Bonn, 5 March 2015 – On the eve of international women’s day, key players in Bonn today have
launched the Gender@International Bonn network. The network promotes gender equality as a goal
in its own right and as an enabler of sustainable development. It aims at mutual exchange and
cooperation in the field of gender equality, in particular by offering a platform for internationally
active stakeholders in Bonn. Hence, members of the network are organizations with an international
profile and commitment to the international venue of Bonn. The founding members of the network
include: United Nations Organizations in Bonn, North-Rhine Westphalia, City of Bonn, Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Deutsche Welle (DW) and the UN Women
National Committee Germany. Right after being founded, Gender@International Bonn is already
walking the talk. In spring it will host workshops at the Bonn Conference on Global Transformation (12
-13 May 2015 in Bonn) as well at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum (22-24 June 2015 in Bonn).
Bradnee Chambers, current Chair of the Heads of Agencies of the United Nations Organizations in Bonn
(UNBonn) and Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals (CMS), expresses his gratitude to the founding organizations for their commitment to gender
equality, right here in Bonn, from where the UN is aiming to shape a sustainable future for all. “Gender
equality is an issue which lies at the heart of the United Nations. It is part of the vision of equality found
in the UN Charter and is part of the mandates and everyday work of all the 18 UN Organizations in Bonn.
It is now also widely recognized that gender equality and equity are in fact, a pre-condition for
sustainable development. As UNBonn, we are pleased that we have been invited to contribute with our
expertise to this highly valuable initiative.”
The immense social, economic and environmental consequences due to climate change and loss of
essential ecosystems are becoming more evident by the day. Especially women and girls are among
those most affected, for example, by floods, droughts, devastated landscapes and livelihoods, given the
precariousness of their livelihoods and the burden of securing shelter, food, water and fuel – tasks that
largely fall to them. Beyond the United Nations, Bonn is also home to many other organizations that are
working intensively towards the resolution of these challenges.
Ms. Angelica Schwall-Düren, Minister for Federal Affairs, Europe and the Media of North Rhine-
Westphalia, stresses her appreciation for the network. “The promotion of gender equality is a top
priority on the international agenda – and rightfully so. It is essential to our quest to master the
challenges of sustainable development. The network is an excellent opportunity to pool the resources of
the vibrant international community in addressing this issue.”
Gender@International Bonn – 5 March 2015
Ms. Tanja Gönner, Chair of the Management Board of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), underlines, “Gender equality is a human right, a key factor for sustainable
development and feature that defines the quality of our work, all of which serve as fundamental
principles to guide us. For this reason, GIZ will become the eighth German company to sign the UN
Women’s Empowerment Principles. We hope that many other companies will join us.”
“The new network shows again the wealth of the sustainability cluster in Bonn, allowing for a variety of
concrete actions towards sustainable development. The city is pleased to be part of the initiative and to
thereby add a strong gender accent to the portfolio of the international Bonn”, emphasizes Jürgen
Nimptsch, Mayor of the City of Bonn.
Deutsche Welle Director General, Peter Limbourg underscores the role of media, „Gender equality and
sustainable development are among the key issues in DW’s programming and its commitment to media
development worldwide. As Germany’s international broadcaster and a media organization with its
headquarters in Bonn, Deutsche Welle is a natural partner for this initiative that aims to enhance Bonn
as a platform for gender topics on a global scale.“
Media contacts
United Nations Organizations in Bonn
Alice Fišer, alice.fiser@one.un.org; +49 (0)228-815-2776
Ministry for Federal Affairs, Europe and the Media of NRW
Nina Heil, nina.heil@stk.nrw.de; +49 (0)211-837-1399
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
René Hingst, presse@giz.de; +49 (0)6196-794-466
City of Bonn
Markus Schmitz, presseamt@bonn.de; +49 (0)228 –772-464
Deutsche Welle
Christoph Jumpelt, christoph.jumpelt@dw.de; +49 (0)228-429-2041