With the launch of the new South-North Commission at #HSC26, Germany is attempting to reopen the conversation on global development beyond 2030. Co-chaired by Olaf Scholz and Laura Chinchilla, the independent Commission explicitly evokes the legacy of the Brandt Commission of 1980. Its success will depend not on the prestige of its members, but on its … Read more
I’m heading to the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2026 — and I’m not going there to nod along. Hamburg, 29 June 2026. Around 1,600 participants from 115 countries are descending on the Hanseatic city this weekend for the third Hamburg Sustainability Conference. German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will open proceedings, flanked by 22 ministers, 13 heads … Read more
Karsten Weitzenegger is a member of the JPO Alumni Association (JAA), the global network of former Junior Professional Officers (JPOs) across the UN System. This membership has a personal history: He served in tender years as a UNDP Program Officer in São Tomé and Príncipe, Regional Bureau for Africa, responsible for contract management and supervision … Read more
Multilateralism does not sustain itself. It requires informed advocates, critical analysts, and engaged citizens who hold international institutions accountable to their founding principles. Karsten Weitzenegger supports Global Policy Forum Europe (GPF Europe) — one of Germany’s most respected independent think tanks for UN policy analysis and multilateral governance. What is GPF Europe? Founded in September … Read more
Global challenges require global governance. Since January 2016, Karsten Weitzenegger has served as a member of the Präsidium of the DGVN Landesverband Nord — the regional governing body of the United Nations Association of Germany (UNA-Germany / Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen, DGVN) for Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Schleswig-Holstein. What is UNA-Germany (DGVN)? Founded in … Read more
Impactful evaluation starts with the right community. That is why Karsten Weitzenegger is a proud member of EvalForEarth, a global community of practice connecting evaluators around the world’s most pressing challenges: food security, environment, agriculture, and rural development. What is EvalForEarth? EvalForEarth is an international community of practice dedicated to strengthening evaluation capacities in food … Read more
(TL:DR) Germany’s upcoming North South Commission sits at the intersection of two agendas: repositioning relations with the Global South and shaping a post‑2030 framework to succeed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It can become a strategic platform for rethinking partnerships and global rules, but it also risks ending up as a narrowly framed, low‑impact … Read more
The 2025 Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) emerged as a pivotal forum for advancing global sustainability agendas amid escalating geopolitical fragmentation and economic uncertainty. With 1,600 participants from 110 countries, the conference prioritized actionable outcomes, producing landmark agreements such as the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs and the Global Alliance against Inequality[1][2][3]. This … Read more
As a Policy Advisor, I’ve had the distinct opportunity to reflect on the critical discussions at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on June 3, 2025. This pivotal session, focusing on “Responsible AI for the Planet,” delved into an urgent question: how can we manage AI’s growing environmental footprint and increasing demand to align it with our … Read more
As a Policy Advisor, it was a privilege to reflect on the vital discussions held at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on June 3, 2025. This round table, expertly moderated by Melina Walling of the Associated Press, brought together a distinguished panel of experts – Jukka Kantola, Roberto Jaguaribe Gomes de Matos, Éliane Ubalijoro, Rosalie Matondo, … Read more
The recent “Time for Take-Off: The WTO and the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement” interactive workshop, held at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on June 2, 2025, convened decision-makers and thought leaders to explore how the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) can significantly benefit developing countries. Moderated by Axel Berger, Deputy Director of the German … Read more
Publication review: UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). 2025. Human Development Report 2025: A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI. New York. https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2025 The 2025 Human Development Report, “A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI,” marks a pivotal moment for sustainability consultants. As artificial intelligence accelerates, … Read more
