FAQ

Joint Action for Sustainable Development

What is the Joint Action for Sustainable Development?  

We are a new initiative and open platform to promote greater sustainability in Germany. Our aim is to encourage more people and organisations to work towards an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable society and to help boost visibility for pre-existing initiatives. 

What is the project aiming to achieve? 

We want to promote sustainability in our society in line with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We do this by shedding light on and boosting sustainability engagement, bringing together actors from across society as a whole and jointly developing new ideas and solutions to tackle the challenges posed by the sustainability transition. 

What specifically do you have planned?  

These days, there’s just no need to reinvent the wheel. That’s why the Joint Action for Sustainable Development builds on what’s already in place and takes it further: our web platform boosts visibility for organisations and offers a space to network, while events are a chance to put heads together, share ideas and forge future alliances. The next opportunity will be the Annual Conference of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) on 26 September 2022. We are also turning goals into action with community targets, action weeks, awards and open social innovation processes. Our first joint priority for 2023 will be an area of transformation from the German Sustainable Development Strategy: sustainable building and housing.  

When does it all start?  

We will launch the Joint Action on Sustainable Development on 26 September 2022 at the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) Annual Conference and go live with our web platform, which includes a map showcasing sustainable activities of organisations. Moving forward, there will be more and more opportunities to get involved over time, including action weeks, community targets, awards, and open social innovation processes.  

Who can get involved?  

The Joint Action for Sustainable Development is aimed at anyone motivated to take action to make our society more ecologically, economically and socially sustainable. After all, our motto “ALL TOGETHER NOW” is the name of the game: whether you’re an association, club, company, local government, civil society initiative, trade union, welfare organisation, religious community or cultural or sporting activity – everyone is invited. You and your organisation included!  

Why me?  

Because sustainability impacts us all! The Joint Action is a platform to share your own ideas, learn from others and uncover new solutions together. 

What can I or my organisation do on the web platform?  

The sustainable transition needs dedicated people. The Joint Action for Sustainable Development is a way to draw attention to the many, honouring their commitment and inspiring new engagement. The web platform offers networking opportunities, both regionally and nationwide, for those looking to share their thoughts, collegial advice or just discover good ideas. As such, we want to mobilise regional efforts and get everyone involved. The lack of scaling, communication and exchange means there are a whole host of great approaches out there led by really motivated people that can’t quite get beyond the local. Too often, it’s a case of reinventing the wheel for each and every person who wants to get involved, whether that’s procuring or buying sustainably within your organisation, eliminating company waste or ensuring a rapid local government transformation to climate-neutrality. The solutions are out there, but right now it still takes a lot of digging. All that is about to change thanks to the Joint Action web platform. 

What do you mean by community targets?  

With the community targets, we want to achieve targets together that seem unattainable alone. One example is getting 100,000 electric car charging points up and running every year until 2030. Or starting a set number of insect hotels and orchards. Everyone can play a part in a community target on any scale. The local sports club might install two charging columns in the car park in front of the football field, while the DAX-listed corporation installs thousands across all its sites. What’s important is that we hit our target together! We are planning the first national community targets for 2023. We also want the option to set out regional or local community targets, which can be organised via the Joint Action web platform. 

What do you mean by open social innovation processes?  

With the Joint Action open social innovation processes, we are looking to find new solutions to overcome social challenges together. As such, we want to develop and carry out innovative ideas for improving sustainability quickly, on a broad scale and with political backing. We are planning our first innovation process on sustainable building and housing for 2023. First off, the aim is to collate the core challenges on the topic with relevant actors. Next, existing solutions to these challenges will be presented, before new ideas are developed in a 48-hour sprint/hackathon. Selected project ideas will then be carried out and scaled up with professional guidance and financial support. 

What do you mean by action weeks?   

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) launched the German Sustainability Action Days (DAN) in 2012 to mark the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The aim of the Action Days is to enhance visibility throughout Germany of real commitment that sets an example to others, to foster public awareness of the topic of sustainability and to inspire more people to act sustainably. Each and every one of us can help change things for the better. With that in mind, the DAN are aimed at everyone in Germany. The more people on board, the stronger the signal we can send out together through them. 2022 will see the DAN celebrate their 10th anniversary – come and join the celebrations! The Action Days will be held from 18 September to 8 October 2022, with a core week from 20 to 26 September. Find more information here. 

What do you mean by awards? 

The Sustainability Project (formerly Werkstatt N) recognises initiatives and projects that promote sustainable development across the full breadth of society. The well-established sustainability award is presented by the four RENN (Regional Hubs for Sustainability Strategies) in cooperation with the RNE under the umbrella of the Joint Action for Sustainable Development. Find out more here.  

Who is behind the Joint Action for Sustainable Development?  

The Joint Action for Sustainable Development is an initiative from the German Federal Government and the Länder coordinated by the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE). The decision on the Joint Action was made by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Länder minister-presidents in 2019.  

How is the Joint Action funded?  

The Joint Action for Sustainable Development is coordinated by the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) and funded by the Federal Chancellery on the basis of a decision made by the German Bundestag. For individual project aspects, we are also seeking funding from other German federal ministries and social actors, including foundations and companies. 

What happens with the web platform and the #TatenFuerMorgen social media channels? 

Up until now, the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) has presented projects on #TatenFuerMorgen (action for tomorrow) which are intended to inspire society to work for greater sustainability. The platform lives on in a new, larger form as part of the Joint Action for Sustainable Development. All #TatenFuerMorgen activities will now also be showcased on our new map moving forward. The German Action Days on Sustainability (DAN) and the Sustainability Project award will also continue under the umbrella of the Joint Action in future. 

What are the SDGs?  

The SDGs are the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to catalyse socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development around the globe. Germany has committed to achieving these goals as part of the German Sustainable Development Strategy. Discover more here.