The Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) is an international forum designed to accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals by bringing together decision-makers from across sectors and regions. The 2026 conference was the third edition of the event, following its launch in 2024.

Taking place at a time of growing geopolitical tensions, climate risks, economic uncertainty and technological disruption, the conference aimed to strengthen international cooperation and develop practical pathways for sustainable development. A central aim was to translate broad multilateral commitments into concrete action by fostering new partnerships, alliances and collaborative initiatives.

The conference sought to serve as a platform for dialogue and cooperation. Participants included heads of state and government, policymakers, UN representatives, private-sector leaders, investors, academics, youth representatives and non-governmental organizations. By fostering exchanges across these communities, the HSC hoped to strengthen trust, mobilize investment and encourage collective responses to shared global challenges.

Rather than producing declarations alone, the conference emphasized tangible outcomes. Outputs included new cross-sector partnerships, collaborative initiatives, investment platforms, policy proposals, common standards and other scalable solutions that can help advance sustainable development in practice. Particular attention was given to identifying ways in which private-sector innovation and finance can contribute to achieving sustainability goals while supporting economic resilience and social inclusion.

Main themes for HSC 2026 included:

• building resilient economies while addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and technological transformation;
• harnessing digital technologies and innovation for sustainable development;
• managing risks arising from conflict, instability, debt, climate impacts and other systemic shocks;
• strengthening resilience in vulnerable societies and economies;
• reforming and revitalizing multilateral cooperation and global governance;
• developing new partnerships, financing mechanisms and investment approaches; and
• translating international commitments into measurable action and scalable solutions.

The annual Hamburg Sustainability Conference is a joint initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the City of Hamburg and the Michael Otto Foundation. The conference is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS). 

The third Hamburg Sustainability Conference was convened on 29 and 30 June 2026, at the City Hall and Chamber of Commerce of Hamburg, Germany.

The IISD writer for this meeting was Nienke Beintema. The Digital Editor was Ángeles Estrada. The Editor was Chris Spence.

Funding for IISD’s coverage of this event has been provided by the Hamburg Sustainability Conference.