On the occasion of the T20 Summit and the SDSN Leadership Council taking place in Berlin from May 29-31, 2017, SDSN Germany and Friedrich Ebert Foundation organized a lecture and discussion event on “Another America, Another Europe: A Transatlantic Dialogue About Sustainable Development On Two Continents”. Moderated by Ali Aslan (Deutsche Welle), Gesine Schwan (co-chair of SDSN Germany with Dirk Messner) and Jeffrey Sachs (Director of the global SDSN) discussed about sustainable development on both continents.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the world’s heads of state and government at the United Nations in September 2015, represents a future-oriented response to the crisis of globalization. The group of the 20 largest industrialized and developing countries (G20) has also committed itself to implementing the 2030 Agenda at home and abroad.

Schwan and Sachs agreed that in the United States as well as in Europe, a change of direction is necessary. The Agenda 2030 could be a point of reference for transformation.

In his speech, Jeffrey Sachs focused on the US administration under President Trump and the announcement to resign from the Paris Climate Agreement. Gesine Schwan presented her view of the current situation in the European Union, stressing her impression of a crisis in solidarity. In view of challenges such as migration or rising inequalities, she made the case for a new start for Europe. In the frame of the discussion, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation published an interview with Jeffrey Sachs on current US politics.

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network Germany pools knowledge, experience and capacities of German academic, corporate and civil society organisations in order to contribute to the sustainable development of Germany as well as to German efforts for sustainable development across the globe. Its secretariat is hosted by DIE.