Sustainable Futures

Kategorie: Research and policy advice

  • Citizen participation in Morocco: new cooperation between DIE and INAU

    Photo: ParticipantsAfter the uprisings in 2011, the Moroccan government promised to reinforce citizen participation – but does this really materialize today, or are these measures purely ‘cosmetic reforms’? DIE and the Moroccan Institut National de l’Aménagement et d’Urbanisme just signed a cooperation agreement and started their common research on these questions.

    Where and how did initiatives for citizen participation really influence policies and their implementation? What can Moroccan decision makers and development cooperation learn from these experiences? And how can the new instances for gender equality and parity, and for the integration of youth be designed and work effectively for integrating marginalized groups? Annabelle Houdret (DIE) started a new research initiative addressing these questions together with a team of Moroccan researchers in the cities of Chefchaouen, Larache, Agadir and Tiznit. They met for the kick-off workshop in Rabat on 21 February and will present the results in early 2020.

  • Workshop „Preferences, attitudes and environmental impacts of the new middle classes“

    Photo: Focus group discussion Ghana
    Focus group discussion Ghana

    On 4 April, the workshop „Preferences, attitudes and environmental impacts of the new middle classes“ takes place at DIE. The workshop aims to uncover effective combinations of policies to change towards sustainable lifestyles with a special focus on behavioural approaches. The research group “Sustainable Middle Classes in Middle Income Countries: Transformation of Carbon Consumption Patterns (SMMICC)” presents household survey results on consumption trends and their drivers in Ghana, Peru and the Philippines. Practical examples from the fields energy, transport and recycling complement the scientific perspective.

  • Expert Roundtable: Investment Facilitation for Sustainable Development

    Photo: Expert RoundtableThe Roundtable “Investment Facility for Sustainable Development”, organized by DIE on 19 March 2019 in Berlin, brought together senior experts from governments, international organizations and academia. The aim was to discuss options on how current discussions on an international framework for investment facilitation can better promote sustainable development. Investment facilitation is a new issue on the agenda of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and developing and emerging countries in particular are driving this discussion. Investment Facilitation aims to make national investment systems more transparent, consistent and predictable.

    The Colombian ambassador to the WTO, who chairs the so-called „Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation“ in the WTO, gave an overview of the state of discussions. The subsequent deliberation identified both rules and possible supportive measures for developing countries that have the potential to increase the contribution of a possible international framework for investment facilitation to sustainable development. One of the key conclusions was that an international framework should be designed to strengthen national regulatory systems that are central to promoting sustainable investment. The roundtable is part of a current work strand of DIE on investment facilitation.

    The event was organized by DIE with financial support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

  • A new social contract for Morocco? DIE and GIZ discuss the potential contribution of development cooperation

    Together with GIZ’s Governance Cluster in Morocco, Annabelle Houdret (DIE) organized a workshop in Rabat on 22 February . She introduced the concept of a new social contract and showed how it can be used as a tool for analysis and planning in development cooperation. Prof. Kamal ElMesbahi, a Moroccan economist (Transparency Maroc), then analyzed Morocco’s main governance problems and potential windows of opportunity for development cooperation. On the basis of these presentations, the GIZ staff members discussed how their work could better contribute to support the Moroccan society and government in negotiating a new, more inclusive social contract.

    Since 2015, DIE’s regional research team explores the concept of a new social contract within its project ‘Stability and Development for the Middle East and North Africa’. In addition to their scientific work, they also support BMZ and its implementing agencies in using this approach for strategic planning and in project implementation.

  • Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Germany

    Photo: SDSN Germany
    Veranstalungsreihe Neuer Aufbruch für Europa, v.l. Adolf Kloke-Lesch, Marietta Müller, Gesine Schwan, Katarina Barley, Niklas Im Winkel, Janina Sturm

    On 11 February, the 9th meeting of the Extended Leadership Council 9th meeting of the Extended Leadership Councilof SDSN Germany took place at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung. The topic of the session was “Sustainability in times of populism – answer or victim?”. The members of the Council discussed this highly topical issue with Nina Scheer (Vice-chairwoman of the PBNE), Johannes Dimroth (Federal Press Office), Edgar Grande (Center for Civil Society Research at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung), Hanna Schwander (Hertie School of Governance) and a couple of other guests. Following this session, SDSN Germany will be organising a workshop on the topic together with Adelphi, Engagement Global and Germanwatch in the next months.

    The successful opening event “New opportunities for growth and globalisation – sustainability as a European project for the future” of the jointly by HVGP, SWP and SDSN Germany organised series “A new departure for Europe – the SDG’s as both opportunity and challenge for German politics in Europe” took place on 18 February in Berlin. Besides numerous high level participants from science, the business sector and civil society, Katarina Barley (SPD top candidate for the European election) joined with a keynote. The second event of this series was held on 7 March in Berlin under the topic “Sustainability as a formula for social justice and coherence in Europe”. Here again, representatives of various societal and political milieus came together and were addressed by keynotes from Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter (Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMU) and Svenja Hahn (Junge Liberale / FDP top candidate for the European Election). In order to include relevant personalities of the new elected European Parliament and Commission, more events of this series will take place in the aftermath of the European election in the second half of the year.

    For the first time, the European sections of SDSN came together on 11 and 12 March in Paris to discuss ways to jointly support the implementation of the SDGs on the European level as well as in the member states.

    The secretariat of SDSN Germany started to visit its members and partners on a ‘#SDSN_Deutschlandreise’ with an initial appointment at the Wuppertal Institute, in order to enhance the exchange within the network and to reveal new opportunities for cooperation.