Digital event series on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the United Nations in Bonn.
(Dates and more information will be announced in the event calendar before each event). 

How does the work of the United Nations impact urban society, Bonn citizens and organizations based here, as well as businesses? How are the United Nations and the city connected? Who works with whom and how? Which networks and interfaces exist? What impulses do scientists from Bonn provide for international discourses, for example on sustainability, disaster prevention or biodiversity? What does it mean for international non-governmental organizations to operate from Bonn? How do people from Bonn contribute to the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? 

25 years after the ceremonial raising of the UN flag in front of Haus Carstanjen, the City of Bonn, together with local and international partners, would like to shed light on these questions in a series of public events. You are cordially invited to participate in this online dialogue.

1. Local Commitment - Global Impact
   Millions of people around the world are committed to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many of them do so on a voluntary basis. Within the United Nations, the Bonn-based Volunteers programme coordinates volunteer engagement at the global level. In Bonn, this is visible in many ways: not only in the context of major conferences, but also, for example, through a prize for volunteers from Bonn, which is awarded jointly with the city of Bonn. 
   UNESCO is responsible for culture and education issues within the United Nations. It works with national commissions such as the German UNESCO Commission in Bonn, which, for example, awards prizes to projects in education for sustainable development or the World Decade for Biodiversity.
   Neighborhood assistance or volunteer economic consulting abroad? Learning in and from the world, supporting integration? What opportunities for engagement are there and how do they work globally, but also locally in Bonn?
   The event presents organizations and opportunities to get involved in an interactive format and aims to encourage dialogue and engagement.
2. Team-up - Together for the SDGs
   None of us can implement the 17 major Sustainable Development Goals alone. Not only achievable "steps" are needed, but also "teams". When people tackle things together, things happen. And everyone can join in: Small and large, young and old, in the private sphere or even at work. Get to know teams from Bonn who are working together to achieve a good future. Get inspired and find your team and your very own "Bonn SDG Summer Challenge 2021". 
3. Global Action - Local Interaction
   Besides the United Nations, it is the BINGOs, the Bonn International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), that make our city an important hub for global issues. All of them pursue the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and their topics and focus of work are diverse. They range from sustainable urban development to Paralympic sports. Several BINGOs are concerned with how production and trade can function according to social and ecological criteria, especially in agriculture and forestry. For example, the Fair Trade movement has its global headquarters in Bonn.
   Another group within the BINGOs deals with renewable energies, because wind, sun, water, biomass and co are the energy sources on which the future is built. Stadtwerke Bonn has also been offering electricity from renewable sources for a long time. Most BINGOs use their location in Bonn to work hand in hand with the Bonn UN Secretariats, international organizations such as the International Renewable Energy Agency and many other organizations based here. Learn more about the work of some of these exciting organizations and how the BINGOS in Bonn are also connected locally.
   This event will be conducted in English
4. Listen to science made in Bonn
   Bonn is home to a number of excellent research institutions. Some of them work closely with and for the UN agencies based here. Why does the UN need science? How can research promote global debates? What scientific services are provided for the UN in Bonn? And how does cooperation with the UN system work?
   During the international climate conference COP23 in November 2017, leading research institutions and universities in and around Bonn joined forces to form the Bonn Alliance for Sustainability Research with the aim of strengthening knowledge and skills for a sustainable future. The Innovation Campus Bonn (ICB), which is currently being established and expanded, will provide the Bonn Alliance with a common home in the future.
   Bonn scientists report on their work with and for the United Nations and answer your questions.
5. #UNBonn25 Quiz - Test your knowledge about the UN City of Bonn
   When did the United Nations come to Bonn? Which topics are dealt with here? How many countries do the staff members come from? And what is it about the much-cited tiles?
   Test your knowledge about the UN City of Bonn in an entertaining quiz evening, alone or in a household team. We will raffle a surprise prize among the winners of the evening.
   The #UNBonn25 quiz in English is offered in cooperation with the BonnExpat event series.

Together. Fair. Global. Sustainable.

Agenda 2030 - Communities Shape the Future

Online event from June 14 to 16, 2021.

Municipalities are crucial for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda with its 17 global Sustainable Development Goals thanks to their proximity to citizens. The solutions to global challenges are mostly found at the local level: fair procurement, social cohesion, digitalization, climate protection, and pandemic response. But what does this mean in concrete terms for municipalities and their partners in the Global South? These and other questions are the focus of the 15th Federal Conference on Municipal Development Policy. The online conference will be broadcast live from the World Conference Center Bonn.

The 15th Federal Conference on Local Development Policy is organized by Engagement Global / SKEW in cooperation with the City of Bonn.

More information and registration at:  https://skew.engagement-global.de/bundeskonferenz.html (opens in a new tab)

June 14 to 15, 2021

GMF 2021: DW's international and interdisciplinary conference took place as a hybrid event this year.

2020 was an extraordinary and challenging year, which the Global Media Forum met head-on with digital solutions. The 2021 Global Media Forum has explored further ways to help us address such disruptions with innovation.

For more information please visit: 

 https://www.dw.com/en/gmf-2021-dws-international-and-interdisciplinary-conference/a-55956711 (opens in a new tab)

Earth Day 2021 was celebrated with a Global Day of Conversation on 22 April.

Cities are on the frontlines of climate change - its worst effects happen locally and vary from region to region. Local governments have a responsibility to respond to these challenges by taking climate action. 

The Green Cities and Local Governments campaign engages with cities to respond to climate change by providing resources, partnerships and a platform to take climate action. 

An environmental art action took place in Bonn's Hofgarten from March 12 to 21, 2021: the focus was on a 2.5-meter ice ball and tree sponsor relay race for the Kottenforst.

The Paderborn action artist Arnd Drossel and the forest educator Manfred Hören (Wald und Holz NRW, Regionalforstamt Rhein-Sieg-Erft) promoted with many other actors in the Hofgarten near the university main building with an art installation and guest contributions for sustainable climate protection.

Spring is approaching, but a 2.5-meter wire sphere, completely covered in ice, adorned Bonn's Hofgarten in mid-March. Inside, the action artist "lived" until it thawed. At the tent canteen in front of the castle, it stood framed by the approximately 40-meter-long lettering "my promise mother earth".

The basic idea behind the project is that we can achieve great things if we start small - with a personal promise to Mother Earth.

Information on the project and on other activities can be found online at  www.mypromise.earth (opens in a new tab) 

The Bonn Water Network cordially invites to a virtual event on the occasion of (and one day after the actual) World Water Day 2021 on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 5:00- 6:30 pm (CET).

World Water Day became a UN observance day in 1993. On March 22 every year, people and organizations around the world mark World Water Day by taking action to tackle the global water crisis. 

World Water Day 2021 focuses on the theme 'Valuing Water'. This focus extends beyond issues of pricing and includes the environmental, social, and cultural value people place on water. Luna Bharati (Co-spokesperson of the BWN) will open the event. Bonn’s Mayor Katja Dörner will say a few words per video message about how the City of Bonn relates to Water.

You can find the full programm   here (opens in a new tab).

On 25 and 26 March, the SDG Global Festival of Action returns virtually to inspire, mobilize and connect stakeholders across all sectors and all over the world. For the fifth year running, the Festival brings together national and local governments, UN representatives, youth groups and activists, artists and the creative sector, civil society organizations, think tanks, media and private sector leaders, to elevate the conversation on SDG solutions and bottlenecks whilst showcasing meaningful impact. 

Everyone is invited to join this year’s Earth Hour, the worldwide climate protection campaign of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) environmental foundation. To set an example against the waste of resources and for climate protection, the WWF is calling to turn off the lights for one hour.

On the day of action, Saturday, 27 March 2021, from 20.30 to 21.30 hours, the lights will be switched off at numerous well-known municipal buildings. UN Bonn is again supporting the campaign. Langer Eugen on Bonn’s UN Campus will remain dark. The city administration and many Bonn institutions and companies are also joining in. 

Mayor Katja Dörner hopes that many citizens will once again take part in the campaign to raise awareness for the important issue of climate protection.