Multilevel Approaches to Enhance International Cooperation on Climate for Sustainable Development (CLIMDEV)

Project description

Achieving the ambitious goals and fulfilling the commitments outlined in the Rio Conventions—the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)—to safeguard and enhance the well-being of people and the planet now and in the future, has become ever more pressing. Coherent, multilevel governance approaches that bridge international, national, and local levels are essential to reconcile climate and development priorities, reduce policy conflicts, and maximize synergies across efforts aligned with the Rio Conventions and the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Amid geopolitical turmoil and declining Official Development Assistance (ODA), strengthening the effectiveness of international climate cooperation for sustainable development is more critical than ever. This is particularly true for German and EU development cooperation—now among the key providers of ODA—and for reinforcing multilateral institutions in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.

Drawing on social science research and interdisciplinary, mixed‑methods approaches, the project examines emerging, policy‑relevant questions for German and EU development cooperation as well as global environmental governance across five key thematic areas:

• Improving the effectiveness of adaptation finance across all levels of governance
• Building socially just partnerships for energy security in the context of climate mitigation and critical raw materials extraction
• Strengthening social policies and social protection as tools to build resilience and leverage the co‑benefits of climate policies
• Catalyzing finance for climate‑aligned urban development
• Enhancing the effectiveness of nature‑based solutions (NbS) in (peri-)urban settings and biodiversity hotspots