Last Tuesday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod and Minister for Development Cooperation Rasmus Prehn presented the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ new sustainability strategy that will ensure the organisation to become greener and thus contribute to realising the Danish government’s political ambitions within the Sustainable Development Goals and the climate agenda.
“In the government and in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have very high ambitions for our green and sustainable foreign policy with a new Climate Ambassador, climate front posts and a number of green initiatives in relation to our foreign policy. However, we must also live up to these ambitions in our internal organisation. The sustainability strategy is an important signal that we ourselves – in our organisation and daily work – take responsibility for the green transition and create a workplace with a smaller CO2 footprint and sustainability in our daily work. This applies to directors as well as employees in the home service – and to the missions abroad. I am very committed to this in my work as Minister for Foreign Affairs”, says Jeppe Kofod.
The aim of the new sustainability strategy is to reduce the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ CO2 footprint and to incorporate sustainability into the day-to-day work. At the same time, the goal is for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be the best public workplace in Denmark.
“This sustainability strategy shows that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs undertakes this responsibility. Reducing CO2 emissions is a significant part of the task, but it is also important to maintain that sustainability is more than that. It is the way we act on a daily basis and the way in which we interact with each other. It is solidarity, justice and room for diversity”, says Rasmus Prehn.
The sustainability strategy is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ green package that was launched earlier in November. Here, a Climate Ambassador was appointed and 15 embassies were designated as climate front posts. In addition, a new green department will be established in Copenhagen, which will put all efforts into a global, green, and fair transition.
For further enquiries, please contact:
Press advisor Poul Kjar, poukja@um.dk or press advisor Maria Westh, mawest@um.dk.