Congo Delegation at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference
Advocating for bioeconomy as a lever for sustainable development
June 20th, 2025
The city of Hamburg hosted the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC), a major international event dedicated to sustainable development issues. Among the distinguished participants were Ms. Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy for the Republic of Congo, and the Congolese Ambassador to Germany, Edith Antoinette Itoua. They took part in a strategic panel discussion entitled: "The Bioeconomy as a Link between Climate Action and Sustainable Development."
The Hamburg Sustainability Conference is an annual global forum held in Hamburg that brings together leaders from politics, business, civil society, and international organizations. It serves as a platform to accelerate progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through high-level dialogue, partnership-building, and the launch of innovative initiatives focused on critical issues like climate change, sustainable finance, and urban resilience. It is a key event for driving global sustainability efforts with practical, impactful solutions through multilateral collaboration and private-sector engagement.
During the event, Rosalie Matondo emphasized the bioeconomy as a key lever for sustainable development, promoting more environmentally friendly models of production and consumption.
Later, in the roundtable: “Rethinking the Bioeconomy: Voices from the South”, Ms. Matondo stressed the importance of integrated policies that balance economic growth with the preservation of natural resources, while also fostering innovation and sustainable practices. The concept of the bioeconomy was explored in a broader context, encompassing themes of justice, history, and power, particularly for countries in the Global South that are rich in biological resources yet often face financial constraints.
The participation of Global South delegations, including Congo’s, brought essential perspectives to the bioeconomy debate, especially from regions that have historically experienced resource exploitation and now hold some of the world’s richest biodiversity.
References
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amabassade-du-congo-en-allemagne_hamburgsustainabilityconference-daezveloppementdurable-activity-7336017941714395136-DCLA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAFYIuBQBEIn0K4XVRYnGOeG3FjQ3zSKegzg https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amabassade-du-congo-en-allemagne_hamburgsustainabilityconference-daezveloppementdurable-activity-7336017941714395136-DCLA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAFYIuBQBEIn0K4XVRYnGOeG3FjQ3zSKegzg
- https://www.2030hamburg.de/die-biooekonomie-neu-denken-stimmen-aus-dem-globalen-sueden-auf-der-hamburg-sustainability-conference/? https://www.2030hamburg.de/die-biooekonomie-neu-denken-stimmen-aus-dem-globalen-sueden-auf-der-hamburg-sustainability-conference/?
