Initiators
City of Bonn
Bonn has long been a venue for policy dialogue. Having made a reputation for itself as an international dialogue platform, it is now becoming known as a centre of learning for ino/on? sustainability issues. Climate protection, renewable energy, water, biodiversity, stopping desertification, security, poverty reduction – all are topics that experts on the national and international scene associate with Bonn. The city on the Rhine is an international hub for politics, industry and civil society. Six German federal ministries have their headquarters in Bonn; and 18 UN organisations, employing some 950 people, have made Bonn into Germany’s “United Nations city.” More than 180 national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations are located in Bonn, which is a dynamic location for industry as well: as the city in Germany with the second-highest number of DAX-listed companies, Bonn is home to environmental and technological enterprises in particular as well as to a large number of medium-sized enterprises in other fields. Media organisations such as Deutsche Welle, which has its radio headquarters here, complete Bonn’s profile as an international city.
BMZ
In the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), BONN PERSPECTIVES has a partner that has been shaping German development cooperation for five decades. BMZ sets out the guiding principles of Germany’s development policy and its relations with emerging economies and developing countries. The main thrust of the cooperation is education, health, rural development, good governance, climate protection and sustainable economic development, with protection of human rights as the main guiding principle. In dialogue with other policy spheres, BMZ views itself as a cross-sectoral ministry for sustainable development – everywhere in the world. With the support of its implementing organisations and networks that cut across policy fields, BMZ is able to address a variety of topics and ideas and act on them in conjunction with its partners in developing and emergent countries. BMZ generates policy initiatives on the international stage; it is an innovative partner for civil society and the private sector. BMZ employs some 600 people, three-quarters of whom work at its original Bonn offices.
