In November 2013, a handful of organizations held a small conference at the University of Warsaw alongside COP19 to revisit the Landscape Approach, a 200-year-old geographical concept. A decade later, the Global Landscape Forum (GLF), supported by the German Ministry of Development (BMZ) and the Ministry of Environment (BMUV), has transformed into a global movement impacting tens of millions annually, serving as a catalyst for change and political action. Andrew Steer, Chief Executive of the Bezos Foundation, called it a “decision-forcing forum,” while MIT professor Otto Scharmer, founder of the Theory of U, stated, “GLF is exactly what is needed now. Let’s keep walking together.”

How did this transformation occur? What sets GLF apart? Why the rapid growth? Recently, 800,000 people from 120 countries engaged in a three-hour digital forum – what drives this participation? What lessons have been learned, and what lies ahead? Can the GLF change the world?

Join the GLF Director and Senior Director of CIFOR-ICRAF, John Colmey, as he guides us through the GLF journey. Along the way, John will share insights on the evolution of the Landscape Approach, sustainable finance, global communication trends, the latest theories of change, and the GLF’s vision for 2030.

This video was originally aired at the Center for Development Research (ZEF). Learn more: https://www.zef.de/zefhome.html