Bonn Conference for Global Transformation: New international conference series on sustainable action will be launched in May

If we wish to preserve our planet, then we need to change something. We need to change ourselves – and radically. This is a conviction shared by a great number of people as they witness climate change and increasing pollution and poverty. And many of them not only have ideas on how to go about tackling these issues but have also gained experience in implementing their solutions.

On 12-13 May 2015, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH will launch their new international conference series on sustainable development: the Bonn Conference for Global Transformation. It supports the process behind the United Nations' post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, bridging the gap between theory and practice; policy-making and implementation.

Experts and decision-makers from around the world will come together in Bonn, including Hannelore Kraft, Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Jeffrey Sachs, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and Vandana Shiva, an Indian scientist, environmental activist and recipient of the Alternative Nobel Prize. Together, the participants will develop ideas for shaping a sustainable future and will take away suggestions and inspiration for their own work. The theme of the first conference will be ‘From Politics to Implementation’. The Bonn Conference for Global Transformation will take place every two years.

This year, attention will focus on the topics of energy (Green Transformation), inequality (Inclusive Transformation), and the implementation of practical solutions. What are the hallmarks of a viable and sustainable energy supply? How can economic growth help reduce inequality? Which experiences are transferable? And which alliances offer the best way forward?

Further information is available at: www.bonn-conference.net