Bonn aiming for more sustainability

True to the motto: "A goal without a plan is only a wish", existing concepts and Council decisions were supplemented by current and planned projects and brought together to form a systematic and comprehensive agenda for sustainable urban development, which, with the Council’s decision, provides a binding direction for the coming years. Based on the holistic sustainability approach of Agenda 2030, the strategy also includes municipal fields of action that have not yet been explicitly considered in the context of sustainability, such as Social Participation and Gender Justice. The other thematic areas are: Mobility, Climate and Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, Labor and Economy as well as Global Responsibility and One World.

The range in the strategy is wide: The expansion of the city's Biodiversity Strategy, the energetic refurbishment of existing buildings, the expansion of renewable energies, the increased promotion of mixed building types in new construction projects or the increasing use of organic products in municipal canteens are just as listed as action days for family-conscious HR policy, the formation of a new sustainability network with 200 to 300 companies or the strengthening of citizen participation.

The promotion of the participation of migrants, the testing of a part-time leadership model in the City Administration and the participatory expansion of the disability policy participation scheme are also components of the strategy.

In the area of mobility, the expansion of public transport is planned through new connecting points and lines. Cycle traffic is to be strengthened, for example, by setting up mobile stations, closing gaps in the cycle route network or developing rapid cycle routes. For the delivery of goods in the city center, an infrastructure is to be set up that provides for the use of e-wheels and e-commercial vehicles.

Global responsibility is to be further strengthened in Bonn through a concept for "sustainability in sports" involving clubs and the procurement of sports equipment from fair production. Moreover, it is planned to increase the number of fair-trade schools, to establish fair day-care centers, to expand fair municipal procurement and to further intensify municipal project partnerships with cities from other continents.

In line with the comprehensive relevance of the strategy, twelve specialist committees were involved in the consultation process. The Administration will now submit a regular report to the Council on implementation and further development.

A special highlight of this year’s campaign period will be the "World Construction Site Bonn". Two artists will design a house wall in Bonn’s Macke district to present the 17 Goals. The artistic statement plus accompanying information and cultural events will further anchor the SDGs in the cityscape and - most importantly - in the minds and actions of Bonn’s citizens.

At the Macke district festival on 19 May, the city, together with active members of the Bonn Network for Development, will present the art campaign and accompanying programme. The campaign ends with a closing party on 29 June. Bonn’s district Mayor Brigitta Poppe-Reiners will present the new wall painting to the public. Numerous groups and initiatives from Bonn will make their local SDG work tangible at the Market of Opportunities in and around Kult 41. And young Bonners with Muslim backgrounds will bring their personal views on the 17 Goals to the stage during a Culture Slam.

The kick-off of the Bonn SDG Days 2019 was accompanied by this year's Global Festival of Action from 2 to 4 May. The Global Festival is organized by the UN SDG Action Campaign in Bonn. The Campaign is a young member of the Bonn UN family. More than a thousand active people from all over the world came to the Global Festival at the WorldCCBonn to exchange best practice examples and ideas on how to implement the SDGs.

On 25 September 2015, the United Nations adopted Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs cover all areas of sustainable development: from marine and climate protection to poverty reduction, humane working conditions and the rule of law. For the first time, environmental and development policy goals have been brought together in a common global agenda.

The SDGs are addressed to all countries and will in the future also guide action in Germany at federal, state and local level. The Sustainability Strategy of the Federal Government, which was relaunched in 2016, is based on the SDGs, as is the Sustainability Strategy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. By signing the model resolution of the German Association of Cities and Towns in February 2016, Bonn committed itself to implementing the SDGs at municipal level.