Summary report, 29–30 June 2026

The highlight of the third Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) was the launch of the South-North Commission on Development, a new independent initiative designed to explore how international cooperation and multilateral institutions should evolve in an increasingly multipolar world. The conference also saw the launch of several other initiatives and partnerships, including a proposal on UN reform, a public-private watershed Memorandum of Understanding, and a Call to Action on child nutrition.

The HSC further examined how governments, businesses, researchers and civil society can work together to advance sustainable development, finance the green transition and turn ambitious goals into practical action. While many speakers at the third HSC painted a sobering picture of geopolitical tensions, climate risks and growing inequalities, the conference ended on a hopeful note. Participants argued that today’s challenges are not a reason to retreat from multilateralism, but an impetus – and an opportunity – to reform it and transform ambition into action.

The HSC is a global platform designed to accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 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 rapid global change, economic uncertainty and technological disruption, these conferences aim to strengthen international cooperation and develop practical pathways for sustainable development. A central aim is to translate broad multilateral commitments into concrete action by fostering new partnerships, alliances and collaborative initiatives.

The HSC seeks to serve as a platform for dialogue and cooperation. Participants include heads of state and government, policymakers, UN representatives, private-sector leaders, investors, academics, youth representatives and non-governmental organizations from over 110 countries. By fostering exchanges across these communities, the HSC seeks to strengthen trust, mobilize investment and encourage collective responses to shared global challenges.

The first HSC generated more than a dozen concrete agreements and initiatives, including the Hamburg Sustainability Platform, first steps towards a Global Alliance Against Inequality, and declarations on green aviation and the decarbonization of global shipping.

The first conference also initiated a dialogue on responsible artificial intelligence (AI) that would evolve into a major outcome of the second HSC in 2025: the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs. Other 2025 outcomes included new alliances, commitments, and cooperative initiatives across a range of sustainability sectors.

Main themes for HSC 2026 included:

• resilient economies, technology and the future of our planet; 
• risk, uncertainty and conflict; and
• ensuring the future of human collaboration – multilateralism and governance.

The HSC is a joint initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Free and Hanseatic 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 HSC convened on 29 and 30 June 2026, at the City Hall and Chamber of Commerce of Hamburg, Germany. Approximately 1,600 participants attended the meeting, with another 1,500 joining online, representing over 110 countries.

Opening Session

HSC 2026 opened on Monday, 29 June, with high-level calls to strengthen international cooperation, reform multilateral institutions, and accelerate implementation of the SDGs amid growing geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.

Welcoming participants from more than 100 countries, Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of Hamburg, described the HSC as an established platform for international dialogue. He noted that conflicts have diverted attention from climate change and other environmental challenges, while the SDGs remain a common framework for sustainable development. Highlighting the role of cities, he said urban areas account for most global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and outlined Hamburg’s efforts to implement the SDGs through partnerships with business, civil society and international organizations.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal President of Germany, warned that the rules-based international order is under growing strain as countries increasingly disregard shared rules in pursuit of national interests. Calling this a “new world disorder,” he urged participants to deepen international partnerships, warning that “we must not stand by as the cooperative rules-based order is shattered.” He also called for continued UN reform to strengthen the organization’s effectiveness in responding to growing global challenges.

Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, described the world as being “swept away in a tsunami of international crises,” arguing that the current international financial architecture is failing developing countries and that the status quo is no longer sufficient. As a promising start, Mohammed highlighted UN80, the UN’s ongoing reform initiative that marks its 80th anniversary. She said reforms should strengthen multilateral institutions, mobilize investment, ensure AI supports inclusive development, reduce inequalities, and rebuild trust in international cooperation.

UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo emphasized that lasting peace depends on opportunity, equality and sustainable growth. He warned that high debt burdens are preventing countries from investing in the green transition and called for faster deployment of renewable energy and stronger international cooperation.

Reem Alabali Radovan, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, stressed that poverty, inequality, climate change and peace must be addressed through stronger partnerships, describing the HSC as a growing platform for launching investments and new alliances.

Following these opening statements, Liz Shoo, Deutsche Welle, moderated a panel discussion focused on “investing in transformation.” Masato Kanda, President of the Asian Development Bank, called for faster institutional reforms to strengthen development finance, while Mo Ibrahim, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, argued that perceptions rather than economic fundamentals continue to inflate borrowing costs across Africa. Minister Alabali Radovan responded that sufficient capital exists globally, but that public and private finance must be better leveraged and deployed at greater scale.

Concluding the session, Achim Steiner, Chair of the HSC, emphasized that sustainability is fundamental to both human well-being and economic prosperity. Pointing to rapidly growing investment in renewable energy and green mobility, he challenged participants to ensure the conference delivers practical results, stressing that the task ahead was “not to talk about it, but to make it happen.”

Launch of the South-North Commission on Development

This plenary session was held on Tuesday morning, 30 June. HSC Chair Achim Steiner highlighted the contribution of the HSC Youth Ambassador Programme and expressed confidence that the next generation would help shape more sustainable and inclusive forms of international cooperation.

Moderated by journalist Ali Aslan, the plenary focused on the launch of the South-North Commission on Development, a new independent initiative that aims to rethink international cooperation in response to an increasingly multipolar world. The Commission will seek to build on the legacy of the Brandt Commission, established in 1977 under former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, which emphasized the growing interdependence between industrialized and developing countries.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, spoke about the growing challenges to multilateralism. While acknowledging that the post-war international architecture requires reform to reflect changing geopolitical realities and technological developments, she stressed that the rules-based trading system continues to underpin most international trade. She argued that future reforms should preserve the strengths of the existing system while addressing declining trust, uneven benefits from globalization, and the disruptive potential of AI. Highlighting the rapid growth of digital services trade, she urged participants to focus on practical opportunities rather than “lamentations.” 

Officially launching the Commission, Germany’s Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan described it as a platform to develop a shared vision for international cooperation in the twenty-first century. She explained that the Commission will bring together leaders from governments, international organizations, business and civil society to examine how global institutions and partnerships should evolve to address contemporary challenges. She said the Commission is expected to deliver an interim report in 2027 and a final report in 2028, emphasizing that the Commission would operate independently in determining its priorities and recommendations. 

South-North Commission Co-Chair Olaf Scholz, former Federal Chancellor of Germany, observed that the global economy has changed fundamentally since the original Brandt Commission. While much of the world’s industrial production now takes place in developing countries, he noted that many of the benefits remain unevenly distributed. He stressed the importance of ensuring that the Commission reflects perspectives from the Global South, whose representatives constitute a majority of its members.

Commission Co-Chair Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica, argued that no country can address today’s interconnected crises alone. Drawing on Costa Rica’s own experience of pursuing peace and sustainable development, she called for moving beyond traditional donor-recipient relationships towards partnerships among equals. She described the Global South not only as a region facing challenges but also as a source of opportunities, innovation and leadership, expressing hope that the Commission would help rebuild trust in multilateral cooperation.

During the ensuing discussion, Alabali Radovan reiterated that the Commission had been deliberately established as an independent body capable of addressing long-term questions that governments often lack the time or political space to consider. She said its recommendations should be pragmatic and directly applicable to policymaking. Asked what success would look like, Okonjo-Iweala called for a more nuanced discussion of North-South relations that questioned existing assumptions about value creation, recognized the diversity of interests within the Global South, and encouraged greater regional cooperation. She noted that expanding South-South trade already demonstrates the potential for new forms of international economic cooperation.

Parallel Sessions

Over the course of this two-day conference, more than 50 parallel sessions were held, centered around the Conference’s three overarching themes: resilient economies, technology and the future of our planet; risk, uncertainty and conflict; and ensuring the future of human collaboration – multilateralism and governance. This report covers a selection of these sessions.

Reimagining Global Cooperation: Inclusive Development in a Reordered World: This session was moderated by Melanie Hauenstein, UNDP. Participants examined how multilateral cooperation could evolve in response to geopolitical change and growing global fragmentation. Nathalie Tocci, Johns Hopkins University, argued that the current period of disorder presents both risks and opportunities, suggesting that different futures – from conflict to renewed cooperation – are likely to coexist. She observed that periods of upheaval have historically also generated institutional innovation, and pointed to the growing role of middle powers in supporting multilateralism. 

Bayo Akomolafe, Dancing with Mountains, challenged participants to question prevailing assumptions about development and global governance, arguing that addressing today’s interconnected crises requires moving beyond established paradigms and embracing new ways of thinking. Minh-Thu Pham, Starling Institute, emphasized that shared rules and values remain essential despite geopolitical tensions. She argued that the current period of disruption offers an opportunity for a broader range of countries and actors to assume responsibility for defending and renewing the rules-based international order, calling for a more resilient and inclusive system of global cooperation. 

Bridges Not Barriers: UN80 and the Fight for the Future of Multilateral Cooperation: Moderated by Katharina Stasch, BMZ, this session examined how the UN80 initiative could strengthen the UN development system in an increasingly fragmented geopolitical environment. Reem Alabali Radovan, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, stressed that the UN remains the only forum where all countries can come together to address global challenges, arguing that the erosion of the post-war international order makes stronger alliances more important than ever. She presented a joint ten-step proposal by the Alliance of Supporters of the UN Development System aimed at advancing the UN80 reform process, and urged all States to join the Alliance.

Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, described UN80 as the next phase in the organization’s modernization efforts, building on earlier management reforms. She said the initiative focuses on improving efficiency, coherence and impact while preserving the UN’s global presence, emphasizing that reform requires not only institutional change but also sustained political support from member States. Kepiaya Prabaharan, BMZ Youth Council, said young people are needed to bring forward these ideals, but they need structures and new forms of cooperation and innovation to do so.

In the ensuing panel discussion, speakers highlighted the need for more effective UN country teams, stronger coordination across agencies, and continued investment in multilateral cooperation to deliver tangible results. In closing remarks, Jennifer Chapman, Minister of State for International Development and Africa at the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, called on member States to use the UN80 framework to accelerate UN reform. 

Shock-Proofing the Water-Economy Nexus: Eckart von Hirschhausen, Healthy Planet - Healthy People Foundation, moderated this session, with participants examining water insecurity as an increasingly important economic and financial risk. Hamdiya Ismaila, Savannah Impact Advisory, argued that water scarcity should be viewed not only as an environmental challenge but also as a systemic financial risk requiring substantially higher investment and greater private-sector engagement. José Luis Muñoz Dominguez, Grupo Financiero Banorte, and Ram Tilak Sri Saravanapavaan, Moody’s Ratings, described how water risks are increasingly incorporated into financial and credit assessments. Speakers stressed that water resilience requires improved risk assessment, regulation and investment.

Katie Hoard, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), signed a memorandum of understanding to expand watershed management through a public-private partnership, while Abdulla Balalaa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, called for embedding water considerations into long-term economic planning and governance.

Critical Raw Materials: Mittelstand as Enabler of African Value Chains: Moderated by journalist Marc Winkelmann, this session on the role of “Mittelstand” (the German word for small and medium-size enterprises) explored how partnerships can help strengthen value addition and industrial development in Africa’s critical raw materials sector. Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary at BMZ, emphasized the need to promote local value creation, job generation and fair trade through stronger public-private partnerships. 

Ian Chitumba Mwiinga, Zambia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, highlighted the importance of adapting international approaches to national contexts, strengthening local manufacturing, and ensuring that communities benefit from mining investments through transparency and participation. Sabine Dall’Omo, German-African Business Association (Afrika-Verein), stressed the need for collaboration across the entire value chain, from infrastructure and local suppliers to community engagement. In the ensuing discussion, participants highlighted the importance of balancing speed with sustainability, reducing supply chain risks, combating illicit trade, and improving transport and logistics.

Rethinking SDG Reporting: How AI Revolutionizes Local Sustainability: Moderated by Sunita Narain, Centre for Science and Environment, this session explored how AI can improve monitoring and implementation of the SDGs at the local level. Jacquiline Msambila, Africa Digital Transformation Network, emphasized that effective AI requires trust, transparency and inclusion, arguing that governments should use AI to support, rather than replace, human decision-making. 

Katharina Fegebank, City of Hamburg, presented the city’s AI-based HANS (Hamburg Analysis for Sustainability) platform, which analyzes thousands of municipal documents to improve coordination and track sustainability progress. Anacláudia Rossbach, UN-Habitat, highlighted the use of AI to support urban planning and assess social dimensions of city strategies, while Nevana Srikissoon, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa, described how AI helps integrate diverse datasets, identify knowledge gaps, and strengthen SDG reporting. Speakers stressed that robust governance, data quality and public trust are essential to realizing AI’s potential for sustainable development.

Debt in the Daylight: Transparency for Trust and Sustainability: This session, moderated by Masood Ahmed, Center for Global Development, examined how greater debt transparency can strengthen financial stability and sustainable development. Manuela Francisco, World Bank, reviewed progress since the Bank’s Radical Debt Transparency Report (2025), noting improvements in debt reporting and management strategies while warning that domestic debt remains widely underreported and that increasingly complex financial instruments complicate oversight. 

Samuel Arkhurst, Ministry of Finance, Ghana, described the challenges posed by fragmented creditor structures and complex borrowing arrangements. Deborah Zandstra, Clifford Chance, highlighted transparency gaps arising from confidential loan agreements and inconsistent disclosure practices, while Judith Hermes, Federal Ministry of Finance, Germany, emphasized the need for continued international cooperation despite growing geopolitical tensions. In the ensuing discussion, participants stressed the importance of stronger legal frameworks, more standardized debt disclosure, and improved transparency among both borrowers and creditors.

Partnerships for Inclusive AI: One Year of Impact from the Hamburg AI Declaration: Moderated by Liz Shoo, Deutsche Welle, this session reviewed progress in implementing the Hamburg AI Declaration, launched at HSC in 2025, which explores how AI can support sustainable development. Bärbel Kofler, BMZ, highlighted efforts to expand AI skills, promote open-source technologies, and strengthen the use of local languages. Lacina Koné, Smart Africa, emphasized the opportunity for African countries to shape AI governance from the outset, calling for new financing mechanisms to support sovereign AI development.

Ivana Živković, UNDP, stressed that responsible AI must be rooted in local needs and enable countries to shape their own digital futures, while Hemakiran Gupta, Tata Consultancy Services, emphasized the importance of transparency, accountability and national ownership of data. Jacquiline Msambila, Africa Digital Transformation Network, called for greater investment in local AI innovators, capacity building and partnerships to ensure that AI contributes to inclusive and equitable development.

Water-Growth Nexus: Sustaining Industrial Development in a Thirsty World: Led by independent moderator Katie Gallus, this session explored the growing importance of water security for industrial development and economic resilience. Kuanysh Uzbekov, Youth Parliament of Kazakhstan, argued that water scarcity is becoming a greater constraint on industrial growth than finance or labor. Valerie Hickey, World Bank, called for integrating water into sustainable development planning and highlighted the Bank’s Water Forward initiative, which aims to improve water security for one billion people by 2030. 

Vidiya Amrit Khan, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, described efforts to reduce water use and improve wastewater treatment in the textile sector, while emphasizing the financing challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises. Georg Weber, WILO Group, stressed the need to improve water efficiency, expand reuse, and deploy technologies such as AI-enabled monitoring and more efficient pumping systems. Participants also discussed water pricing, regulatory reform, utility performance and the investments needed to strengthen water resilience.

Global Public Goods for a Fragmented World: Moderated by Clara Pfeffer, RTL/n-tv, this session examined how international cooperation and financing can better protect global public goods in an increasingly fragmented world. Maropene Lydia Ramokgopa, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of South Africa, called for greater solidarity and long-term investment, arguing that protecting global public goods is a shared responsibility and a prerequisite for sustainable development. 

Niels Annen, State Secretary at BMZ, highlighted initiatives such as the Ubuntu Commission and the newly launched South-North Commission as platforms for strengthening trust and international partnerships. Paschal Donohoe, World Bank, emphasized the importance of measuring development outcomes and using financial instruments to mobilize greater investment, while Nardos Bekele-Thomas, African Union Development Agency, called for long-term financing, stronger local capacities and greater accountability among international partners. Participants also discussed the role of official development assistance, private capital and innovative financing in addressing poverty, inequality and climate-related challenges.

The Mangrove Opportunity: Scaling Nature-Based Solutions: Moderated by Ariane Steins-Meier, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, this session highlighted the role of mangroves in strengthening climate resilience, protecting biodiversity and supporting sustainable livelihoods. Grethel Aguilar, International Union for Conservation of Nature, warned that nearly half of the world’s mangroves are at risk, emphasizing that successful conservation depends on local communities and integrated landscape management. Lemuel Honor, Municipality of Silago, Southern Leyte, Philippines, shared local experiences with mangrove degradation and restoration, calling for greater international support and investment. 

Jochen Flasbarth, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, described mangroves as one of the most valuable ecosystems for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Alexander Schmidt, Zurich Insurance Group, argued that investing in prevention delivers greater long-term value than post-disaster recovery, while emphasizing the importance of making the economic benefits of ecosystem restoration more visible. Participants underlined the importance of partnerships and large-scale initiatives to expand mangrove restoration.

The Dependencies of Growth: How Ecological Loss Drives Financial Risk: This session, moderated by Sonja Stuchtey, The Landbanking Group, explored how nature loss is increasingly affecting financial stability and investment decisions. Jochen Flasbarth, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, emphasized that governments and businesses need better risk assessments to integrate environmental risks into investment decisions. Valerie Hickey, World Bank, highlighted the growing use of natural capital accounting, while noting that the financing of ecosystem restoration remains challenging because many ecosystem services lack clear governance and market mechanisms. Isabel de Saint Malo, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation, called for globally comparable sustainability reporting standards to help companies better manage nature-related financial risks. 

Gustavo Enrique Morales Cobo, Fasecolda, described how the insurance sector in Colombia has influenced decisions to limit oil and gas development in environmentally-sensitive areas, arguing that insurers can help steer investment away from unsustainable activities. Speakers agreed that better valuation of both nature-related risks and the economic benefits of ecosystem restoration is needed to mobilize investment in prevention rather than recovery.

ESG, Credit Ratings and the Cost of Capital in the Global South: Moderated by Allison Holland, International Monetary Fund, this session explored how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors influence sovereign creditworthiness and access to finance. Ana María Ibáñez, Inter-American Development Bank, emphasized that integrating ESG standards into lending can strengthen governance, improve debt management and build long-term institutional capacity. Matt Robinson, Moody’s Ratings, explained how ESG risks are increasingly reflected in sovereign credit ratings, while stressing the importance of transparency and sound governance. 

Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, African Center for Economic Transformation, argued that perceived risks often exceed actual risks in Africa, calling for better data, stronger communication and improved national capacity to engage with credit rating agencies. Stephanie Bilo, responsAbility Investments AG, stressed that sustainability should be viewed as a core credit consideration rather than an optional add-on, arguing that stronger environmental policies ultimately reduce investment risk and the cost of capital.

Closing Session

On Tuesday afternoon, 30 June, participants attended a closing session moderated by Kuanysh Uzbekov, Youth Parliament of Kazakhstan. 

Representing the HSC Youth Ambassadors, Xana Maunze, Climate Finance Expert at Enabel, Mozambique, called for a more inclusive understanding of sustainability, arguing that it should be shaped collectively rather than defined by a few. Stressing that climate change is not solely an environmental challenge, she urged participants to ensure that ambition is matched by investment and implementation. She also highlighted people’s individual ability to have an impact, stating that “people who say one individual cannot make a difference have never spent a night in a room with a mosquito.” Maunze also credited the HSC with creating a space where diverse perspectives could be heard. Finally, she encouraged participants to carry this spirit of collaboration beyond the conference, urging them to “be that mosquito, wherever you are.”

Isabel de Saint Malo, IFRS Foundation, reflected on the diversity of stakeholders represented at the conference, including governments, business, academia and civil society, emphasizing that sustainability has become central to decision-making across sectors. She also highlighted the need for greater inclusion, noting the continued underrepresentation of women in technology leadership. 

Juliana Rotich, Electronic Citizen Solutions (ECS) Africa, described sustainability as increasingly embedded in fields ranging from water resilience to SDG reporting. She stressed that solutions must work in practice and that leadership requires responsibility for ensuring investments benefit society, including vulnerable entrepreneurs and small businesses. Both Juliana Rotich and Isabel de Saint Malo praised the HSC Youth Ambassador Programme as an important investment in future leadership. Participants recognized the sixteen Youth Ambassadors with a standing ovation.

HSC Chair Achim Steiner reflected on the two days of discussions. While acknowledging the difficult global context, he said the conference was “about hope,” arguing that meaningful change begins when individuals are willing to take responsibility and work together. Challenging participants to build on the partnerships formed during the conference, he urged each delegate to leave Hamburg committed to initiating new collaborations before the next HSC.

The session concluded with remarks from Malte Heyne, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, John Denton, International Chamber of Commerce, and Frank Scheidig, DZ Bank, with Denton stressing that “we don’t have to wait, we can actually do things,” and that the private sector is taking on its responsibility in this regard. 

Poet Alhanislam delivered a powerful spoken-word performance on human responsibility and the need for collective action. Reminding participants that “the Earth is speaking in storms now,” she concluded that, “If human choices made many of the crises we face today, human choices can also repair them.” The performance received a standing ovation.

Uzbekov formally closed HSC 2026 at around 6:00 pm.