Synergies for climate and biodiversity in Brazil

The first networking workshop for IKI projects in Brasilia provides an opportunity to exchange experience on implementing Brazil’s climate and biodiversity strategies.

Representatives of 24 International Climate Initiative (IKI) projects in Brazil got together for their first networking workshop in December 2017. At the event, implementing organisations, their political partners, and representatives of the German Environment Ministry (BMUB) and the German Embassy identified synergies between the IKI projects with regard to their support for implementing Brazil’s climate and biodiversity policies.

With 31 ongoing or completed bilateral projects and total funding of EUR 135 million, Brazil is currently the largest bilateral partner within the IKI framework. Cooperation to date has focused on climate-related projects for protecting forests and conserving biodiversity (accounting for more than EUR 87 million in bilateral projects). Other projects aim to reduce emissions by promoting renewable energy, sustainable urban development, waste management and alternative fuels. The projects are playing a significant role in realising the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), particularly through the advice they provide on implementing Brazil’s climate policy, in the field of REDD+- and in the reduction portfolio.

On the initiative of BMUB, IKI ‘interface projects’ coordinate information exchange between all IKI projects within selected partner countries. In Brazil, the Climate Policy Programme (PoMuC) has been performing this function since the end of 2016. It helps to network a total of 29 bilateral, regional and global projects implemented by 11 different implementing organisations together with seven Brazilian partners.

The first networking event was held as part of the negotiations between the Brazilian and German Governments in December 2017 and was organised by the PoMuC programme. During an open discussion, participants identified synergies in the implementation of project objectives. The highlight of the half-day workshop was an exhibition featuring project posters, which gave the participants an opportunity to find out more about the projects and also make contacts and express an interest in working together.