Member of the social democrat party, he was chancellor of western germany from 1974 to 1982. He worked hard to defend Germany and Europe from the possible aggression of Soviet Union and also fostered economic policies to reduce unemployment and create a stronger welfare state. He was politically a leftist within a leftist party and a strong supporter of Palestinian cause despite his Jewish origin

With a new push for sustainable development and global reduction of greenhouse emissions, 100 million people will remain out of poverty according to "Shock Waves : Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty" that was just released by the World Bank. If new policies are not introduced, there will be a worsening in the level of poverty and higher number of persons affected by diseases

The Resilience Development Forum (RDF) will be held at the Dead Sea, Jordan from 8 to 9 November 2015. The RDF's goal is to create a fundamental shift in the way the international community is responding to the continuing crisis in Syria and the surrounding region. It is organized annually by UNDP