Ruth Jakobi has been Secretary General of the European Music Council (EMC) since September 2003 and today holds this position in dual leadership with Simone Dudt. The European Music Council, the regional group for Europe of the International Music Council, is the broadest umbrella organisation for musical life in Europe. It acknowledges the significant role that music and culture play in the political and societal development of a peaceful and integrative Europe. Ruth Jakobi and Simone Dudt are jointly responsible for the strategic development of the EMC as a member organisation, as well as for cultural policy work and the planning of international cooperation projects. The European Agenda for Music, one of the EMC’s key advocacy tools, was initiated by the EMC and adopted in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders from across the European music sector. With the MusicAire project, the EMC was the first music organisation to be commissioned to redistribute EU funds to the European music sector. One of the three main topics here was climate protection.

Ruth developed and coordinated the Erasmus+ co-funded international cooperation project SHIFT, promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals in collaboration with eight other cultural networks. In addition to her work for the EMC, Ruth serves as a volunteer at Soroptimist International, Club Bonn – Bad Godesberg, and as chairperson of the association supporting the Circus School “Don Mehloni”.