United Nations in Bonn UN Summer Academy kicks off with reception at the Old Town Hall

Bonn · Participants from around the world are in Bonn for the UN’s biggest ever Summer Academy with the focus this year on realising the 2030 Agenda at a local level.

 Participants in the UN’s Summer Academy gather on the steps of the Old Town Hall with Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan.

Participants in the UN’s Summer Academy gather on the steps of the Old Town Hall with Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan.

Foto: Kate Carey

Participants in the UN’s sixth Summer Academy, hosted by the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development, enjoyed a reception in Bonn’s Old Town Hall on Monday evening and received a warm welcome from Lord Mayor, Ashok Sridharan.

The Academy is being held all this week at the UN’s historic Haus Carstanjen location on the Rhine and is, according to Patrick van Weerelt, Head of Office of UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development, “the biggest UN Summer Academy since its inception 6 years ago.”

The annual programme allows those working to advance sustainable development both to improve their knowledge and exchange ideas. More than 120 speakers and participants from over 50 countries have gathered in Bonn and this year’s specific focus is on the role of local authorities and cities in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his welcome speech, the Lord Mayor emphasised Bonn’s role as Germany’s hub for sustainability and its close relationship with the UN. He said the sustainable development agenda and SDGs would only be successful if they could be implemented at a local level and he hoped Bonn would benefit from the knowledge gained through the Summer Academy.

As well as taking part in workshops and discussions, participants in the 5 day programme will have a chance to talk about their own work on sustainable development at a Share Fair, which will also act as a networking platform. The Share Fair will also host the launch of the UNSSC-simpleshow foundation Volunteer Initiative to create simple and entertaining explainer videos about the 2030 Agenda and SDGs, targeted at young people around the world.

Van Weerelt said on Monday evening that the UN Summer Academy was a unique space for dialogue and knowledge sharing on the implementation of sustainable development. Participants are drawn not only from UN entities, but also from governments, municipalities, civil society organisations, research institutes and universities. And with around 20 different UN entities and more than 150 international organisations located in Bonn, van Weerelt sees it as, “the perfect place for this kind of knowledge exchange and meaningful discussion.”

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