Stories on climate and environmental protection

Background

UN Climate Change Conference 2026: What you need to know about COP31 in Antalya

This year’s UN Climate Change Conference will be meeting in Türkiye. Here we answer key questions about it.

Interview

‘What we do or do not do in cities will have a decisive effect on future temperatures’

UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach explains how housing shortages and climate change are connected—and how cities can become more resilient.

Background

UN Biodiversity Conference 2026: COP17 in a nutshell

The next UN Biodiversity Conference will be held in Armenia in October. Here we answer the most important questions about the negotiations.

A man in a blue suit with a pink tie speaks while gesturing at a lectern in a parliamentary chamber.

Interview

‘International engagement serves German interests’

Wolfgang Stefinger, Chairman of the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development (AwZ), advocates for strategic partnerships and greater economic engagement in Africa.

Interview

‘Water cooperation can greatly defuse conflicts’

Susanne Schmeier is Professor of Water Cooperation, Law and Diplomacy in the Netherlands. Her research shows that conflicts over water can be managed proactively – ideally with international support.

Illustration einer Person im Profil mit überlagerten Recycling-Pfeilen und Globus-Symbol, umgeben von Wellenlinien, Wolken, Sonne und Blättern als Darstellung der globalen Wasserkrise.

Background

The global water crisis affects us all

Climate change and overuse are making water a scarce resource. Our colleague Dieter Rothenberger explains how GIZ is working to tackle this crisis. He coordinates the projects with which we improve water and sanitation provision across the globe.

Grafik mit einer Weltkugel in einer Landschaft

Infographic

Water for all

Clean water cannot be taken for granted. Water scarcity threatens billions of people. Our infographic highlights the challenges and possible solutions.

Infographic on the cocoa supply chain: A smiling cocoa farmer with fresh cocoa pods in a stylized cocoa fruit, connected to an EU container on a light green background.

Report

A valuable harvest

Sustainable supply chains stabilise businesses. A visit to Ghana shows how GIZ supports smallholder farmers in the Global South while boosting the competitiveness of European companies.

Portrait of a smiling woman with long dark hair wearing a yellow blazer and black top in front of a blurred green park background in daylight.

Interview

‘Making jurisprudence accessible to all with AI’

Together with partners, GIZ has developed an AI tool that enables broad access to legal knowledge. Emily Watson from GIZ’s team at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights explains in an interview why it can serve as a model for the European Court of Human Rights.

Man wearing an orange safety vest and checkered shirt standing next to a row of solar panels at an outdoor site with metal structures and buildings in the background.

Background

Effective climate action using AI

Kenya is establishing a digital carbon market infrastructure with GIZ’s support. This also offers German and European companies more transparency for investments in climate protection projects.

The ox plough is the most advanced agricultural tool in Madagascar.

Background

Global poverty: just how unfair is the world?

Crises, conflicts and less money for development hit the poorest hardest. The gap between rich and poor continues to grow.

VEJA founders Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion

Interview

‘Maximising profit at the expense of everything else is harmful’

With their distinctive cut-out ‘V’, VEJA sneakers stand out not only for their design but also for the values they represent. Founder François-Ghislain Morillion reflects on VEJA’s journey, its guiding philosophy, and the role that collaboration with organisations like GIZ plays in making sustainable production possible.