Heidelberg is a trailblazer when it comes to adopting the spirit of the SDGs. The city is already active and very successful in all 17 defined target areas. With its 160 000 inhabitants originating from 180 different countries, Heidelberg has the ideal size to be an agile pioneer. Renowned for its rich history, its multitude of science and research institutions and its excellent university, Heidelberg has an unequalled global radiance. Heidelberg is one of the German cities with the best chances for the future. For centuries, ideas have been born and implemented in Heidelberg that change the world. Science, business and the public are closely interwoven on this issue. The development in the direction of Smart City has gained rapid momentum in Heidelberg in recent years in particular - from this process the city has a wealth of experience to share with other participants and is interested to learn from the experience of Indian cities.
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Eckart Würzner was born on 10.10.1961 in Goslar. He is married to Janine Würzner since 1982, and has 4 children. After attending high school in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, he studied Geography in Mannheim and Heidelberg with Geology and Law as subsidiary subjects (first class degree 1987). He received Graduate scholarship of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg, and awarded a doctorate on “Comparative influence of atmospheric environmental toxins on mortality rates in urban agglomerations” (1988 – 1993; PhD awarded summa cum laude). In 1988, he began his professional career as environmental consultant to the administration of the City of Heidelberg.
Since then, he has been affiliated with leading institutions in Germany and other nations, including regional energy agency, Carl-Duisberg Gesellschaft, Center for Clean Air Policy, Rocky Mountain Institute. After 6 years as Deputy Mayor of the City of Heidelberg responsible for the environment, he was elected as Mayor in 2006, and re-elected in October 2014. Prof. Dr. Würzner has been lecturer at Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg from 1998 to 2005.
Since 2009, he is lecturer in Energy and Environmental Management at the SRH Hochschule Heidelberg. In May 2016, he was appointed Honorary Professor at the SRH Hochschule Heidelberg.Since his retirement, he has been writing and commenting regularly in both print and audiovisual media on India’s foreign policy, its economic dimensions and regional and international security issues. He is a frequent speaker and contributor at various policy planning groups and reputed think tanks in India and overseas.
Rumi Aijaz, Senior Fellow, ORF
Renate Schimkoreit, Minister and Head of the Department for Economic and Global Affairs, German Embassy
Radu Carciumaru, Resident Representative, Heidelberg University Branch Office in Delhi
Eckart Würzner, Hon’ble Mayor of the City of Heidelberg
Arunava Dasgupta, Head, Department of Urban Design, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi
The event is from 11:00 to 13:00
