Today, the Federal Government is presenting the first German report on the implementation of the Global Sustainability Goals. The report will be presented to the United Nations Forum on Sustainable Development in New York by Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, and Thomas Silberhorn, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Germany is thus one of the first countries to give an account of the implementation of the goals adopted in 2015.
Schwarzelühr-Sutter: "If all people worldwide lived like the Germans, we would need three planets. This shows that "business as usual" is not an option. We must change our lifestyles so that they respect the ecological limits of the Earth. The Sustainable Development Goals offer enormous opportunities for global environmental protection, for the preservation of peace and for healthier living conditions worldwide. It is about future-proof jobs, better education, respecting social standards and upholding human rights."
Thomas Silberhorn: "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development must not remain a declaration on paper, but must be filled with life. The fight against extreme poverty and hunger and the protection of natural resources require a change of direction in all societies. In order for everyone to be able to live, some people must not live and work at the expense of others. This also has consequences for Germany. A global balance in economic, ecological and social relations is the goal of sustainable development. The Alliance for Sustainable Textiles launched by the BMZ is a practical example of this. Here, companies in the textile industry, non-governmental organisations and governments have joined forces to implement social and ecological improvements along the entire textile supply chain - from the cotton field to the hanger."
In order to achieve the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, the Federal Government is committed at both national and international level. The national challenges include, for example, gender equality, the protection of biodiversity or the energy transition, which also makes a significant contribution to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. Particular attention is paid to measures that not only have an impact in Germany, but at the same time serve the global common good.
Representatives of German civil society also participated in the preparation of the German implementation report. In New York, the German government is therefore presenting the report together with the Federation of German Industries, the German Trade Union Confederation, the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development and VENRO (Association for Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid).
You can find the Federal Government's report here
Source: BMUB press release, 19.07.2016
Keywords:
DE-News, SDG 2030, Environmental policy
