‘Moving Together’ for more Sustainability – UN in Bonn cooperates with Beethoven Orchester Bonn and Theater Bonn
The United Nations in Bonn and the City of Bonn with its two cultural institutions, Theater Bonn and Beethoven Orchester Bonn have launched a strategic cooperation. Their joint goal is to make the cultural programmes of opera and orchestra accessible to a broader international audience. Combining the cultural sector’s creative spirit with the ideals of the UN, forums for discussion and cultural life will be developed with the intention to instill the issue of sustainability even deeper into public awareness and to inspire new ideas and impulses for this essential topic of the future.
Over the past 25 years, Bonn has successfully established itself as the German UN City and as a centre of international cooperation and sustainable development. Currently 25 UN entities in Bonn with over 1,000 staff members from all parts of the world constitute the core of a unique international and internationally active cluster. Many of these institutions are actively promoting sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) underlined that the UN in Bonn has now a unique opportunity to join forces in this partnership and to expand its outreach to the public through arts and culture. “The new cooperation ’Moving Together’ will bring the topics of the UN in Bonn closer to the citizens through cultural channels and will help to integrate the international staff in the local community.”
Together for more Sustainability
Sustainability is one of the central topics for the future on the City’s agenda. One of the functions of culture is to discuss the most vital issues of society, to stimulate dialogue and to provide inspiration for solutions through its creative spirit. Together, Theater Bonn and Beethoven Orchester Bonn have decided to make a significant contribution to these topics of the future. According to Dirk Kaftan, conductor of the Beethoven Orchester, “Music is a great way to carry ideas into people’s minds and hearts. You can only change the world if you‘re willing to change yourself. I am convinced that this is exactly where music can help us. And this is the impetus for our work.”
Since February 2021, Beethoven Orchester Bonn has been a “Climate Ambassador” for UNFCCC, supporting the institution in its work towards a more peaceful, inclusive and unified world and highlighting the significance of climate protection worldwide.
One by one, new options for an international audience will now be introduced, and the topic of sustainability will be given central importance within both these municipal institutions.