On March 18, 2026, the State Working Group Agenda 21 NRW (LAG 21 NRW) invites participants to the conference “Balancing Sustainability” at the Hörder Burg conference center in Dortmund. More than 100 participants from politics, local government, civil society, business, and academia are expected. Under the motto “Headwinds Generate Lift,” they will develop practical approaches in four innovation labs focusing on digitalization, social cohesion, renaturation, and municipal finances. The aim is to identify current trends, tasks, and potential goal conflicts and to jointly develop solutions.
The Innovation Lab “Digitalization & Democracy” explores how a strong digital civil society can be fostered and what role sustainable artificial intelligence plays in creating stable and resilient democracies. At the opening, Prof. Dr. Tim A. Majchrzak, Scientific Director of CAIS and head of the research program “Transformation of Digital Democratic Discourses,” will deliver a kick-off talk. In his talk, he will provide insights into current research findings, key challenges, and future developments and present the work of CAIS. Afterwards, participants will discuss key questions related to digitalization and democracy in a fishbowl session and jointly develop approaches for sustainable digital development and a resilient democratic society. In addition, the group from the “Digitalization & Democracy” Innovation Lab will exchange ideas with the group “Social Cohesion in Times of Crisis” to consolidate key insights and explore synergies between the topic areas.
The results of the four innovation labs will then be presented in a plenary session and will form the basis for a panel discussion titled “From Knowledge to Action – Joint Implementation in Times of Increasing Urgency and Headwinds.” Experts from academia, administration, and politics will discuss how socio-ecological transformation can be advanced collaboratively despite growing challenges.
Further information about the conference:
https://www.lag21.de/termine/details/balanceakt-nachhaltigkeit-konferenz/
About LAG 21 NRW
The State Working Group Agenda 21 NRW (LAG 21 NRW) is an independent network for civil society, administration, and politics. For over 20 years, it has supported cities, municipalities, and local stakeholders in implementing social, ecological, and economic sustainability at the local level. As a competence network for local sustainability processes, LAG 21 NRW addresses current challenges with practical and forward-looking approaches.