The CLIENT II Science-Policy-Interface project team hosted a side event at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 28) entitled “Renewable Energy Solutions on different scales in Africa and the Middle East”. The event primarily focussed on solar energy.

As part of the project OrganoRice, rice production under organic farming started in Vinh Long and An Giang provinces in the Mekong Delta in 2023. Initially, 3 hectares of farmland were converted in each province in order to school local farmers in organic farming. In addition, trials were started in Vinh Long to optimise organic fertilisation, organic pest control, and also variety trials were established.

The CLIENT II regional video Africa provides insights into two of the 81 projects within the framework of the BMBF funding programme. The 4th part of the video series is now also featured in the current issue of the BMBF’s FONA newsletter.

The CapTain Rain project is pioneering innovative solutions to support climate change adaptation and the achievement of SDG 13 "Climate Action" in Jordan. By developing solutions to utilise rainwater in this arid region, the project also promotes integrated water management and sustainable urban development under SDGs 6 and 11.

The German Mettler-Toledo company has made a generous hardware donation to the Level-Up project. The provision of a pair of floor scales for industrial use will enable the creation of meaningful mass and energy balances. This is essential for evaluating the operation of the bioenergy park in Ghana.

The revolBRAS project has been designed to ensure that the innovative revolPET®-technology has environmental, social and economic benefits for the region where it is being piloted in Brazil. It therefore covers the three pillars of sustainability and contributes to the achievement of several of the Sustainable Development Goals – most notably SDGs 1, 12, and 13.

The CLIENT II project Locust-Tec is using innovative approaches to prevent locust outbreaks and plagues, thus strengthening food security and contributing to the achievement of SDG 2 "Zero Hunger". By reducing the chemical control of locusts, the project is also helping to achieve SDG 15 "Life on Land".

The southern Mekong Delta is on average just 80 cm above sea level. Therefore, land subsidence of up to 3 cm per year poses an existential threat to the more than 20 million inhabitants of the region. As part of the CLIENT II research project ViWaT-Engineering, researchers of Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT) set up an innovative measuring system that enables depth-differentiated land subsidence measurements in the Mekong Delta for the first time. This observatory, together with the data from three groundwater measuring points, a weather station, various soil moisture sensors and a radar reflector, provides unique insight into the process dynamics of land subsidence. The automated transmission of the measurement data to the servers of KIT and the Vietnamese partner authorities allows for a direct analysis of the research data, even beyond the end of the project period.

The CLIENT II research project SUFACHAIN and its partner sustainable AG are organising an online workshop on carbon certification standards in agroforestry systems in Central Asia.

The International Week of Innovative Ideas (INNOWEEK), is an annual trade fair and conference held in Uzbekistan. It has established itself as the largest international event for research and innovation in the region.