Network-based cooperation gained new momentum in Brazil during the 9th Networking Event of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), which brought together implementing organizations and political partners in Brasília for two days dedicated to strengthening climate cooperation and building joint solutions.

With the theme “Networked cooperation: implementing in networks means turning cooperation into impact”, this year’s meeting marked an important step forward in the strategy to integrate the IKI portfolio in Brazil, focusing on shared narratives, collective learning and new forms of collaboration between projects.

Shared narratives and the creation of Communities of Practice mark the first day

May 19 was dedicated to IKI implementers and opened with a session focused on strengthening cooperation among projects in Brazil. The program included a welcome speech by Andreas Kübler, Head of Division at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), as well as updates on the International Climate Initiative presented by Simon Wolffram, Senior Policy Advisor at BMUKN.

Following the opening, participants moved on to the creation of Communities of Practice (CoPs), one of the main innovations of this year’s edition. Inspired by international IKI experiences, the CoPs were presented as permanent spaces for exchange and collaboration among projects working on related themes. During the session, Stefan Wollschied, from Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH, presented the experience of the IKI Gender Community of Practice (GCoP), created in 2024 to support implementing organizations in promoting gender justice within their projects, as an example of the potential for coordination and collective learning within these networks.

The CoPs were introduced as permanent spaces for technical collaboration among projects with shared interests. Initial thematic groups were structured, including the definition of work focuses, objectives and focal points. Topics discussed included multilevel climate governance, climate communication, private sector engagement, gender justice, artificial intelligence applied to climate and biodiversity.

The event then continued with a workshop on collective narrative-building, aimed at strengthening communication around the IKI portfolio as an integrated effort in Brazil. The activity advanced the development of an “IKI Brazil Manifesto”, conceived as a shared positioning document among projects, highlighting common principles, cooperation and collective impact. “IKI was born from the understanding that the planet knows no borders: challenges cross territories and pathways for climate protection can only be addressed through collective responses,” states one of the excerpts from the manifesto.

The day concluded with a synthesis of the group discussions and a networking reception hosted by the German Embassy, strengthening connections between implementers and institutional partners.

Plano Clima and political dialogue guide the second day

May 20 focused on dialogue with political partners and on strengthening integration between IKI projects and Brazil’s national climate agenda. The opening panel featured Andreas Kübler, Head of Division at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN); Christian Schulz, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Global Affairs at the German Embassy; and Aloísio Lopes Pereira de Melo, Secretary of the National Secretariat for Climate Change at Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA).

One of the central moments of the program was the presentation of Plano Clima, the main framework of Brazil’s climate policy and the basis for updating the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The session aimed to connect IKI projects with national strategies by presenting key implementation areas and opening space for dialogue with representatives of the Brazilian government. The presentation was led by Marcela Aboim, Inamara Melo and Lidiane Melo, directors at the National Secretariat for Climate Change of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA).

Although the program included a structured Q&A session and interactive debate, the focus remained on presenting Plano Clima institutionally and identifying possible entry points for cooperation between international projects and national public policies, reinforcing the importance of synergies across different levels of climate governance.

Communities of Practice move into the implementation phase

One of the main outcomes of the event was the launch of the implementation phase of the IKI Communities of Practice in Brazil. The initiative seeks to strengthen continuous exchange among projects by encouraging technical cooperation, knowledge-sharing and the development of joint solutions.

Each community defined a focal point and preliminarily established working methodologies and initial objectives. Communication groups were also created to facilitate coordination among organizations. Over the coming months, the CoPs will hold regular meetings to consolidate their agendas and monitor results. The expectation is that, during the 10th IKI Meeting in Brazil in 2027, the groups will present the first concrete impacts of their work.

The communities also received a monitoring guide to support implementation, reinforcing the importance of building trust networks, co-creating solutions and generating shared knowledge.

A more integrated portfolio to strengthen climate impact

With the participation of 17 implementing organizations and eight Brazilian ministries, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) continues to strengthen its role in the country as an important platform for international cooperation in addressing climate change.

Brazil has been one of IKI’s priority countries since 2008. Over the last 18 years, the initiative has supported projects focused on climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, climate finance and capacity building. Today, the IKI portfolio in Brazil includes 44 projects and total investments of 245 million euros.

“Germany is proud to contribute to the preservation of Brazilian ecosystems. Nature does not need humans, but humans need nature. Through IKI, we can look back on 18 years of successful cooperation with Brazil and say that this partnership has grown. IKI projects are examples of cooperation between Brazil and Germany to fight climate change and protect biodiversity,” said Andreas Kübler, Head of Division at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).

The 9th Meeting consolidates a strategic movement of IKI in Brazil: strengthening network-based action as a way to increase impact, integrate narratives and bring international cooperation even closer to national public policies.

New IKI Brazil website and IKI Interface

The Annual Meeting of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) in Brazil is organized through the Climate Policy Programme – PoMuC II, implemented in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The program serves as the IKI interface in Brazil and supports stronger coordination among IKI projects in the country by promoting knowledge exchange and bringing together government, civil society, the private sector and communities around the climate agenda.

As part of this effort, PoMuC II also coordinated the launch of the new IKI Brazil website, presented during the event. The platform brings together information on the main projects supported by the initiative in the country and, in the future, is also expected to monitor the actions and results of the Communities of Practice created during this edition of the event.

Check out here the photo gallery from the 9th IKI Brazil Meeting.