Sustainability, the common good and sustainable procurement: corsus workshops at the Municipal Congress and the Fair Congress
Under the motto “Actively shaping sustainability – the municipalities are leading the way”, the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Service Agency Communities in One World of Engagement Global brought together more than 150 municipal experts for a municipal congress in Potsdam at the beginning of June. Anke Butscher, together with the European network “Local Governments for Sustainability“, offered a workshop on “Sustainability and the Common Good in Practice”.
From the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s perspective, local governments in particular play a very important role in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The sustainability transformation must succeed locally. The workshop discussed how the values of the common good economy can support this transformation and how the common good can be used as a compass for sustainable development. The anchoring of the common good in European urban policy through, among others, the New Leipzig Charter was presented and discussed. The common good matrix for municipalities and the focus report on the common good-oriented stocktaking of sustainable development on the ground served as a look at practice.
At the Fair Congress 2023 – Fair Beschaffen – einfach machen! in Erfurt this week, municipalities, regardless of their level of commitment, were able to network, qualify and exchange ideas and open questions on sustainable and fair procurement. Anke Butscher, in cooperation with ressourcenwunder, offered a workshop on “Fair procurement in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the basics of fair procurement”. As procurers for the public sector, municipalities have enormous purchasing power and thus also market power. By taking socially just criteria into account in procurement processes, and thus procuring sustainably and fairly produced goods, districts, cities and municipalities can make a valuable contribution to compliance with minimum social standards in global supply chains. The workshop introduced the basics of fair procurement in municipalities, linked procurement to the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and, together with representatives of the municipalities, developed and discussed a strategic and structural anchoring of social and ecological criteria in public procurement.
corsus research gUG
Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein
