Hamburg Sustainability Conference

Building what the world needs next: At #HSC25, youth leaders from Lebanon, Ghana, and beyond pitched bold solutions—from clean energy and water access to climate education. Backed by the Wilo-Foundation and supported by Viva con Agua , University of Hamburg, and the Green Generation Initiative, the youth workshop at conference sparked candid exchange, ecosystem insights, and action-oriented ideas. Want to learn more or get involved? Connect with the changemakers via their social media and explore the Wilo-Foundation’s work empowering the next generation: www.Wilo-Foundation.de #empoweringyoungpeople #wilofoundation #responsibility #socialentrepreneurship #sustainability Wilo Group Carole Nassreddine Gabriel Domoninge Naa

“Gender equality in the digital age isn’t just about access—it’s about agency. It’s about ensuring young women are not only using digital tools but co-creating the systems and policies that shape our futures.” — Jacquiline Msambila, HSC Youth Ambassadors and EU Youth Sounding Board #FacingForward At #HSC25, Jacquiline Msambila and her fellow #HSCYouthAmbassadors Ly Tran, and Carole Nasreddine brought critical expertise to the table—rooted in their regions, communities, and fields of work. jacquiline msambila (Tanzania) works at the intersection of digital trade, women-led tech, and internet governance in East Africa. She has led initiatives to train and mentor hundreds of students in tech for gender empowerment and now contributes to shaping Africa’s digital market through the Safe Digital Boost for Africa initiative. Carole Nasreddine (Lebanon) focuses on climate finance, waste-to-energy innovation, and circular economy strategies. As a UNEP youth focal point and collaborator with UNDP, UNICEF, and ESCWA, she helps drive youth-led climate solutions across West Asia. Ly Tran (Vietnam) uses education and storytelling to support youth action on water, climate, and urban sustainability. As a consultant with The Water Agency, she helps bridge young changemakers and policy actors to co-develop solutions for local environmental challenges. Their work spans regions and sectors, but it’s united by a shared commitment to agency—ensuring that young people, especially young women, are not just using the tools of change, but shaping the systems behind them.

“The rougher the going gets, the more the tough get going.” More than just a catchy soundbite from the #HSC25 opening keynotes, this was a call to action. 1,600 changemakers from over 100 countries came together in Hamburg to forge and strengthen alliances for sustainable development amid rising geopolitical tensions, deepening trust deficits, and overlapping crises. Yet the #HamburgSustainabilityConference is not just a momentary gathering of the like-minded. It’s a movement and a year-round process. A growing ecosystem where ideas are tested, partnerships forged, and solutions co-created. Where ambition links to implementation, and participants build continuity across political cycles and global disruptions. Across 60 sessions, ministers, CEOs, scientists, and youth leaders worked side by side to tackle global challenges—proving that cooperation is possible, and crucial. In turbulent times, trustful and action-oriented multilateralism is the only way forward. Dive into the HSC25 Conference Report: bit.ly/hsc25report

“We need to act. Words must not remain on paper—they must turn into reality. We have to be firm in word and action. That is our responsibility.” — Alcebias Mota Constantino, Indigenous Peoples Representative, Coiab #FacingForward At #HSC25, near the close of a high-level session on forest finance, Constantino stood and spoke directly to his audience—not with prepared remarks, but with the weight of responsibility. As a young leader of the Sapará people in Roraima, Brazil, Costantino spoke for more than 160 Indigenous nations of the Amazon basin, represented through COIAB. For these communities, forest protection is a lived reality, a legacy of resistance, and a fight for survival. His appeal was clear: if climate finance does not reach those who have long defended these lands, it fails its purpose. A just future for the planet must begin with those who have protected it all along.

“Germany cannot afford to retreat.” In this insightful episode of ntvNachrichten’s Klima-Labor podcast (in German), recorded at #HSC25, former German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer explains why development policy must be rethought—strategically, transparently, and with long-term vision. As chair of the Global Perspectives Initiative commission “A Changing World – Germany and the Global South,” Kramp-Karrenbauer discusses with Clara Pfeffer how migration, climate, and raw material security are deeply interconnected—and why the stability of fragile states in emerging and developing economies concerns us all. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/d5MryWPs or wherever you get your podcasts.

“Let us open our eyes for a moment and recognize that we have a lot more in common and that we are actually acting more in unison than politics sometimes suggests, or geopolitics leads us to believe.” — Achim Steiner, formerly UNDP After nearly three decades in global leadership, Achim Steiner joined #HSC25 for his final appearance as UNDP Administrator—not to reflect on the past, but to look toward what’s possible. #FacingForward In the session "Multilateralism in Crisis: A Call for Renewal!", Steiner explored how the #UN80 reform initiative could reinvigorate a development system under pressure. Alongside leaders from government, civil society, and the UN, he made the case for a more inclusive and responsive multilateralism—one capable of delivering on the 2030 Agenda. Steiner and his team also sucessfully pushed for a key moment at the #HamburgSustainabilityConference: the signing of the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs. This multistakeholder commitment faciliated by UNDP and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) brings together governments, civil society, business, and international organizations. Signatories commit to ensuring AI development benefits both people and the planet, with a strong focus on equity and the Global South. Across conference sessions, Steiner’s message was clear: cooperation is not an abstract goal. It’s already taking shape in the actions of many. The task now is to protect it, and scale it.

“Because we can’t run away from each other.” A striking reflection—and perhaps an unofficial mission statement—on why international development cooperation remains the only way forward. Explore the full conversation between Achim Steiner and Eco-Business founder Jessica Cheam at #HSC25 below. (Eco-Business subscription required for full access.)

“We have to shape the narrative. We cannot allow the narrative to shape us.”  Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) #FacingForward During the #HSC25 opening panel, Rebeca Grynspan challenged the audience to take greater ownership of the stories that guide global decision-making: What kind of leadership does a fractured world need—and who is shaping the narrative? From her years as Vice-President of Costa Rica to her leadership at the UNDP and UNCTAD, Grynspan has long bridged the worlds of policy, diplomacy, and economic reform. At HSC25, she asked not just what a new global system should look like—but who gets to define it. Watch the whole panel "Building Trust in Turbulent Times—Strengthening Global Alliances" on our Youtube Channel: https://lnkd.in/dTTqZpSQ

With the 2030 deadline only 5 years away, the latest #SDGReport delivers a stark assessment: the Sustainable Development Goals have improved millions of lives, but the current pace of change is insufficient to fully achieve all the Goals by 2030. The report reveals real and substantial development gains during the past decade. Since 2015, the world has made notable strides in expanding access to education, improving maternal and child health, and bridging the digital divide. Yet, progress has been fragile and unequal. Millions still face extreme poverty, hunger, inadequate housing, and a lack of basic services. Women, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities continue to face systemic disadvantages. Escalating conflicts, climate chaos, rising inequalities, and soaring debt servicing costs are holding back further advancements. Despite these setbacks, national and local success stories showcased in the report demonstrate that accelerated progress is not only possible but already happening. Read below and more via the United Nations: https://lnkd.in/eWcvJnRJ 

🌍 How can we harness artificial intelligence (AI) to create a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future? In our latest #newsletter, we reflect on the key takeaways from the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, where global leaders came together to discuss the responsible use of AI for the SDGs. 💡 But what does this really mean in practice? From the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs to the AI Policy Playbook and the GovStack Women in GovTech Challenge 2025, we explore how digital solutions are improving lives globally, with a strong focus on empowering women and underrepresented communities. 🌱 Interested in how bold action can make #DigitalTransformation just and inclusive? Dive into the full newsletter for more stories, insights, and ways to get involved. 👇 #AI4Good #ResponsibleAI #HSC25 #HamburgDeclaration #DigitalGlobal