International Forum for Coal Regions in Transition

Enabling dialogue among coal regions is key to achieving a just energy transition globally. The International Forum for Coal Regions in Transition will bring together key actors from coal regions to share best practices and exchange ideas on challenges around just energy transition processes. Sessions will cover existing best practice examples and challenges from different countries, as well as in-depth discussions on topics of high importance for successful transitions away from coal.

This forum is organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as part of The Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions – Interregional Platform (JET-CR Platform). The JET-CR platform is implemented in Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Mongolia, South Africa, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The project aims to support and accelerate Just Energy Transitions (JET) away from coal to low-carbon, climate-resilient energy systems and sustainable and just local economies and communities.

Register now

Agenda – Thursday 26.10.2023

08:30 Check-in and registration

09:00 Welcome & Housekeeping

09:05 Keynote Speech

Just Energy Transition away from Coal: Experiences and challenges from the German perspective

See full recording here.

Speaker: Anja Hajduk, State Secretary, Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Germany); Stefan Demuth, Zukunft Umwelt Gesellschaft (Germany)

09:30 Session 1

Understanding opportunities for a JET 

See full recording here.

JET-CR partner countries will share how they have strategically approached a just energy transition in their country, how to best involve stakeholders and share best practices and challenges. Speakers will present both regional and national perspectives.

Speakers: Diana Alvarez Rojas, Tierra Digna (Colombia); Dudu Sibiya, Regional Government of Mpumalanga (South Africa); Carolina Gomez Agurto, Ministry of Energy (Chile)

10:45 Break

11:15 Session 2

Hearing from JET-CR partner countries in Asia

See full recording here.

JET-CR partner countries will present concrete best practice case studies, lessons learnt and recommendations from their countries, within different thematic fields of a just energy transition.

Speakers: Dr. Suparchoek Wangmanaopituk, Thammasat University (Thailand); Dedi Rustandi, Bappenas (Indonesia); Tuvshintugs Munkhajargal, Sol Invictus (Mongolia)

12:30 Lunch

14:00 Intervention

The Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Platform

See full recordings here and here.

This session will feature the importance of a global Just Energy Transition from a European perspective and introduce the knowledge hub, the heart of the JET-CR Platform.

Speaker: Luca Carapelli, European Commission; Jonas Kuehl, IISD

14:30 Session 3

Regional experiences from Czechia and Vietnam

See full recording here.

This session will focus on just transition experiences from Czechia, introducing the country’s just transition strategy and JET governance. Furthermore, we will hear about findings of a study on employment in the power sector in Vietnam and some reflections from Vietnam’s General Confederation of Labour. Each case will close with a brief Q&A with the audience.

Speaker: Tomáš Burdych, Ministry of Regional Development (Czech Republic); Ho Thi Kim Ngan, Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (Vietnam)

15:30 Break

16:00 Session 4

Financing a just transition beyond coal

See full recording here.

This session will bring together policy and finance experts working to identify the role that finance can play in connecting action on climate change with inclusive development pathways and just transitions from coal. The session will discuss topics like the financial barriers to just transition, the roles of the different actors, different types of financing amongst others.

Moderator: Rebekka Popp, E3G
Speakers: Brennan Curran, LSE Grantham Institute; Camilla Roman, ILO; Anna Vasylyeva, EBRD; Annika Brouwer, ninetyone; Eduardo Jose Sanchez Sierra, GIZ Colombia

17:30 Closure of first day

17:45 Just Transition Reception

Enjoy some food and drinks and use the chance to meet and connect with other colleagues working on just energy transitions.

Agenda – Friday 27.10.2023

08:30 Check-in and registration

09:00 Welcome

09:15 Session 5

Regional experiences from the Western Balkans and Ukraine

See full recording here.

This session will feature two discussions, the first on experiences and explore strategies that support the reskilling and upskilling of individuals in declining and transitioning industries across the Western Balkans. The second discussion will feature stakeholders from Ukrainian coal regions, discussing the role of a Just Transition for Ukraine.

Speakers: Selma Sehovic, FES (Bosnia); Damir Miljevic, RESET (Bosnia); Aleksandra Stamenkovic, Trade Union Confederation Nezavicnost (Serbia)

Valentina Moskalenko, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine on regional policy; Anastasiia Bushovska Centre for Environmental Initiatives “Ecoaction”; Viktorya Gryb, Member of Parliament, Head of Subcommittee on Energy Security (Ukraine); Stepan Kuibida, Liv Regional Military Administration (Ukraine)

10:30 Break

11:00 Session 6

Economic diversification

See full recording here.

This session will focus on pathways to achieve economic diversification when phasing out coal, with examples from Germany and IKI JET countries. Speakers will discuss experiences on strategy development for economic transformation, institutional settings and implementation experiences.

Speaker: Tobias Bihler, Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Germany); Wiktoria Beckmann, Guidehouse; Dr. Matthias Brachert, IWF (Germany); Nkosinathi Nkonyane, Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (South Africa)

12:30 Closing session

Going forward – How can we support you on the ground?

See full recording here.

This session will showcase how you can stay in touch with the IKI JET project and how we can support stakeholders in their work on just energy transitions.

13:00 Closure of the conference

Speaker: Martha Ekkert, Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Germany)

How to access translations in MS Teams (English)

How to access translations in MS Teams (Mongolian)

How to access translations in MS Teams (Thai)

How to access translations in MS Teams (Vietnamese)

How to access translations in MS Teams (Spanish)

How to access translations in MS Teams (Indonesian)