The German Sustainable Development Strategy

Published on January 23, 2018

On 11 January 2017, the Federal Government approved this new version of the Sustainable Devel- opment Strategy, the most extensive enhancement of the Strategy since its first adoption in 2002. The notion of sustainable development has never been so pervasive and accepted among the public as it is today. The greater attention has also increased the expectations of and demands on the Strategy. The German Sustainable Development Strategy outlines the importance of sustainable develop- ment for the Federal Government's policies and defines concrete targets and measures over the entire range of political issues. It thus provides a benchmark for the required long-term perspec- tive. All federal institutions are called upon to contribute to achieving the targets with activities in their own fields.

The Federal Government relied on dialogue and cooperation to compile the new version of the Strategy. Between autumn 2015 and spring 2016, there were five public conferences with high-level at- tendees including representatives of the Federal Government, Länder governments and local au- thorities, a large number of non-governmental groups and members of the public. At the end of May 2016, the German Chancellor gave the go-ahead for the second phase of the dialogue re- garding the draft Strategy published online. Representatives from more than 40 associations par- ticipated in a subsequent central consultation event in the Federal Chancellery, and lots of opin- ions were expressed. The suggestions that emerged from the dialogue process proved valuable. The Länder, the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development in the German Bun- destag, the Sustainable Development Council and the municipal umbrella organisations have once again made their own contributions to the Strategy.