7 and 8 October 2024 Hamburg Sustainability Conference brings the world together to forge new sustainability alliances.

    The first Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) took place on 7 and 8 October 2024. The HSC is an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the United Nations Development Program (UNPD), the Michael Otto Foundation and the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The Conference brought together government representatives from around the world alongside leaders from the private sector, academia, civil society and international organisations in order to jointly develop solutions for the social-ecological transformation.

    The Conference is a new global development policy platform that created space both for political issues, such as the governance of international organisations, and for business-based strategies for sustainable development. The goal was to develop joint approaches and concrete initiatives for progressing and accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were agreed by all the UN member states.

    The HSC is a multi-year process. Numerous activities taking place across the year will help to ensure a sustainable impact in many parts of the world. Following the first Conference in 2024, further events are planned for 2025 and 2026. The Hamburg Sustainability Conference invites the residents of Hamburg to participate in the Conference discussions as part of the public events in the city centre.



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    Closing event of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference
    Closing event of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference — © Thomas Trutschel/HSC/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Closing event of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (from left): Achim Steiner, Head of the UN Development Program (UNDP), Juliana Rotich, Vice-Chair of the HSC Council, Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group
    Closing event of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (from left): Achim Steiner, Head of the UN Development Program (UNDP), Juliana Rotich, Vice-Chair of the HSC Council, Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group — © Thomas Trutschel/HSC/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Svenja Schulze with Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2024
    Svenja Schulze with Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2024 — © Thomas Imo/BMZ/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Conference closing speech by Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Development Ministry
    Conference closing speech by Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary in the Development Ministry — © Thomas Trutschel/HSC/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Participant of a panel discussion at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference
    Participant of a panel discussion at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference — © Ronny Hartmann/HSC/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Development Minister Svenja Schulze signing a declaration at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference
    Development Minister Svenja Schulze signing a declaration at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference — © Thomas Imo/BMZ/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaking at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference.
    Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaking at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference. — © Thomas Trutschel/HSC/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Development Minister Svenja Schulze during a working group meeting at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference
    Development Minister Svenja Schulze during a working group meeting at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference — © Thomas Imo/BMZ/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Opening ceremony of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference
    Opening ceremony of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference — © Thomas Köhler/HSC/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Before the opening of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (from left): Achim Steiner, Head of the UN Development Program (UNDP), Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Otto Group, Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the City of Hamburg
    Before the opening of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (from left): Achim Steiner, Head of the UN Development Program (UNDP), Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Otto Group, Development Minister Svenja Schulze and Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the City of Hamburg — © Thomas Imo/BMZ/photothek.de --pageNumber-- of --total--
    Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
    In times of increasing tensions and armed conflicts, and in view of the global challenges caused by the climate crisis, pandemics and growing inequality, reaching a shared understanding with partners from around the world is crucially important. The HSC provides a platform that enables new alliances to be formed – alliances that are urgently needed, as it is only through international cooperation that we can tackle the major challenges of our time. Together, we will work to develop concrete solutions to these challenges, from a sustainable energy transition to a fairer financial system. And by ‘we’, I mean governments in the north and the south, as well as companies, trade unions, the scientific community and civil society. Because we can only be successful if we work together.
    Svenja Schulze German Development Minister

    Organisation of the Conference

    The Hamburg Sustainability Conference is presided over by the HSC Council. The Vice Chairs are Juliana Rotich (CEO of a Kenyan tech company) and Isabel de Saint Malo (Senior Advisor to the UNDP Administrator and former Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama).

    The Conference agenda is jointly set by the HSC’s international partners. This reflects the Conference’s aim of facilitating a collaborative dialogue between the Global South and the Global North on the structural issues of our time. A series of roundtable discussions prior to the Conference with stakeholders from politics, business and civil society plays a key role in setting the agenda.

    As at: 09/10/2024