The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE)
The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) advises the Federal Government on issues of sustainability policy. It acts in this capacity as an independent entity, and since 2001 its members have been appointed every three years by the Federal Government. The Council consists of 15 public figures, comprising individuals from civil society, the business sector, the scientific community and the political arena. The Council also carries out its own projects aimed at advancing the topic of sustainability in practical terms. In addition, it helps shape topically focused momentum within policy and societal dialogue. In selecting the topics it deals with and the forms of action it employs, the Council operates independently. The Council is supported in its activities by an administrative office based in Berlin.
Vision and work in relation to the Global Forum
The Council is tasked with:
- generating contributions to the German Sustainable Development Strategy
- specifying concrete areas of action and projects
- making sustainability a public issue of vital importance
Results of its ongoing work include the German Sustainability Code; recommendations regarding the German Sustainable Development Strategy, the global Sustainable Development Goals, climate policy, raw materials policy, circular economy and fiscal sustainability; Germany-wide networking of players from all areas of society through its Regional Hubs for Sustainability Strategies; strategy dialogue with city mayors on sustainable urban development; as well as articles on the subject of sustainable business, among other things.
Bringing together voices from different sections of society
The Council currently consists of 15 public figures from different sectors of society. The Council members, through their different perspectives and their diverse experiences are in a position to present consensual recommendations, even on controversial issues. The RNE aims to develop concrete solution paths that appear to be suitable for resolving conflicts of interest, as well as socio-political blockades to transformation. In doing so, the Council also tries to consider the social dimension of the 2030 Agenda and pays attention to the respective distribution issues, social balance and social justice in the transformation.
Related links and files
- Joint Action for Sustainable Development, an initiative from the German Federal Government and the Länder and coordinated by RNE to bring together all social actors on a single platform. (external link, opens in a new window)
- The Sustainability Code, an internationally applicable reporting standard for topics relating to sustainability in the business sector. (external link, opens in a new window)
- The German Federal Government has mandated the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) to facilitate the third international Peer Review on the German Sustainable Development Strategy in 2018. (external link, opens in a new window)
- “Sustainable City” dialogue – mayors for sustainable development in municipalities (external link, opens in a new window)
