"For me, it is important that we always think about sustainable development and social aspects together. Sustainable development can only succeed if we leave no one behind. The municipalities play a central role here because we are the level of government that is particularly close to the citizens," says Mayor Katja Dörner. On behalf of the RNE, the Mayor of Bonn has therefore launched a position paper on social cohesion at municipal level. "This paper is to be adopted at the RNE meeting in Bonn. In it, we demand, among other things, that all federal and state (funding) programs take social aspects into account. Local authorities also need more powers, for example in the area of mobility," says Katja Dörner.

Reiner Hoffmann, Chairman of the RNE: "What holds society together, especially in times of great upheaval and change, is something we in the Council are intensively concerned with. For example, good working conditions, co-determination rights for employees, but also education and equal opportunities play key roles. Ultimately, local authorities are the place where the transformation becomes directly visible and its effects are felt - and where people can most easily help shape it. Local politicians bear a great responsibility for transparency and confidence-building and therefore also for strengthening our democracy. This is of immense importance, especially in times when right-wing forces are gaining strength. It must therefore be a concern for all of us to keep the municipalities financially capable of acting. Ms Dörner's municipal perspective and her expertise as Mayor of Bonn are of great value to the Council here."  

As Germany's United Nations city and sustainability hub, Bonn offers many links for the work of the RNE. "Bonn is the center of sustainability policy in Germany. In addition to important United Nations organizations, such as the UN Climate Change Secretariat, many sustainability stakeholders from science, business and non-governmental organizations are represented in Bonn. This makes Bonn interesting for the work of the RNE and its members," says Mayor Katja Dörner, emphasizing the added value of Bonn as a meeting location.

The agenda of the 118th Council meeting will therefore include discussions and exchanges with representatives of Bonn-based organizations such as the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) and IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). GIZ is not only making its conference rooms available for 

To mark the RNE meeting in Bonn, the City of Bonn is hosting a reception on Tuesday evening, May 28, at the Old Town Hall. In addition to the RNE members, representatives from international organizations and development institutions as well as from business, science and society in Bonn who are committed to promoting sustainable development are invited. The Vice Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) in Europe and Director of the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Professor Shen Xiaomeng, will deliver a keynote speech on the contribution of UN organizations to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) was first appointed by the German government in April 2001. The Council is made up of 15 people - nine women and six men - from public life. Reiner Hoffmann, former Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation, has chaired the Council since 2023. The tasks of the Council are to

• develop contributions for the implementation of the German Sustainability Strategy,
• identify specific fields of action and projects,
• and to make sustainability an important public concern.

The Council is independent in terms of content and forms of action. The results of its work include, for example, the German Sustainability Code (DNK), various political statements on national and international sustainability policy and on topics such as climate protection, raw materials, circular economy, plastics and agriculture. The Council brings mayors together for the "Sustainable City" dialog, it networks stakeholders on the online platform Gemeinschaftswerk Nachhaltigkeit, through the Regional Networking Points for Sustainability Strategies (RENN) and through the German Sustainability Action Days. The RNE Secretariat is based at GIZ, which acts as a service provider for the RNE, for example organizing contracts and personnel and providing IT and office infrastructure.

Further information can also be found at  www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de (opens in a new tab).

"For me, it is important that we always think about sustainable development and social aspects together. Sustainable development can only succeed if we leave no one behind. The municipalities play a central role here because we are the level of government that is particularly close to the citizens," says Mayor Katja Dörner. On behalf of the RNE, the Mayor of Bonn has therefore launched a position paper on social cohesion at municipal level. "This paper is to be adopted at the RNE meeting in Bonn. In it, we demand, among other things, that all federal and state (funding) programs take social aspects into account. Local authorities also need more powers, for example in the area of mobility," says Katja Dörner.

Reiner Hoffmann, Chairman of the RNE: "What holds society together, especially in times of great upheaval and change, is something we in the Council are intensively concerned with. For example, good working conditions, co-determination rights for employees, but also education and equal opportunities play key roles. Ultimately, local authorities are the place where the transformation becomes directly visible and its effects are felt - and where people can most easily help shape it. Local politicians bear a great responsibility for transparency and confidence-building and therefore also for strengthening our democracy. This is of immense importance, especially in times when right-wing forces are gaining strength. It must therefore be a concern for all of us to keep the municipalities financially capable of acting. Ms Dörner's municipal perspective and her expertise as Mayor of Bonn are of great value to the Council here."  

As Germany's United Nations city and sustainability hub, Bonn offers many links for the work of the RNE. "Bonn is the center of sustainability policy in Germany. In addition to important United Nations organizations, such as the UN Climate Change Secretariat, many sustainability stakeholders from science, business and non-governmental organizations are represented in Bonn. This makes Bonn interesting for the work of the RNE and its members," says Mayor Katja Dörner, emphasizing the added value of Bonn as a meeting location.

The agenda of the 118th Council meeting will therefore include discussions and exchanges with representatives of Bonn-based organizations such as the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) and IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). GIZ is not only making its conference rooms available for 

To mark the RNE meeting in Bonn, the City of Bonn is hosting a reception on Tuesday evening, May 28, at the Old Town Hall. In addition to the RNE members, representatives from international organizations and development institutions as well as from business, science and society in Bonn who are committed to promoting sustainable development are invited. The Vice Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) in Europe and Director of the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), Professor Shen Xiaomeng, will deliver a keynote speech on the contribution of UN organizations to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) was first appointed by the German government in April 2001. The Council is made up of 15 people - nine women and six men - from public life. Reiner Hoffmann, former Chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation, has chaired the Council since 2023. The tasks of the Council are to

• develop contributions for the implementation of the German Sustainability Strategy,
• identify specific fields of action and projects,
• and to make sustainability an important public concern.

The Council is independent in terms of content and forms of action. The results of its work include, for example, the German Sustainability Code (DNK), various political statements on national and international sustainability policy and on topics such as climate protection, raw materials, circular economy, plastics and agriculture. The Council brings mayors together for the "Sustainable City" dialog, it networks stakeholders on the online platform Gemeinschaftswerk Nachhaltigkeit, through the Regional Networking Points for Sustainability Strategies (RENN) and through the German Sustainability Action Days. The RNE Secretariat is based at GIZ, which acts as a service provider for the RNE, for example organizing contracts and personnel and providing IT and office infrastructure.

Further information can also be found at  www.nachhaltigkeitsrat.de (opens in a new tab).