The first Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) brought together global leaders to provide new impetus towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
From 7 to 8 October, the conference provided a platform for 1,600 participants from governments, the private sector, academia and civil society to discuss issues such as mobilizing private investment and advancing economic, social and environmental goals. The HSC also facilitated more than 15 concrete agreements reached between diverse stakeholders.
Peacebuilding key for sustainable development
In collaboration with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), UNIDIR co-organized a Future Talk on how to secure the SDGs in conflict-affected communities. Following a keynote address by Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan as part of the high-level panel on Peacebuilding for Securing Sustainable Development, UNIDIR Director Dr Robin Geiss emphasized the detrimental role that weapons can play in achieving common development goals, saying:
“Weapons cast a long shadow in conflict-affected societies, affecting also the potential for development gains. They obstruct access to education, enable control over illicit economies and often aid in committing conflict-related sexual violence.”
Dr Geiss explained that in conflict-affected communities, ongoing insecurity often makes complete disarmament unfeasible. He highlighted the opportunity that more pragmatic community-led arms control approaches can offer as means at least of silencing the guns.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell shared insights on how security impacts children’s wellbeing and development, while UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner called for a reimagining of our approach to crisis, with a people-centred, human-security focus integrated into development.
Cameroon’s Minister of External Relations H.E. Lejeune Mbella Mbella added vital national perspectives and experiences, including on the devastating effects that illicit small arms and light weapons have had in his country and across the wider region. The panel concluded with insightful contributions and questions from the audience and final reflections from panellists.
Fostering multilateral cooperation
The conference in Hamburg could not have been timelier. Just a few weeks prior in New York, UN Member States renewed their commitment to accelerating global collaboration towards achievement of the SDGs via the Pact for the Future. UNIDIR is contributing to the Pact for the Future by advancing international peace and security through research, advice and dialogue on disarmament, global security and tech-related threats.