German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for international cooperation and adherence to shared rules to overcome the climate crisis.
"Without greater international cooperation and mutual trust, we will not succeed in overcoming global challenges such as climate change or the fight against hunger and poverty," Steinmeier said at the opening of the third Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) on Monday.
The conference in the northern German city focuses on the themes of resilient economies, technology and the future of the planet under the motto "The Power of Cooperation: Driving Progress Together," with around 1,600 participants from 115 countries attending.
Discussions will also focus on risks and conflicts as well as the future of human cooperation, according to the organizers.
Steinmeier said it remained important to continue working with full force to combat climate change, even in economically difficult times.
"Only if we work more closely together internationally and can rely on shared rules, only if we can count on a strong United Nations and its subsidiary organizations - only then will we succeed in achieving the sustainability goals," he said.
"We are living in a time when the international rules that have guided us for decades are under threat, a time when some powerful states no longer recognize these rules and brazenly flout them whenever they stand in the way of their own power interests," Steinmeier said.
"A spirit of brutality and ruthlessness is sweeping through international politics," he added.
Steinmeier said Germany would continue to stand up for international cooperation, peace and development, as well as for an international order with the United Nations at its centre.
Nevertheless, he said the organization must become more efficient and effective, and prove that it can deliver better results "than the strongmen with their delusions of omnipotence."
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed warned that the progress already made was in danger of being swept away by a tsunami of geopolitical crises.
German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan said: "We must act together in the face of the world's crises. As a global community. In solidarity. With strong partnerships. And with a clear vision: we will leave no one behind."
