Summary
The Conference “Jump-starting the SDGs in Germany: Natural Resources and Sustainable Consumption and Production” opened on Monday afternoon, 2 May 2016, at Andel’s Hotel, in Berlin, Germany. The meeting will address the challenges of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on natural resources and sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Participants met in two plenary and dialogue sessions to discuss the role of partnerships for SDG implementation.
During the first session on partnerships for a universal, transformative agenda, keynote speakers discussed the opportunities that can be realized and the challenges that can be addressed through partnerships in the context of SDG implementation. Non-governmental representatives of the nine countries included in the Swedish Government’s initiative of first mover countries, “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: A call for action,” then discussed expectations for the initiative’s implementation and outlined their experiences with partnerships.
They noted challenges for partnerships including fragmentation among civil society organizations and government structures and competition for resources. Speakers also highlighted factors that can support partnerships, such as common interests among actors, implementation plans that engage civil society, defined responsibilities, established time frames, and monitoring.
The second session focused on examples and lessons learned from non-government partnerships and initiatives. Speakers stressed, among other things the importance of: shared visions; recognizing the intrinsic value of each actor and interdependencies among them; results-based frameworks; providing end-user feedback to governments; and addressing power imbalances. During the discussion, participants further stressed the need for capacity building for civil society, institutionalizing platforms for participation, and working with diverse groups of people.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and a summary report from the Conference: Jump-starting the SDGs in Germany. Our report is available in HTML or PDF format.
Abir Ghattas, Activist, Blogger and Digital communication strategist, Lebanon
Günther Bachmann, RNE, Germany
Room view during the session
Marianne Beisheim, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Germany
Stephen Chacha, Africa Philanthropic Foundation (APF), Tanzania
Layla Saad, World Centre for Sustainable Development (RIO+ Centre), Brazil
Masego Madzwamuse, Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA), South Africa
Johan Kuylenstierna, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Sweden
Ivonne Lobos Alva, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Germany
Scott Vaughan, President and CEO, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Canada
John Patrick Ngoyi, Justice, Development and Peace/Caritas Committee of the Catholic Church, Nigeria
Rudolph Cleveringa, Executive Secretary, Global Water Partnership (GWP), Sweden
Måns Nilsson, SEI, Sweden
David Nabarro, Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda
Jes Weigelt, IASS, Germany
Namhla Mniki-Mangaliso, African Monitor, South Africa
Farooq Ullah, Stakeholder Forum, United Kingdom
Hans Herren, President and CEO, Millennium Institute
Eugénio Fátima Lemos, Permatil, Timor-Leste
Javier Surasky, Centro de Pensamiento Estratégico Internacional, Colombia
Thomas Forster, EcoAgriculture Partners, US
Nadia El-Hage Scialabba, FAO
Martin Wittau, Germany
Participants networking
Participants discussing during the coffee break
Scott Vaughan, President and CEO, IISD, with Lynn Wagner, IISD, Canada
VenusBrass band
