German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) is member of the United Nations’ sustainability network (SDSN)

Press Release of 15 May 2013

Bonn, 15 May 2013. In March 2013, the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) presented the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in a joint event in Germany for the first time. Since May 2013, DIE has been an official member of the network. On the occasion of joining, DIE-Director Dirk Messner states: "The Sustainable Development Solutions Network is an excellent forum for the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) to bring in our expertise on global issues and development contexts and to work out innovative solutions for a sustainable future with partners worldwide."

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network was founded in 2012 under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The SDSN supports practical solutions from academia, civil society and business, to implement sustainable development at local, regional, national and global level. Under the leadership of the American economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, the SDSN pursues four operational objectives: To influence current processes of global policy agenda, the network advises the High-Level Panel of the United Nations of eminent persons on the post-2015 development agenda. A central question there is how the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can be combined in a reasonable way with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed upon at the Rio+20 Conference.

The work within the SDSN is organised into thematic groups related to twelve key issues of sustainable development in areas such as health for all, agriculture, social inclusion, energy, and governance. The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) will bring in its scientific expertise in selected thematic groups. Other key elements of the network are to establish its own regional SDSN networks and to design and implement so-called Solution Initiatives. Promising non-commercial and scalable technologies, business models, institutional mechanisms or strategies should make a vital contribution to global sustainable development in this context.

To implement these goals, SDSN mobilises universities, research centres, private companies, and civil society in all parts of the world. The decision on an official membership is made by the SDSN Executive Committee. Only those organisations can apply that have demonstrated their profound expertise on sustainability related issues.