From September 24–26, 2020, committed students and young professionals from various disciplines met in Kiel to learn how they can promote sustainable development and global climate protection. At the second “Ambassador Academy – Development, Climate and Population” the focus was on the topics of the Alliance for Development and Climate initiated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Academy was organized and conducted by the Hermann Ehlers Foundation in cooperation with the Institute for Applied Knowledge Processing/n (FAW/n) in Ulm.

A total of 21 participants from all over Germany — ranging from students of various disciplines to young professionals — came together in Kiel, adhering strictly to COVID-19 safety regulations. Over the weekend, they discussed with leading experts the key interrelations, interactions, conflicts, and contradictions at the intersection of international climate protection and global sustainable development.

After months of preparation, the participants also took part in practical workshops on effective argumentation, public speaking, and debating to learn how to inspire companies, policymakers, and societal actors to take meaningful action.

The goal of the program is to train selected participants to become ambassadors for the multi-stakeholder initiative “Alliance for Development and Climate“.

Founded in 2018 at the initiative of Federal Development Minister Dr. Gerd Müller, the Alliance promotes non-governmental engagement in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. It focuses on climate protection projects in non-industrialized countries, which contribute both to improving the global climate balance and to local economic and social development. The Alliance’s supporters aim to achieve climate neutrality or even climate positivity in the long term. The trained ambassadors advocate for the Alliance’s goals through lectures, presentations, and discussions, and help raise awareness of its approach.

The weekend in Kiel formed the core of the Academy’s training program, which also included a preparatory phase with 12 online workshops and a follow-up phase consisting of three post-event meetings. Participants had been selected through a nationwide application process.

You can watch the 2020 Ambassador Academy Aftermovie on YouTube.

The evening event on September 24, 2020, featuring Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h.c. Franz Josef Radermacher, Prof. Dr. Estelle Herlyn, Prof. Dr. Martin Visbeck (GEOMAR Kiel), Michael Maass (Kühne + Nagel), and Christopher Politano (South Pole), is also available on YouTube.

Image source: © Hermann Ehlers Stiftung