Germany’s Third Voluntary National Review (VNR) to the HLPF 2025

    Germany’s Third Voluntary National Review (VNR) to the HLPF 2025 Examples of work on the areas of transformation and levers of the German Sustainable Development Strategy

    Germany is actively working on implementing the 2030 Agenda, which provides a global vision for a sustainable future. This is a vision for a world without hunger, poverty and discrimination, with fair growth to maintain prosperity while preserving biodiversity, the environment and the climate and safeguarding the prospects and opportunities of future generations.

    The 2025 update of the German Sustainable Development Strategy (GSDS) pursues a systemic approach. It defines six integrated areas of transformation and five levers, which take the interrelationships between sectors into consideration.

    The areas of transformation are:

    • Human well-being and capabilities; social justice
    • Energy transition and climate action
    • Circular economy
    • Sustainable construction and sustainable mobility
    • Sustainable agricultural and food systems
    • Pollutant-free environment

    The levers are:

    • Governance
    • Social mobilisation and participation
    • Finances
    • Research, innovation and digitalisation
    • International responsibility and cooperation

    On this web page, the German Government presents examples of programmes and initiatives that have, between the last VNR in 2021 and June 2025, contributed to a sustainable transformation in Germany in the context of these areas and levers. The examples demonstrate Germany's active national, bilateral and multilateral efforts to achieve the Goals of the 2030 Agenda and a sustainable future.

    The selected examples offer an insight into developments and progress made since the last VNR in 2021, covering the period to June 2025. The measures listed in the report or future measures arising from it with financial impacts do not imply a budgetary commitment, nor do they prejudice the legislator in respect of budgetary matters. All measures not covered by the federal budget and financial programming period are therefore contingent upon funding being available. The constitutional division of powers between the Federation and the Länder must be duly considered.