Save the Date: Berlin Forum on Global Cooperation 2026

Donald Trump has made “American energy dominance” his trademark strategy. Under his leadership, the United States doubles down on fossil fuels and uses its huge political and economic leverage to force more countries to buy US oil and gas. Trump tries to thwart progress on clean energies, torpedoes international agreements and pressures international development finance institutions to resume financing of fossil fuel infrastructure.  

Europe has put climate at the heart of its economic strategy, the green industrial deal. It plays an active role in climate diplomacy, and it pioneered numerous programmes of clean energy cooperation, in multilateral development institutions, Just Energy Transitions Partnerships. But will an increasingly embattled Europe really live up to its rhetoric?

China snatched technological leadership on clean technologies, first slowly, then suddenly. While sending mixed signals on decarbonization, the huge country seized the window of opportunity: Thanks to a huge market, strong subsidies and political support, Chinese companies built massive production capacities which drastically reduced the costs of clean technologies ushering an “electrotech revolution”. Now these companies are investing increasingly in production in emerging markets.

What about the Global South? Governments across Africa, Asia and Latin America are shaping their energy choices - balancing deployment, industrial development and energy security - and the direction they take will influence global markets and supply chains.  How do Southern countries navigate the tensions, competing pressures while maximising development benefits ensuring local value creation and generating jobs? How might Europe engage with these priorities while reinvigorating its clean technology industry to enhance resilience? What role could transformative partnerships for mutual benefit with Global South countries play? 

How these questions will be answered will determine our common future. More than ever, energy remains a contested terrain. On this backdrop, the Berlin Forum on Global Cooperation 2026 will debate the tensions over energy strategies and common future choices.
 

Cooperation: 
With The Centre for Rural Development (SLE) at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Information: 
Elena Gnant
Globalisation and Transformation Unit
E gnant@BOELL.de

Programme: 

09:00 - Arrival and Coffee

09:30 - Welcome

• Dr. Imme Scholz, President, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Berlin
• Prof. Dr. Markus Hanisch, Director, Centre for Rural Development (SLE), Humboldt University Berlin

09:45 - Setting the Scene / Energy talk

10:00 - Keynote + QA

10:30 -  Break

11:00 - Fishbowl with Political Representatives 
Germany's offer to the Global Majority

• Moderation: two young professionals

12:30 - Lunch Break & Networking (Market of Opportunities) 

14:00 - Deep Dives
Four Deep Dives into aspects of Germany's North-South cooperation in the economic transformation:

1. Großer Saal 1
2. Kleiner Saal 1+ 2
3. Conference Room 1
4. Plenary hall

16:00 - Break

16:30 - Closing Plenary / Keynote + Q&A
A Feminist and Global South perspective on the Geopolitics of the Energy Transition 

18:00 - Final Words, Closing & Networking with Finger Food imbiss

19:00 - End

» Participation on site
at the the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Conference Center, Schumannstr. 8, 10117 Berlin

Please register in advance. Unfortunately, the number of seats for this event are limited. If we are at capacity, the conversation will be transmitted via video to other rooms.

» Online participation in ZOOM
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» Towards Greater Accessibility
At the Heinrich Böll Foundation, we are constantly striving to remove barriers. Whether in our building, in the release of publications or at online events. All information on this can be found under the following link: https://www.boell.de/de/auf-dem-weg-zur-barrierefreiheit

» Livestream
Alternatively, you can follow the event via the livestream without registering.