Authors from the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) comment on the consequences of Donald Trumps Presidency for German and international politics.

More than half of the World’s population already lives in urban areas; in 2050 it will be two third. Most of the growth will happen in emerging and developing countries, where the number of city-dwellers who live informally is still increasing. The upcoming Habitat III World Conference constitutes an important milestone for defining the role of cities and means of implementation for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Global Development.

Global environmental and development challenges can only be managed through a radical transformation towards sustainability. In the course of rapid global urbanization, both the potentials and the challenges of this transformation are increasingly concentrated in cities. Cities will decide whether the transformation will succeed.

The UN Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in July 2015 was meant to clear the path for implementing the Post-2015 Development Agenda and set the tone for this year’s Paris climate deal. A sound funding base is essential to lend credibility to these agreements. What can the Addis Ababa Accord contribute to paving the way for this unique process of common global responsibility?

During the G7 meeting the heads of state and government of the seven most important industrial nations have to talk about politics that shape our future to the better. But which topics should be on top of the agenda on 7 and 8 June in Elmau? Which are the most pressing? Researchers from the GermanDevelopment Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) address the politicians with urgent demands.

Global development co-operation increases further in significance with these worldwide economic, political, social and ecological interdependencies.

The German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) observed the climate negotiations and together with international partners organises several contributions to current debates.

In early 2011, a wave of demonstrations and riots swashed across the Arab world, which became soon labeled "the Arab Spring". What prospects for democracy and development in the Middle East and North Africa are there nowadays in the region.

Many headlines revolve around migration related issues like African refugees and their dangerous way to Europe or the challenges in integration or immigration policies. Clearly, migration belongs to the most important issues of our time. The question concerning the linkages between migration and development thereby gains an increasingly prominent role in international development policies.

The energy transformation, i.e. the phasing out of nuclear energy is, at least since the reactor accident in Fukushima about two years ago, on everyone's lips. The German term “Energiewende” originated in the 1980s, today, it became a synonym for a (desired) a broad change in energy policy. There is a public debate how such a sustainable energy supply can be realised. What political, economic and societal requirements have to be met?

Latin America is considered to be the region with the highest degree of inequality. Unequal income and wealth distribution as well as in differences in the access to public goods like education, social insurance and health services are evident. Especially Brazil is characterised by particularly large income disparities.

The United Nations (UN) are a central actor in multilateral development cooperation and policy. The UN plays a crucial role when it comes to negotiating, implementing, and monitoring international agreements like the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. What will be the contribution of the UN to the implementation of the 2030 agenda?

One sixth of the world's electricity is currently generated by hydropower. Considerable hydropower potentials in Africa and Asia are yet untapped. These could help to reduce undersupply and advance the renewable energy mix in these regions if hydropower's adverse social and ecological impacts are adequately addressed. Forced resettlement and expropriation, unfair and inadequate compensation payments are not commensurate to this end.

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) is an important platform for discussions on the effectiveness of contributions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since its last High-level Meeting in Nairobi in December 2016, the GPEDC is re-positioning itself to more effectively contribute to implementation of the SDGs and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

President Gauck and some ministers have initiated a debate on Germany taking on more international responsibility. The media has focussed primarily of a potential involvement of the Bundeswehr in Africa, but the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) says: The military question, taken in isolation, is misleading.

Development organisations are increasingly implementing results-based approaches. The aim is to link funding more closely to the achievement of measurable development results. But what is the real benefit of results-based approaches? What do first experiences tell us?

The ongoing negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) introduce fresh dynamics into international trade issues.

How to finance a green transformation? In order to combat climate change we have to change our unsustainable ways of living and restructure our economies in a way that respects the planetary boundaries. A green transformation is needed and requires significant financing.

For more than four years now, financial and debt crises have been dominating the political agenda in Europe and beyond.

At the first High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation on 15 and 16 April 2014 in Mexico City international stakeholders will review progress and identify further steps to improve development effectiveness.

In June 2012, government leaders from around the world came together in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the first United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD).