04/04/2023

#BETD23: Energy Transition – Securing a Green Future

IKI Network Evening and presentation of the IKI during the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD)

Birgit Schwenk, Head of the Climate Action Department of the BMWK, and Corinna Enders, Managing Director of ZUG, welcome the guests at the network evening in the atrium of ZUG.

The ninth Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue, which is one of the world's most notable global energy transition forums, took place in Berlin at the end of March. Decision-makers in the energy transition sector meet here for dialogue and bilateral meetings, where they exchange ideas and experiences, discuss pressing challenges and their solutions, and forge energy partnerships aiming to achieve an environmentally compatible, safe and affordable global energy transition. 

ZUG Side Event: Raising a toast to "15 years IKI”

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) made use of the BETD week as a welcome occasion to invite the "Climate Community" to a network evening at Zukunft-Umwelt-Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH. A total of about 130 participants took the opportunity to cultivate personal exchange - and in addition to toast a birthday, because: The International Climate Initiative is celebrating an anniversary this year. 

Birgit Schwenk, Head of the Climate Action Department of the BMWK, opened the network evening and referred to the IKI anniversary year in her welcome speech: 

Birgit Schwenk stands between two bar tables and holds a microphone in her hand
The International Climate Initiative is a funding instrument for climate action and biodiversity conservation, on which we are focusing our attention this evening. In the course of the past 15 years, we have continuously developed the funding programme and improved project quality. We have successfully worked together with many partners and realised numerous important topics. In the meantime, three ministries - the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) - are combining strengths in the IKI to drive the transformation in developing and emerging countries forward. I am delighted to see so many colleagues here today who are committed to this aim. Let us make use of this evening to share experiences and ideas, to learn from each other - and to celebrate together.
Birgit Schwenk, Head of the Climate Action Department of the BMWK
About 130 participants took the opportunity to cultivate personal exchange.
“IKI Ministries” in discussion: Birgit Schwenk (BMWK) and Norbert Gorißen, Director for Climate and International Energy Politics and Deputy Special Envoy for International Climate Action at the Federal Foreign Office.
Live at the Federal Foreign Office: ZUG and BMWK present the IKI at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue.

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is a central topic in the IKI portfolio

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has currently again made it clear that global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be urgently stepped up in order to achieve the agreed targets of climate change mitigation. 

Since the beginning of the International Climate Initiative, projects in the fields of energy, industry and greenhouse gas mitigation have always constituted the largest part of the portfolio. The IKI is therefore also on site at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. 

ZUG and BMWK present the IKI at the BETD 

A top-level conference programme, which took place on 28th and 29th March at the Federal Foreign Office, is a fixed core component of the BETD. The event enables the personal exchange between representatives from governments, economy and science as well as international organisations and NGOs. 

The German government also made use of this environment on both days of the conference to present various climate action initiatives "as a side note", so to speak. The ZUG energy team was on site for the IKI and presented the funding programme jointly with the BMWK. 

A supporting programme took place at various locations in Berlin in addition to the BETD conference programme; the IKI was also represented at the "Cooperation Dialogue" in the Humboldthafen area of Berlin. 

The format served as a network meeting for representatives from countries with which Germany maintains bilateral energy transition and climate action partnerships - or with which such partnerships are planned. These include, for example, energy partnerships, climate action partnerships or hydrogen partnerships. 

The target group was a wide range of participants at working level: members of the official delegations at the BETD, stakeholders from partner countries, for instance from research institutes, philanthropic foundations, think tanks or other civil society organisations as well as economic associations and companies.

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