The foundations for Bonn's current international profile were laid in the Berlin-Bonn Act, which establishes the expansion as a location for development policy, national, international and supranational institutions as a central task.

As the German city of the United Nations and many international or internationally active organizations, Bonn has become a hub of a network whose players are dedicated to the issues of sustainable, humane development. The United Nations, federal ministries and federal authorities, around 150 non-governmental organizations and the local global players in the business world characterize the international location. In addition, Bonn has also developed an internationally oriented scientific profile with good networking.

Bonn has proven its experience as a conference venue many times over. As recently as November 2017, Bonn hosted the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for two weeks. With over 15,000 participants, the conference posed a major logistical challenge, which the host city mastered with flying colors.

As a growing international location, Bonn is also home to a steadily increasing number of international employees and their families. The city's approximately 320,000 inhabitants now come from over 170 countries. For many of them, the attractive city on the Rhine has become a second home.