Current News

The impact of COVID-19 on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The international community of states intends to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, the worldwide pandemic is setting back many states’ action plans – and multilateralism is not faring well in the current environment.

European sustainability councils call for a boost in the post-pandemic shift to rail for international travel

German Council for Sustainable Development calls for hydrogen to be second pillar of a successful energy transition

Systematically laying the foundations for a sustainable food system is essential

Recommendation of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) for the State Secretaries’ Committee for Sustainable Development on 8 June 2020; Berlin, 30 April 2020

Presidency of the Council of the EU: half a year to make a wholehearted commitment

Germany will soon commence its presidency of the Council of the European Union. Rarely have there been so many sustainability-related topics on the agenda – plus the opportunity to put the billions of euros earmarked for the coronavirus recovery to transformative use. Here is an overview of the most important decisions to be made and those which have been postponed.

Making Germany a leader in sustainable finance

RNE-Recommendation re the interim report of the Sustainable Finance Committee dated 05.03.2020

A sustainable recovery from the coronavirus crisis

Eight recommendations by the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) for the recovery from the coronavirus crisis; Berlin, 13 May 2020

Sustainable supply chains

Recommendation of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) for effectively embedding sustainability and human rights in global supply chains; Berlin, 13 May 2020

Encounters that leave a smaller footprint

In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, digitalisation has been given a significant push forward – in event management as well. How strongly emissions will fall as a result is, however, difficult to quantify.

How the post-coronavirus restart can become ecological

In the EU, uniform criteria have recently been defined regarding what allows business operations to be considered sustainable. Financial experts see this taxonomy as a key tool that can be leveraged to make rebuilding in the wake of the coronavirus crisis greener than before.

EEAC Network publishes paper on Covid19 response

The EEAC Network - a network that brings together 17 advisory bodies on climate change, the environment and sustainable development from 13 European countries and regions - has published a paper “Responding to Covid19: Building social, economic and environmental resilience with the European Green Deal”.

Kick-off to the Global Forum: international sustainability bodies join together

More and more sustainable development advisory councils and similar organisations are being established in the Global South. However, their work is often far from easy and their resources are limited. Next week, actors are coming together in Bogotá, Colombia, at the inauguration of the Global Forum for National SDG Advisory Bodies to learn from one another.