UN Bonn Preview 2019 connects UN Organizations, Local Media, and Civil Society
On January 29, 2019 UN Bonn hosted the annual press preview providing local media and NGO representatives with an outlook on this year’s priorities, activities, and events. Eleven Bonn-based UN organizations presented their strategic focus for 2019 followed by a Q&A session.
Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner, Director of United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security, explained in an opening speech: “Such an event is especially important to us because the United Nations in Bonn do not want to be an island – we want to be well connected with the local processes and institutions.” For example, he highlighted the already existing and outstanding relationship between the United Nations University and the University of Bonn.
Apart from presenting the main priorities for 2019, the representatives of UN organizations announced different events taking place in Bonn: The UN Summer Academy, international conferences, expert meetings, and WHO’s first Bonn School of Environment and Health. One of the key events will be the SDG Global Festival of Action taking place in May 2019 to gather and inspire SDGs campaigners and multi-stakeholder partners.
Since migration and its causes and consequences are currently a highly debated topic, it was also raised in the Q&A session. The UN agencies revealed that while migration is mainly discussed at the political level, the Bonn-based UN organization are looking at this phenomenon from an environmental perspective, e.g. how land degradation is already leading to forced migration.
