This year’s HLPF will focus on SDG1 (No Poverty), SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG13 (Climate Action), SDG16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Dr Axel Berger participated in the 6th preparatory conference of the BMZ and the BMUV for the upcoming United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York in July. In his keynote on the integrated achievement of SDG1, Axel Berger emphasised the importance of measures to combat climate change and strengthen democratic institutions. He argued that global poverty has increased again due to the Covid-19 pandemic. IDOS‘ research shows that poverty is female, meaning that in almost all low- and middle-income countries, more women than men are affected by multidimensional poverty. One of the biggest drivers of poverty is climate change and, again, women are disproportionately affected by extreme weather events.
Axel Berger underlined that climate policy measures should always consider the social impact, and that the revenue from CO2 taxation, for example, should be partly invested in social policy measures. This would increase the acceptance of climate protection while reducing poverty and inequality. An important measure for achieving SDG1 is also the promotion of transparent, inclusive and rule-of-law institutions, as promoted by SDG16. At the conference, Axel Berger highlighted the role of SDSN Germany as a network that brings together 52 organisations from Germany to bring together German and international actors at the HLPF in New York in order to accelerate sustainability policy and better anchor it in the breadth of politics and society.
