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

Modern Eco-Friendly Building with Vertical Gardens
Photo credit: Mark B Pixels / Shutterstock.com
Event Date & Time
German Marshall Fund
Location
Washington, DC
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8:30am - 10:30am EDT

2:30pm - 4:30pm CEST

3:30pm - 5:30pm EEST

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About this event

Climate Change Energy Transatlantic Relations Germany United States

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

 

8.40-9.30 — 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
  • Sam Robinson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Consumers & the Environment, Office of the Governor of Pennsylvania (Virtual)
  • Susanne Johnson, Executive Director, German American Chamber of Commerce Philadelphia
  • Oppong Hemeng, Senior Climate Coordinator, City of Dallas, Texas (Virtual)
  • Anne Baker, Chief Program Officer, American Flood Coalition
  • Moderator: Dr. Hannah Abdullah, Senior Fellow, GMF Cities

 

9.30-9.45 — Questions and Comments from the Audience 

 

9.45-10.30 — Networking Breakfast