LocationsThree things to know about the Hamburg Sustainability Conference
May 23, 2025
Bringing together key decision-makers from around the world, the Hamburg Sustainability Conference highlights the importance multilateralism to address global challenges.
Our world is at a pivotal moment, confronting extraordinary challenges – climate change, conflict, and economic instability – all while investment in development and international cooperation faces unprecedented constraints. These realities underscore why multilateralism is essential for addressing our shared challenges and securing a more stable, sustainable future.
The Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) is a vital platform for advancing this critical agenda. Established in 2024, the conference will be held from June 2 to June 3, bringing together key decision-makers from governments, civil society, and the private sector. Spearheaded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Michael Otto Foundation, and the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg, this initiative is designed to drive sustainable change.
The HSC goes beyond reflection – it’s an opportunity to deepen our understanding of development and to imagine the sustainable futures we can create together. The conference offers a unique platform to forge new partnerships and demonstrates the power of collaboration in tackling global challenges and transforming lives. It reminds us that in a fragmented world, investing in sustainability pulls countries together to work on a common future for all. And it is a moment to reignite hope, urging individuals and governments worldwide to take bold, decisive action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Here are three essential things you need to know:
1. The HSC is dedicated to confronting today’s most urgent challenges and opportunities, and the transformative power of AI is in the spotlight.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly with new capabilities emerging daily. It has the potential to create new opportunities and act as a catalyst for human development. However, as highlighted in UNDP's 2025 Human Development Report, "A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI", without proactive measures, we risk worsening existing inequalities and excluding those who would benefit the most.
The transformative potential of artificial intelligence is in focus at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference. UNDP and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development are collaborating on a set of principles on responsible use of AI for sustainable development.
At HSC 2024, UNDP, in collaboration with BMZ, introduced a set of principles for leveraging AI responsibly for sustainable development. Since then, UNDP and BMZ have convened and consulted stakeholders from across governments, international organizations, companies, and civil society to develop a joint vision and a shared understanding of the necessary mechanisms for leveraging AI in support of the SDGs. The outcome of these efforts will be the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs, which will be launched at HSC 2025. With a particular emphasis on developing and emerging economies, the declaration outlines AI principles and commitments aligned with the five pillars of the 2030 Agenda: people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnerships. It will reflect a commitment to promoting responsible technological progress, creating better-connected communities, and ensuring an equitable future.
"The Hamburg Sustainability Conference goes beyond reflection – it’s an opportunity to deepen our understanding of development and to imagine the sustainable futures we can create together."
2. Amid global turmoil, the conference is an essential reminder that international cooperation and investments in development deliver extraordinary results and are more necessary than ever.
Global inequality continues to widen while we face record-breaking temperatures and the highest number of violent conflicts since World War II. Approximately 2 billion people, about a quarter of humanity, live in conflict-affected areas. As many of these crises are interconnected, our solutions must be too.
At the HSC, UNDP will lead the Hub on crisis and fragility, bringing together key decision-makers to analyse the risks the world currently faces and identify the actions needed to strengthen resilience against shocks. These discussions will leverage UNDP's extensive experience in providing crisis support. In 2024, we helped safeguard livelihoods, strengthen resilience, and enable people to return home safely in 60 fragile countries.
UNDP leads the Hub on crisis and fragility at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, underscoring that investing in development is key to help countries prevent conflicts and recover from them.
This support is made possible through our partnership with Germany, which demonstrates that with the right strategic investments, development efforts can transform lives. There is no better way to prevent and recover from conflicts than investing in development. From restoring war damaged schools in Ukraine to ensuring better living conditions for over 6 million Iraqis in conflict-affected areas, the partnership is creating tangible change for those who need it most.
The HSC is advancing this vital agenda, strengthening development partnerships, and establishing new alliances.
3. The power of the HCS lies in its ability to unite governments, the UN, multilateral development banks, the private sector and civil society to forge a path forward.
Reforming the international financial architecture is not just an urgent priority; it is essential to building a future where no one is left behind. Many of the world’s poorest countries face significant challenges in accessing financing, and their mounting debt burdens limit essential development spending. We are committed to reshaping this landscape, and the HSC will lead key forums to empower us to rethink our strategies, adapt to new realities, and intensify our efforts to achieve meaningful and lasting progress.
Achieving the SDGs demands unprecedented investment, and we are focused on meeting this challenge. The alliances and action plans developed at the HSC will strengthen UNDP’s ongoing initiatives, including through the Sustainable Finance Hub, which is working with global partners to establish a financial system that robustly supports sustainable development and advances the SDGs. Additionally, in alignment with the UN’s Pact for the Future, we are taking decisive action to support 86 countries in implementing Integrated National Financing Frameworks. These frameworks are designed to channel billions of dollars into critical areas such as gender equality and environmental sustainability.
The scale of the challenge ahead is immense, yet our determination remains steadfast. UNDP is committed to mobilizing over US$1 trillion in public and private finance to drive progress on the SDGs. By working together, we are confident we can turn this ambition into reality.
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