Launch of the Transatlantic Forum for Nature and Environment (TAFNE)

Join us for a breakfast panel to mark the launch of the Transatlantic Forum for Nature and Environment (TAFNE) – a new initiative from the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). 

TAFNE connects regional and local cross-sector leaders in Germany and the United States to tackle a shared challenge: how to build future-ready economies while protecting natural resources and public health. At its core is the recognition that economic prosperity and environmental sustainability are not competing priorities, but mutually reinforcing goals. 

This inaugural panel will bring together German and US representatives to explore how states, cities, businesses, and civil society from both countries can collaborate to leverage nature and the environment as a strategic asset – to improve infrastructure resilience, enhance resource efficiency, and drive inclusive economic growth. 

Agenda 

 8.30-8.40 

• Welcome Remarks  

Steven Bosacker, Senior Vice President for Innovation and Director of GMF Cities, GMF  

Axel Dittmann, Deputy Chief of Mission, German Embassy Washington DC   

8.40-9.20 

• Panel Discussion: Leveraging nature and the environment to enhance resource efficiency, strengthen infrastructure resilience, and drive inclusive economic growth 

Dr. Eva Kracht, Director-General, International and European Affairs, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety 

The Honorable Lloyd Doggett, US Representative for Texas’s 37th Congressional District  

Susanne Johnson, Executive Director, German American Chamber of Commerce Philadelphia  

Sam Robinson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Consumers & the Environment, Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania (Virtual Participation)

Oppong Hemeng, Senior Climate Coordinator, City of Dallas, Texas (Virtual Participation)

Moderator: Dr. Hannah Abdullah, Senior Fellow, GMF Cities 

9.20-9.40  

• Questions and Comments from the Audience  

9.40-10.30 

• Networking Breakfast