44th General Conference 2022 in Bergen

"Sustainability - locally rooted, globally connected in Diakonia" was the theme of the 44th Kaiserswerth General Assembly. On June 9 and 10, around 60 participants from nine countries gathered at the Haraldsplass Diaconia Foundation in Bergen, Norway.

Main contributions:

Prof. Miroslav Volf from Yale University spoke about the religious dimension of the sustainability debates.

Vigdis Anita Gåskjenn, Chief Financial Officer of the Haraldsplass Diaconia Foundation, presented the con-cept of sustainable finance.

Olli Hollström, chairperson of the board of the pan-European diaconia network Eurodiaconia, spoke about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and how they are known.

The former Norwegian Minister for International Development, Dag Inge Ulstein, emphasized the necessary responsibility of the countries of the Global North for those of the Global South for justice.

Best practices from member houses in Brazil, Germany and France completed the conference with pioneering examples and impulses on various aspects of sustainability.

The 44th General Assembly of the Kaiserswerth General Conference confirmed a new Presidium, which will be constituted in September 2022. In addition, the General Conference adopted a new logo and updated its basic and electoral regulations.

Host of the 44th General Conference was Haraldsplass Diaconia Foundation with Superior Rollaug Waaler, who is also vice president of the General Conference, and CEO Jørn Henning Theis.

The 45th Kaiserswerth General Conference will take place on June 26 and 27 2025 at the Diakonissenanstalt Dresden in Germany.