07/11/2022

International climate action is a key concern of the German Government

Face painted with blue world map

Several ministries are now working together on an inter-ministerial basis in the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

At the beginning of the legislative period, the new German Government restructured the tasks of its ministries. Climate action remains one of the key concerns of the German Government, which has allocated responsibilities for international climate action between the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Federal Foreign Office (AA).

Three ministries for the IKI ensure continuity

The International Climate Initiative (IKI) is an integral part of the international climate finance commitments of the German government. Since 2022, it plays a leading role in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The funding programme is coordinated and implemented together with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and the Federal Foreign Office. Philipp Behrens, head of the IKI department in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, explained this new allocation at the IKI Network Evening, which took place in Bonn on 13th June 2022.

Each of the three ministries has its individual priorities and competences, which are bundled and integrated in the work of the IKI, and yet this new inter-ministerial cooperation still means continuity for the IKI projects. The four major funding areas of the IKI will still remain, just as the form of the funding calls and the integrative project approaches. Zukunft - Umwelt - Gesellschaft gGmbH (ZUG) is still responsible as a project sponsor for the IKI.

Urgency of an ambition increase remains a major issue

“We are still a long way from reaching the climate targets and it is possible that a rise in the global temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius could already be achieved in the course of the next few years," said Behrens. As a consequence, there is an urgent need to boost our efforts towards climate change mitigation. Therefore, the development of long-term strategies (LTS) and the further advancement of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) towards net-zero compatible NDCs and their interlinking remains a key concern of the IKI.

The IKI would like to thank all participants of the Network Evening for the lively and intensive exchange. International climate change mitigation can only succeed if the most diverse players cooperate with one another. This global cooperation proves to be one of the greatest and permanent strengths of the IKI and its partners.

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Contact

IKI Office
Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH
Stresemannstraße 69-71

10963 Berlin

iki-office@z-u-g.org