The City of Bonn, together with the international city network for sustainability ICLEI, is hosting a dialogue on "Smart Cities - Innovative Cooperation in Times of Disruption" on Monday, June 14, at 4 p.m. as part of the so-called Partner Sessions. Mayor Katja Dörner and two other top representatives from the ICLEI board, Commissioner Brigid Shea from Travis County, Texas, USA, and Mayor Manuel de Araujo from Quelimane, Mozambique, will show how they are taking innovative approaches to climate neutrality, climate adaptation and inclusive cities. In her capacity as Co-Chair for the Climate Action Portfolio on the ICLEI Global Executive Committee, Dörner will focus on climate neutrality and smart mobility.
On the opening day of the Global Media Forum, the Mayor of Bonn will also speak on the main stage at 2:55 p.m. about "25 years of the UN City of Bonn", Bonn’s international commitment to sustainability and the impact within the city.
Dörner explains: "The Global Media Forum always puts the responsibility of an independent press for peace and democracy as well as for a sustainable world at the center of the debates, it creates networking and attention. Bonn is not only home to Deutsche Welle and the Global Media Forum, but also to the United Nations for 25 years. Some 25 entities on our UN Campus translate multilateral, democratic policies into concrete action - as do many other actors, including non-governmental organizations, research institutions and businesses, in our city."
Participants from more than 120 countries worldwide
Digitization has caused rapid change in all industries worldwide, including the media. Politics is experiencing disruptive developments: Opponents of democracy are questioning its foundations and subjecting pluralism around the globe to an unprecedented stress test.
Participants from more than 120 countries will discuss the challenges and opportunities that disruption and innovation bring, and how to influence these developments. They will exchange views on the pressing issues of our time with media professionals such as Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum, Facebook's Jesper Doub and Google's Philip Justus, politicians such as Taiwan's Digital Minister Audrey Tang, activists such as Leymah Gbowee and Masih Alinejad, and digital natives such as Nas Daily and Felipe Neto. Interested parties can follow the conference via livestream at: dw.com/gmf.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will open the conference. Other high-profile speakers include CDU Chairman and NRW Minister President Armin Laschet, Michelle Müntefering, Minister of State for International Cultural Policy at the Federal Foreign Office, Irene Khan, UN Rapporteur on the Promotion of Freedom of Expression, Annalena Baerbock, Chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, as well as award-winning Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, Turkish writer Elif Shafak and U.S. historian and best-selling author Timothy Snyder.
The 2021 DW Freedom of Speech Award will honor Nigerian journalist Tobore Ovuorie for her outstanding investigative journalism.
Background DW Global Media Forum
The DW Global Media Forum is Germany's only international conference for media professionals from around the world. Together with its main partners, the German Federal Foreign Office, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Foundation for International Dialogue of Sparkasse Bonn and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, DW offers media professionals a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary discussions with opinion leaders from various fields around the pressing issues of our time.