The IKI in 2025
An overview of the key highlights of the IKI year 2025.
From a new German Federal Government to restructured funding instruments, the IKI raised its profile last year to cooperate successfully in terms of climate action and biodiversity conservation.
Following the prematurely called Bundestag elections, the new government began its work in May 2025. The resulting restructuring of ministries also affected the International Climate Initiative (IKI). Since mid-2025, it has been part of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). The Federal Foreign Office (AA) is still an IKI stakeholder and promotes projects independently. Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH continues to support the IKI as the project management agency for the BMUKN.
There have also been changes regarding the IKI funding instruments. Aiming to address international needs in terms of climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation in a more targeted manner and standardise IKI funding, the IKI has remodelled the IKI Compete funding instrument. The previous thematic and country calls have been combined to form the annual IKI Large Grants (ILG) initiated in 2025.
The World Climate Conference COP30 took place in Belém, Brazil, an IKI priority country. This had not happened in a long time. Brazil, one of the IKI’s key partner countries, is home to unique and vital ecosystems such as the Amazon Basin rainforest and the Atlantic Forest. The country also holds vast potential for renewable energy: currently, around 80 percent of its electricity generation comes from renewable sources.
Therefore, the IKI’s work in the country is equally multi-faceted. With regard to COP30, the participation of several IKI projects in the preparation of Brazil’s National Climate Plan (Plano Clima) and sectoral climate action plans as well as adaptation plans is worthy of a special mention – first and foremost the IKI interface project in Brazil, “Climate Policy Programme Brazil II (PoMuC II)“.
Furthermore, the IKI provided targeted support for initiatives that directly strengthened the agenda and political ambition of COP30. The ANDUS project funded the implementation and strategic use of the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP). The Climate Diplomacy Action Programme (CDAP) supported the Just Transition Work Programme in developing the Just Transition Compass, which was presented at the COP30.
IKI projects also supported the Global Ethical Stocktake (GES) at selected events and prepared the evaluation of learning experiences for future COP presidencies. The GES was an initiative of the Brazilian COP presidency. It complements the Global Stocktake, initiated as part of the Paris Agreement and includes ethical aspects in the climate negotiations.
For the IKI, COP30 was a highlight of 2025. The German Federal Minister for the Environment Carsten Schneider opened the new IKI funding round with three IKI Calls, at the IKI High Level Event, in the German COP pavilion. The event took place in the German Climate Pavilion, where the winning photos from the IKI photo competition 2025 were displayed throughout the entire COP30. The new call from the IKI co-funded Mitigation Action Facility was also launched, prioritising implementation projects in the fields of industry, transport and energy. One content focus was the decarbonisation of industry as a key lever for ambitious climate action and competitiveness, as highlighted by an investment statement on industrial transformation and new cooperation arrangements with Mexico and Brazil. The popular IKI networking event naturally also took place in Belém. It offered more than 130 participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and strengthen networks in a unique atmosphere.
With regard to the agenda, COP30 confirmed that the IKI is at the heart of climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation with many of its topics. Representatives of the IKI ministries received immense approval and great interest in the IKI’s topics and funding instruments at side events and in bilateral talks. COP30 also showed that, with the IKI, Germany is providing perspectives for accelerating ambitious climate action. In particular, it assigns priority to NDC support, the energy transition, the decarbonisation of industry, adaptation, forest protection and the mobilisation of private sector funding.
In autumn 2024, CBD COP 16 in Cali, Colombia, was able to make important decisions on the correlation between climate and biodiversity, the establishment of a new body for indigenous peoples and local communities, or the establishment of the Cali Fund, among other things. Since the conclusion of the conference had to be postponed due to a lack of sufficient quorum, it was continued in Rome, Italy in late February 2025 and successfully completed with further important decisions, such as resource mobilisation and a roadmap for reviewing progress in the implementation of the GBF. At these meetings, the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed on key decisions for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The IKI supports partner countries in implementing their national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), for instance by means of the matchmaking mechanism of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, but also directly with joint projects on specific topics. The decisions of CBD COP 16 also reflect in the IKI call tender procedures in 2025. The IKI is looking for project ideas in the climate and biodiversity nexus, for the involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), as well as for the mobilisation of funds for biodiversity conservation.
The following chapter provides a compact overview of some of the priority areas of IKI activities in 2025. They do not represent all IKI funding activities. For an overview of all IKI support areas, please visit the IKI funding priorities overview page.
Financing the socio-ecological transformation
In 2025, the IKI once again focused on mobilising private funds to finance socio-ecological transformation.
Read more about the thematic focus ‘Financing the socio-ecological transformation’.
Supporting ambitious NDC implementation
In 2025, the IKI focused on supporting its partner countries in submitting and implementing ambitious national determined contributions (NDCs).
Read more about the topic ‘Supporting ambitious NDC implementation’.
Just energy transition & decarbonisation of industry
To mitigate global greenhouse gas emissions, the IKI worked in 2025 to promote climate-friendly energy generation and industrial processes.
Read more about the topic ‘Just energy transition & decarbonisation of industry’.
Synergies between climate and biodiversity action
Climate and biodiversity action complement each other in many areas. Leveraging these synergies was a key focus of the work of the IKI in 2025.
Read more about the topic ‘Synergies between climate and biodiversity action’.
Adapting to the impacts of climate change
Adapting to the impacts of climate change is essential. Through its work in 2025, the IKI supported countries and regions that are particularly vulnerable.
Read more about the topic ‘Adapting to the impacts of climate change’.
10 years of sustainable urban development in the IKI
For ten years, the IKI has been working with its partner countries to enable sustainable development in cities. To this day, the topic continues to play an important role in IKI funding.
IKI Annual Report 2025
This article is part of the IKI Annual Report 2025.
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