Council Members

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) is an advisory body with a mandate from the German federal government. On 18 January 2023, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz appointed 15 public figures to the Council for a three-year term.

  • Prof. Dr Katrin Böhning-Gaese (Director Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, professor at the Goethe University Frankfurt and member of Leopoldina)
  • Zarah Bruhn (German social entrepreneur, Commissioner for Social Innovation at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF))
  • Katja Dörner (Mayor of Bonn; 2009–2020 member of the German Bundestag)
  • Tanja Gönner (Director General of the Federation of German Industries (BDI)); 2002–2004 member of the German Bundestag, then Minister for the Environment, Nature Protection and Transport of the state of Baden-Württemberg until 2011; 2012–2022 Chair of GIZ Management Board)
  • Reiner Hoffmann (2014–2022 president of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB))
  • Prof. Dr Mark G. Lawrence (honorary professor at the University of Potsdam; scientific director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies Potsdam (IASS) since 2011)
  • Prof. Dr Kai Niebert (President of the German League for Nature and Environment (DNR))
  • Myriam Rapior (Vice President German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND e.V.))
  • Dr Franziska Tanneberger (Director of the Mire Centre, University of Greifswald, former co-chair of the Future Council of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania)
  • Saori Dubourg (Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE)
  • Jörg-Andreas Krüger (President of the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU))
  • Hubertus Paetow (President of the German Agricultural Society (DLG))
  • Gunda Röstel (Managing Director Stadtentwässerung Dresden AG)
  • Dr Werner Schnappauf (former Bavarian State Minister of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, former CEO and Member of the Presidium of the Federation of German Industries (BDI))
  • Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (former member of the German Bundestag, former Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development)

To the page “Former Council members and Secretary-General”