitalisation in overcoming some of the barriers raised by COVID-19.
The coronavirus may have impeded PRODIGEES’ initial momentum, but the European Commission’s flexibility for Horizon 2020 projects allowed the quick-acting network to retain the integrity of its mission.
In an age when digital tools hold great promise and great risk, and when a pandemic has made us all more digitally dependent, PRODIGEES research remains more pertinent and more necessary than ever.
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The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) of the United Nations dedicates itself every year to the state of implementation of 2030 Agenda and specifically to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the second year in a row, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) have been organizing a „German HLPF Conference“ to link the discussions on the German sustainability strategy with the debates at the United Nations.
