Designing sustainable development globally – Analysing Germany’s contribution to Agenda 2030

For Germany, Agenda 2030 provides a blueprint for a path towards sustainable development. With the implementation of the German Strategy for Sustainability, a culture of sustainability is being integrated into its’ state, economy, and society. Furthermore, the focus should shift onto the global consequences of our trade. On an international level, Germany is supporting several partner countries with their national implementation of Agenda 2030. The German government is further working towards the formulation of globally-valid norms and standards for sustainability at different international organisations, such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the OECD.

The High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) is offering a central platform for this engagement. This UN-Panel is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The first comprehensive report, entitled the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), will be published in 2019. The GSDR is envisioned to be published every four years, and aims to offer a detailed and academic contribution to the implementation of Agenda 2030. The report includes relevant research findings from different disciplines on sustainable development. The results will be made available to political decision makers, businesses and stakeholders from civil society.

adelphi and the Oeko-Institut supported the German government through supplying academic expertise on its’ contribution to the GSDR 2019. The first phase focused on the German contribution to the GSDR. The project team was conducting a series of analyses in thematic areas, that are especially relevant for environmental politics. These results have been presented at a Side Event of the HLPF 2019 in New York (USA). The team was further responsible for conceptual and organisational tasks related to the event. The second phase focused on the development of new target-group-oriented recommendations for actions by German policy makers.