Image: Jan Rieger

During the Dresden Nexus Conference 2017 (17–19 May), participants engaged actively in Q&A sessions, parallel sessions, and the World Café, among other things. Beyond the physical sessions, discussions also took place in the virtual realm.

Two side events at DNC2017 were livestreamed on Facebook Live to over 150 remote viewers. Visit our Facebook page for the videos featuring the launch event of the Nexus Observatory collaboration and the launch of the book Multifunctional Land-Use Systems for Managing the Nexus of Environmental Resources (Springer). On Twitter, participants shared insights on the conference content using the hashtags #DNC2017 and #NexusApproach. Over the whole period, more than 400 tweets were published with these hashtags related to the conference.

Here are some highlights:

At the heart of DNC2017 was the question, how the Nexus Approach can contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how monitoring measures are involved. In particular, the aspects of implementation and monitoring focused on examples related to multifunctional land-use systems and resource management in resilient cities and urban areas, as well as cross-thematic content.

One of the reasons why we need an #integrated approach #NexusApproach … by Nicola Fohrer @kieluni #DNC2017 #multiGoalOptimisation #land pic.twitter.com/xr2cU6vcaU

— Bettina Schmalzbauer (@bschmalzb) May 17, 2017

Lamizana-Diallo: international agencies have strength in working together & bringing specific local voices to using #NexusApproach #DNC2017

— Mitch Zuckerman (@ec0p0lis) May 19, 2017

Sabine Fuß brings the negative CO2 emission and the Climate perspective to the Nexus Conference #DNC2017 #SDG13 #2030Agenda @dkn_futureearth pic.twitter.com/I9XJcmTThg

— Martin Visbeck (@mvisbeck) May 18, 2017

Very important remark: "SDGs as common tool to bridge disciplinary boundaries." C. Kroll @ #DNC2017 #SDGs #NexusApproach

— DDoerr (@d_doerr) May 18, 2017

Enough or too many #indicators for measuring the #SDGs? The right ones?! asks @stefan_uhlenb #dnc2017 #SDG6 pic.twitter.com/E2nWpcmRjm

— Marianne Darbi (@MarianneDarbi) May 19, 2017

Third day at the DNC2017: Coming into conversation about monitoring and implementation in a World Café #DNC2017 #NexusApproach #dresden pic.twitter.com/ppDGRIYyjb

— Sebastian Eichhorn (@EichhornSe) May 19, 2017

Especially during parallel sessions, the live tweets helped other participants keep tabs on the other sessions that they were not able to physically attend.

A pity you can't be in two sessions at a time! #dnc2017 Kepp tweeting https://t.co/qRaDGV14K1

— Marianne Darbi (@MarianneDarbi) May 18, 2017

It was great to see participants take their conversations online:

Sharing ideas at the world café #dnc2017: we have to restore the circularity of thinking! pic.twitter.com/YIElS4v3dE

— Mauro Lafratta (@MLafratta) May 19, 2017

Not sure what table this was but we had similar thoughts at the implementation in resilient cities table! https://t.co/OWV8nGb8BI

— Mitch Zuckerman (@ec0p0lis) May 19, 2017

Exhibitors, too, took the opportunity to be part of the social media buzz.

Happy to be @ #DNC2017! Looking forward to meet you! #SDGs #FutureEarth #Research #Sustainability #NexusApproach #landuse #urban pic.twitter.com/eLInYZRbbC

— DKN Future Earth (@dkn_futureearth) May 17, 2017

Ultimately, it was heartening to see the spirit of DNC2017 that is going down to the human dimension – incorporating socioeconomic perspectives and connecting stakeholders – also embodied on the conference Twitter feed.

Conference wrap-up #NexusApproach #DNC17 great to meet you buddy @BasselTDaher @NEXUSPlatform @UNU_FLORES pic.twitter.com/JPias2zBVj

— Sebastian Riera (@sebariera) May 19, 2017

We would like to thank all participants who have actively participated in the conversations virtually!

3 days of #DNC2017 flew by too quickly! Hope you had a great time as we did hosting you! Long live #NexusApproach! https://t.co/rtTCAXjhnR pic.twitter.com/kga3NK5CMY

— UNU-FLORES (@UNU_FLORES) May 19, 2017

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Dresden Nexus Conference 2017: It Comes Down to the People

Over 400 participants and a hundred more tuning in remotely from over 50 countries discussed how the sustainable use of environmental resources can be more successful by using linked approaches at the Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC2017). From 17 to 19 May, the United Nations University (UNU-FLORES), the Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden), and the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) organised the second edition of the conference in the Deutsche Hygiene-Museum Dresden. For the former Hungarian Ambassador to the United Nations, Csaba Kőrösi, the meeting is the best forum on the subject in Europe.

Dresden, 19 May 2017. – Intense conversations, an inspiring atmosphere, interactive discussion formats, insights into numerous practical examples, and the exchange of experiences with many like-minded people – after three days, the second biennial Dresden Nexus Conference comes to an end, leaving many impressions for the over 400 participants. The international experts from more than 50 countries enjoyed an intensive programme across three days: six keynote speeches by renowned scholars, 88 lectures spread over 16 sessions, 65 poster presentations, and case studies from China, Germany, Qatar, Kenya, Tunisia, and Viet Nam provided insights into the science and practice surrounding the Nexus Approach. The aim is to sustainably manage vital environmental resources such as water, soil, and waste by overcoming the boundaries between sectors and scientific disciplines. The resources themselves are also interrelated and cannot be addressed separately.

At the core of DNC2017 was the question, how the Nexus Approach can contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda of the United Nations, and how monitoring measures are involved. The contributions for science and policy focused on examples related to multifunctional land-use systems and resource management in resilient cities and urban areas, as well as cross-thematic content.

“The Dresden Nexus Conference is the best forum in Europe, to discuss important questions concerning the sustainable management of environmental resources,” said His Excellency Csaba Kőrösi, former Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations in New York, and co-chaired the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, who now heads the Directorate for Environmental Sustainability in Office of the President of the Republic of Hungary, in his closing speech. In addition to the many positive impulses the participants took home with them, the challenges identified during the conference were clearly linked to the topic. The integrated management of environmental resources is still, above all, a topic discussed in science. However, for the broad implementation of linked strategies in practice, it really comes down to the people, as mentioned in one of the final speeches. Above all, the findings from science, the good initiatives and ideas must be communicated to the right actors – political decision makers as well as local stakeholders and representatives of the business community. In science itself, the discussion around the approach should be more interdisciplinary and, for example, the social sciences should also be more closely involved.

It is not just a matter of linking different professional topics. At least as important is the cooperation of different stakeholder groups. From the beginning, they must be involved in the deliberations and planned implementation projects – appropriate integrated formats and governance structures are also required.

“The Nexus Approach must now leave the scientific laboratories and be put into practice,” also urged Ambassador Kőrösi in conclusion. The organisers of the conference, UNU-FLORES, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the TU Dresden and the IOER are aware: till the next DNC in 2019, many challenges remain that scientists can tackle together with practical stakeholders.

What is the “Nexus Approach”?

The goal of the Nexus Approach is to manage environmental resources sustainably. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to overcome barriers between individual sectors and scientific disciplines to jointly develop cross-sectoral strategies. The approach is based on the understanding that individual environmental resources are closely linked. If these relationships are taken into account, this can lead to more resource efficiency, while at the same time environmental risks and ecological degradation may be minimised.

Further information:
http://www.dresden-nexus-conference.org
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/

Contact

Download the full version of the press release here (EN/DE).

At the core of the Nexus Approach is the captivation with interrelatedness and interdependencies. When we talk about the approach to environmental resources management, we think of the nexus between resources. Another dimension of the nexus under consideration is that between different actors; for example, between scientists and policymakers.

This year’s Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC) strives to put the nexus into action by bringing people from different disciplines and sectors together to discuss related issues that are not necessarily dealt with in an integrated manner at present.

Image: Raphael Benning/TU Dresden

During the first plenary on the second day of the biennial conference, Rabi Mohtar (Texas A&M University) moderated a Q&A session after the delivery of keynote speeches by Eugénie Birch (Penn Institute for Urban Research) and Luca Montanarella (European Commission). In her keynote speech, Eugénie Birch addressed the need and hunt for the nexus in order to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

“We have found the nexus in the world – it will be up to us, the researchers and the practitioners, to incorporate the Nexus Approach. We know this thinking is innovative and this conference will facilitate it.”
– Eugénie Birch, Penn Institute for Urban Research

Addressing the second sub-theme of the conference on Multifunctional Land-Use Systems, Luca Montanarella also emphasised the need for sustainable soil management for achieving the SDGs, which requires that soil scientists look out from the pits they dig and realise the connections between what is beneath the ground and what is beyond.

Image: Raphael Benning/TU Dresden

Image: Raphael Benning/TU Dresden

While the nexus connects people from different disciplines and sectors, learning and knowledge exchange can only really happen through concrete examples. At eight parallel sessions covering Multifunctional Land-Use Systems, Resource Management in Resilient Cities, as well as Cross-thematic Topics, conference participants freely moved between sessions to expose themselves to various examples that lead back to the overarching theme of “SDGs & Nexus Approach: Monitoring and Implementation”.

From examples in forestry to urbanisation to assessing resource use in resilient cities, participants are expected to immerse themselves and widen their horizons when thinking of applying the Nexus Approach through the wide range and variety of oral presentations. The subsequent poster sessions reinforced this objective. One running concern is the need for a common language and tools that can be used by different research communities.

Image: Raphael Benning/TU Dresden

In the second plenary, Case Studies from China, Vietnam, and Kenya were presented. Yanhui Wang (Chinese Academy of Forestry), Ngo Trung Hai (Vietnam Institute for Urban and Rural Planning (VIUP)), and John M. Gathenya (Jomo Kenyatta University) each presented respective cases exemplifying the Nexus Approach in multifunctional land-use systems. This was followed by a Q&A Session with expert commenters Rattan Lal (Ohio State University) on monitoring and Ania Grobicki (Ramsar Convention) on implementation as moderated by Nicola Fohrer (Institute for Natural Resource Conservation, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel).

Image: Ricardo Vigh/IOER 2017

While the concrete examples were still quite specific and relevant only for a certain community, the connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through aspects of monitoring and implementation meant that the content is broad and comprehensive enough to engage as many participants. In her commentary, Ania Grobicki praised the high standards and good quality of presentations she had seen at the conference so far, and the passion and commitment in the organisation of the event. While the case studies exemplify nexus solutions, she raised the need to better convey that these solutions exist, in a more impactful manner in order to take such a conference further. To be able to really embody how case studies can be transformed into policies and solutions, she suggested that in future conferences, for every case study, a scientist be paired with a policymaker or an actor who can actually use the research. This creates dialogue and concretely structures the science-policy interface.

Download Day 2: Sessions in a Nutshell here

Image: Ricardo Vigh/IOER 2017

In line with the goal of engaging participants more and to allow them to personally experience the challenges of nexus implementation, Day 2 of DNC2017 featured a gaming session, which concluded the day’s full programme. The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) convened the Water-Energy Nexus Game, in which participants got the unique opportunity to get insight into managing the water needs of energy production and improve water management to reduce water systems vulnerability. Participants were given various roles in decision making in two countries that share a river. Their goal was to balance water and energy supply with demand. For this to happen though, they needed to effectively collaborate and exchange information between stakeholders within their respective country.

Whether through a simulation game or otherwise, the second day of the Dresden Nexus Conference 2017 reinforced the need for the Nexus Approach in order to arrive at sustainable solutions for our environment, and more importantly, that we do so in a fashion that embodies the very concept.

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The Dresden Nexus Conference 2017 (DNC2017) opened on a high note at the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum in Germany today. UNU-FLORES, the Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden), and the Leibniz Institute for Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER) welcomed 425 participants from 50 countries over three days (17–19 May). The biennial conference is in its second installation this year.

Under the theme “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Nexus Approach: Monitoring and Implementation”, Day 1 gave participants a broad overview of the issues related to monitoring and implementation strategies, particularly considering Multifunctional Land-Use Systems and Resources Management in Resilient Cities.

This year, participants can look forward to, among others, six keynote speeches, 88 oral presentations, 65 poster presentations, and six case studies portraying the use of the Nexus Approach as outlined in the introduction during the first plenary from UNU-FLORES Director Reza Ardakanian.

Following his welcome address, Karl-Heinz Feger (TU Dresden) introduced Uwe Gaul, State Secretary of the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts (SMWK), who opened the conference by discussing the intentions and principles of DNC2017.

Image: Jan Rieger

“We all stand to benefit when our actions stand to benefit the prosperity and peace of the people.”
– Uwe Gaul, State Secretary, SMWK

Bernhard Müller, Director of IOER, went on to introduce Detlef Klein, Senior-Advisor of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Unit at GIZ, who delivered opening remarks on behalf of Tania Rödiger-Vorwerk, BMZ’s Deputy Director General for Environment and Infrastructure.

Image: Jan Rieger

Image: Jan Rieger

Image: Jan Rieger

Image: Jan Rieger

Image: Jan Rieger

“We must find ways out of our silos and work with different types of language.”
– Mathew Kurian, UNU-FLORES

After the parallel sessions, poster presentations took place. At 16:00 participants had the opportunity to attend a side event launching the collaboration between UNU-FLORES and GIZ on developing a prototype of the Nexus Observatory and exploring further synergies that could emerge from greater integration of it with GIZ’s Nexus Resource Platform. The event was also livestreamed to remote participants via Facebook.

Download Day 1: Sessions in a Nutshell here

Image: Jan Rieger

Image: Jan Rieger

The first day of DNC2017 culminated with a welcome reception in the Ballroom of the Dresden City Hall, where participants were warmly welcomed to the city by Deputy Mayor Detlef Sittel.

With the floor set, Day 2 of DNC2017 is set to be another rich and fulfilling series of discussions.

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