International Cooperation

By way of concept development and implementation of political goals, strategies and programmes, adelphi helps ministries, governments and international organisations to meet the global challenges they face. The principal spheres of activity in this regard are the geopolitical risks caused by global environmental change, structures in dynamically changing global governance, the switch to a sustainable energy supply and the opportunities offered by transboundary cooperation on water-related issues.

Foreign Policy and Diplomacy

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Foreign policy and security policy are increasingly being influenced by climate and environmental change. adelphi researches and consults on the resulting risks and opportunities, while operating the world largest information portal on environment-related cooperation and conflicts. We analyse the developments which are important to our clients, offering support in creating international networks with representatives from the scientific, academic, civil and governmental spheres, in addition to organising and moderating both bilateral and multilateral dialogue events and developing suggestions for new foreign-policy approaches and initiatives. Our work includes developing climate policy narratives for the EU which are tailored towards specific groups of countries, studying the impact of climate change on fragile states on behalf of the G7, and highlighting measures which can promote resilience.
Global Development Agenda

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The structures of global governance are changing dynamically. adelphi actively supports the formulation of international environmental and resource policies, in conjunction with the education and advancement of international organisations and other multilateral arrangements. Our research and consultancy is concerned with the growth of the international development agenda and the discussion of how global sustainable development goals can be enshrined in international relations. We have researched the extent to which international discourse on green economic systems is taking hold in developing countries and emerging economies. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, we have assessed the contributions that international organisations have made to the effectiveness of multilateral development cooperation systems, with the aim of initiating international reform processes.
Energy Governance

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The transition to a sustainable energy supply is increasingly the focus of international cooperation. adelphi analyses the issues of regional and global energy security and devises proposals, for instance, how the expansion of renewable energies and the improvement of energy efficiency can be pushed forward systematically. As part of these efforts, adelphi supervised the process of founding the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In addition, we support the activities of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) in the preparation and implementation of its plan for solar energy. At present, we are advising GIZ with regard to its activities in the MENA Region, in which it is exploring how sustainable energy systems and value-added processes can be mutually supported and how experiences from other countries can be of influence.
Water Cooperations

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The sustainable use of water resources is a key prerequisite for economic development. Around 60 per cent of the water that flows through rivers passes through cross-border river basins. As a result of this, international tensions can often develop; by the same token, this can lead to new, cooperative approaches. adelphi advises specialists in foreign and development policy on how to strengthen such cooperation. With a study on how to better integrate technical, development and foreign policy approaches, we developed the conceptual basis upon which we made recommendations for action in the contexts of various international river basins. Furthermore, several of our projects have supported and strengthened the development of legal frameworks for and the organisational and financial capacities of international river basin organisation.

Work area "Water"