Stephan Klingebiel, currently Head of Research Programme „Inter- and Transnational Cooperation with the Global South“, is going to lead UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) Policy Centre for Global Development Partnerships in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The Centre is part of UNDP’s Global Policy Network. Stephan Klingebiel will assume his new position on 16th June 2019; during his time in Seoul he is on leave from DIE.
On 31 December 2018, Dr Klaus Billerbeck, one of the first directors of DIE, died at the age of 91 years in Pullach. Klaus Billerbeck shaped the institutional relationship between DIE and BMZ, its main shareholder, and – together with DIE staff – defined research, policy advice and training as its main tasks. We remember his engagement for the institute and mourn with his widow and his daughter.
After the uprisings in 2011, the Moroccan government promised to reinforce citizen participation – but does this really materialize today, or are these measures purely ‘cosmetic reforms’? DIE and the Moroccan Institut National de l’Aménagement et d’Urbanisme just signed a cooperation agreement and started their common research on these questions.
Where and how did initiatives for citizen participation really influence policies and their implementation? What can Moroccan decision makers and development cooperation learn from these experiences? And how can the new instances for gender equality and parity, and for the integration of youth be designed and work effectively for integrating marginalized groups? Annabelle Houdret (DIE) started a new research initiative addressing these questions together with a team of Moroccan researchers in the cities of Chefchaouen, Larache, Agadir and Tiznit. They met for the kick-off workshop in Rabat on 21 February and will present the results in early 2020.
The project „Klimalog-research and dialogue for a climate-just transformation“ is now in its second phase. Main research areas in the current period will be: (1) Challenges for the implementation of climate policies in developing and emerging countries as well as scaling up ambitions, (2) resilience of vulnerable groups to climate-related risks, specifically in the least developed countries, (3) interlinkages between biodiversity and climate policies regarding both emissions reduction and adaptation to climate change, and (4) the role of subnational and non-state actors in global climate politics. An international and inter-disciplinary team of seven researchers led by Steffen Bauer has taken up its work in January. The team will continue to monitor progress of the international climate negotiations. Further, research will be complemented by policy advice as well as dialogue events on specific topics promoting exchange between academics, decision-makers and implementing agencies. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ) from 2019 to 2021.