PEM recently finalised the formulation process of the Danish Energy Partnership Programme 2025-2029 with Brazil, India and Kenya. The programme will be presented in UPR today and is expected to start in early 2025.The partnership draws on Denmark’s 40 years of experience and expertise in the green transition and more than 10 years of the Danish Energy Agency’s experience in sharing best practices through government-to-government cooperation, currently with 25 partner countries. The programme is based on partner demand and peer-to-peer knowledge exchanges. The process included formulation missions to all three countries to confirm partner demand, discuss the details of the country-specific programmes and explore synergies with other initiatives.  Both the Danish Climate Act and the Danish Strategy for Development Cooperation point to the opportunities for Denmark to increase its international support to the largest greenhouse gas emitters and developing countries to raise their climate ambitions.

PEM is conducting a mid-term review of the UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment. The Centre focuses on advancing climate adaptation, sustainable nature management, and pollution reduction through improved water resources management. This review aims to: 1) Assess the progress and performance of the programme and the results achieved to date. 2) Provide actionable recommendations to guide the future direction of the programme. With its global, regional, and national partnerships, the Centre plays an important role in addressing water-related challenges for a more sustainable future. Photo: Astrid Høegh Jensen, Lake Volta, Ghana

PEM is currently formulating the renewed Danish support to the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). ESMAP was established in 1983 as an umbrella trust fund under the World Bank, and it is a partnership of 24 donors that aims to help low and middle-income countries reduce poverty and boost growth through sustainable energy solutions. ESMAP has worked in more than 130 countries and disbursed USD 423.4 million in grants. Denmark, a donor to ESMAP since 1998, is now focusing its contributions on fewer, larger projects. PEM is supporting the formulation and consultation process with the Department for Green Diplomacy and Climate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark  and the World Bank to ensure the Danish contributions align with the upcoming ESMAP Business Plan 2025-2030.

Forests cover 31% of the Earth’s surface and house 80% of its land biodiversity. They are vital in combatting climate change and achieving the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, the world’s forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Despite increased focus on sustainability, the fight against deforestation needs more effective and inclusive approaches. By acknowledging the strengths and limitations of various strategies, synergies can be developed that can halt deforestation, avoid negative social impacts, and create equitable outcomes. Denmark aims to support this with a new strategic forest programme with projects in Uganda, Ethiopia, the Central African Forest Initiative and the Amazon Fund. PEM has recently finalized the appraisal of this important progamme. The team assessed the quality and feasibility of the forest programme against the Danish strategic development priorities and provided recommendations on the necessary adjustments for follow-up to be taken prior to submission of the final