Task Forces 2024

OUR TASK FORCES

What is Task Force?

Task Forces serve as an additional format of exchange under TUEWAS and can also work across sector networks. They present a dynamic, single-output oriented format to flexibly respond to current events, emerging topics or company-wide developments. They are usually limited to a one-year term to engage on a specific issue or output and dissolve after this has been achieved. If the need to engage the addressed topic in a more strategic and permanent way, Task Forces can be transformed to a Working Group upon approval by the TUEWAS Steering group.

Digital Transport Data Management and Validation for Emission Transparency

The Task Force aims to support countries in their transport data collection and management, and practices validation and verification of data used for progress reporting in implementing the NDC (Biennial Transparency Report) to the UNFCCC. It will look at existing and required transport data for reporting and support the design of a comprehensive digital tool for reviewing the data, based on international comparison using the existing, GIZ-initiated international Transport Data Commons Initiative. The task force aims to complement the development of a GIZ standard product on Greenhouse Gas emission transparency (MRV) in the transport sector.
  • Support TUEWAS countries capacity to build indicators for GHG emission transparency in transport, select correct transport data and verify/validate as well as manage the data for the Biennial Transparency Report.
  • Mainstream the advantages of sharing selected aggregated data sets for verification purposes and develop common, secure and reliable technical approaches in relation to the Transport Data Commons Initiative.
  • Contribute to the development of a standard product covering the aspects of digital data management, and verification and validation.
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Gender-Transformative Transport

  • Increased women participation in the discourse on sustainable development in the transport sector
  • Strengthen the link to SNRD Asia Pacific to serve as a platform for women experts
  • Promotion of inclusive and innovative approaches for gender equity in the transport sector, addressing women as transport users and employees.
  • Building a transparent benchmark for gender-transformative transport planning to support cooperation and project development beyond our own projects
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Transport KP Development

The task force aims to develop a knowledge product to showcase the activities and outputs of GIZ transport projects across the region.
  • Showcase the good work done by GIZ in Asia.
  • Strengthen networking across projects.
  • Cross-country knowledge exchange from the project learnings
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River-centric urbanism: Integrated Management of River Cities (River-Centric Cities)

Cities and rivers share an intrinsic bond. Rivers nurture the development of cities by providing a plethora of ecosystem, cultural, religious, and economic services and in return, cities (should) advocate for practices that help rivers preserve their natural essence and sustain their diverse ecosystem services. Hence, cities play a pivotal role in revitalizing rivers, not merely with a regulatory mindset but also through a developmental and facilitative approach. Too often though, in the Asian region, urban rivers are considered only for their functions of providing water and collecting treated and untreated wastewater and solid waste. To make river cities fit for future, rivers must become an integral and pivotal element of urban development. The focus of a task force is on exchanging knowledge about rivers as a system, their services, and management, with an emphasis on integrated approaches that intertwine with economic growth, urban transformations, and environmental sustainability, particularly for river cities in the TUEWAS network and to provoke reflections on how to foster a river-centric urban development. Additionally, the task force will include knowledge sharing on the success, gaps, challenges of water governance, in particular the challenging link between management of the same river water in urban and rural areas. The task force through shared learning also aims to inspire other river cities in TUEWAS network and beyond to take up such integrated approaches.
  • Building knowledge on integrated approaches for managing river cities across different contexts, scale and demographics through networking and knowledge exchange.
  • Further enhance the performance of the TUEWAS sector network by empowering topic champions, strengthening workflows, and tapping into co-benefits in the water related projects.
  • Boosting resource and knowledge management on integrated management of rivers and water and its synergies with other cross cutting topics (such as climate change, biodiversity, urban management) in the TUEWAS network, Community of Practitioners (CoPs) and beyond.
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Gender mainstreaming in Water Management

Statistics reveal that around 200 million hours of collective time is spent by women globally in collecting water. If we look into the context of India, similar to as in other developing countries, women have a major role in being primary collectors, users, transporters and managers of water (mainly domestic), and yet are left behind or exposed to unsafe and vulnerable conditions for access and use of water. Stronger, systematic, and responsive participation of women and vulnerable groups have been a long-noticed need for improved participatory water governance and empowerment of women. Considering the socio-economic and cultural contexts in Indian cities, and the traditional gendered roles, achieving above still seems a long way in leaving no one behind principle of the Sustainable Development Goals. We are all very well aware of the fact that water is the life channel for sustainable and climate resilient cities, and a crucial driving force for improved women and child health. In this context, it is proposed to set up a Task Force on ‘Women in Water’ with focus on women’s empowerment in water sector linked with climate-resilience and targeted outcomes. The Task Force shall aim to foster its improved governance including women and vulnerable target groups, to work towards achieving an inclusive economic and social development. Through the course of activities, the Task Force shall raise awareness on gender specific issues like accessibility, vulnerability, safety, etc. and strategically communicate/ advocate the need for social inclusion and representation of women in the water sector through repetitive consultations and knowledge products. This is envisaged to be further backed by impact-based recommendations and setting of sustainable approaches and techniques of mainstreaming gender in water with the project partners and stakeholders.The focus of a task force is on exchanging knowledge about rivers as a system, their services, and management, with an emphasis on integrated approaches that intertwine with economic growth, urban transformations, and environmental sustainability, particularly for river cities in the TUEWAS network and to provoke reflections on how to foster a river-centric urban development. Additionally, the task force will include knowledge sharing on the success, gaps, challenges of water governance, in particular the challenging link between management of the same river water in urban and rural areas. The task force through shared learning also aims to inspire other river cities in TUEWAS network and beyond to take up such integrated approaches.
  • Assess gender disaggregated data in water (relating to climate) sector in order to identify gaps and challenges for the inclusion and voicing of women and vulnerable sections in the identified areas.
  • Develop and foster platforms for knowledge/ experience exchange with concerned stakeholders and involved beneficiaries on climate resilient and gender responsive water management.
  • Prepare and disseminate global and local good practices on participatory governance techniques for strengthening the role and safety of women and vulnerable sections in water sector, having potential impacts on climate resilience.
  • Strengthen the TUEWAS network to serve as a platform to enhance capacities of female experts in the water sector.
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Air Pollution Mitigation in South and South-East Asia (APM in SSEA)

Relevance: Air pollution is a significant global issue that transcends borders, affects the environmental health, and hence demands our immediate attention. The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere each year by burning open garbage is equal to 5% of all anthropogenic emissions worldwide in 2010. The PM2.5 emissions from open garbage combustion account for 29% of all anthropogenic PM2.5 emissions worldwide (Wiedinmyer, 2014). Sector-specific contribution to annual anthropogenic PM2.5 concentrations was evaluated (without taking uncertainty into account) for the aggregated world regions using the ""central"" estimates in a study by Crippa et al. 2019. The PM2.5 emissions from the transport sector ranged from 3.6 to 18.7% in different regions. Thereby indicating the relevance of sector specific mitigation to combat the challenges posed by air pollution.
  • Implementing a pilot on waste management with specific relevance to organic sorting, household composting in 20 households in Soutr Nikom District, Cambodia
  • Developing a detailed methodology and suggestions for employers to implement Employer Based Commuter Program (EBCP) to incentivize employees to use sustainable modes for daily commute, using a case of Bengaluru, India
  • Conduct webinar to disseminate the findings from the previous years activity on Nature based solutions for air quality improvement
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Air&Climate4Kids – Creating awareness on air pollution and climate change

Objective: Develop creative knowledge products to raise awareness among school kids in urban and peri urban areas (in India and Bangladesh) about air pollution and climate change. Creating awareness and understanding of the ill-effects of air pollution and climate change among children at a young age will facilitate behavioural change.
Reasons to do it: Air pollution is a widespread problem that affects various aspects of our lives. Children are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of air pollution and climate change. Creating awareness on air pollution and climate change for children is crucial for several reasons:
1) Health Impact: Exposure to polluted air can lead to various health problems. Moreover, addressing air pollution can also contribute to the efforts towards combatting climate change.
2) Educational Empowerment: Teaching children about air pollution and climate change provides them with knowledge about the world they live in and the status of the environment.
3) Behavioural Change: Children are often influential in shaping family and community behaviours. By instilling awareness early on, children can encourage their families to adopt environmentally friendly practices, such as reducing energy consumption, promoting sustainable transportation, and practicing waste reduction.
4) Inspiring Future Leaders: Children who are aware of environmental issues may be inspired to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields related to environmental conservation. These future leaders can contribute innovative solutions to combat air pollution and climate change.
  • Prepare communication and awareness material for children (e.g. videos, picture books, graphics, posters, hand puppets, etc.)
  • Develop e-learning awareness material.
  • Awareness generation on clean air and climate change in at least one identified primary school on a pilot basis.
  • Engage voluntary (youth) instutions/organisations to disseminate and replicate the knowledge products as tools for fostering a sense of responsibility and awareness among the younger generation.
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Better Air Quality Management

Air pollution, a pervasive environmental challenge, poses a severe threat to public health worldwide. To improve the air quality at the city, regional and national level, the Govt. of India through its Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in January 2019 with an aim to achieving 40% reduction of Particulate Matter with diameter less than 10-micron (PM10) concentration by 2026 (baseline year 2019). 131 non-attainment and million plus cities were identified for priority action under NCAP and the city of Bhubaneshwar is one of the non-attainment cities in the state of Odisha in India. Bhubaneshwar city prepared the clean air action plan which was approved by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for implementation. Currently the city is implementing the measures listed under the action plan. Bhubaneshwar city was one of the selected cities under the Triangular cooperation project on Improving air quality in India and Mexico commissioned by BMZ. The efficacy of the clean air initiatives being undertaken on the improving the quality of the air is also of interest to the Bhubaneswar authorities.
We propose a pilot project aimed at installing sensors (up to 4 nos.) in strategic locations/ area within the city of Bhubaneswar to monitor and quantify the effectiveness of implemented clean air measures. The locations will be identified in consultation with the city authorities. The primary objective is to assess the impact of these measures on air quality and gather data to support evidence-based decision-making for future environmental initiatives. Furthermore, this will assist the authorities in comprehending how the sensors might be used to enhance Air Quality Monitoring.
  • The objective of the pilot project is to install sensors (up to 4 nos.) and study the effectiveness of the implemented measures by the city of Bhubaneswar in improving the air quality.
  • Deploy sensors (up to 4 sensors) in the identified area (up to 2 locations)
  • Collect real-time data on pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10)
  • Analyze the collected data to quantify the impact/ effectiveness of existing clean air measures in the city.
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Financial Pathways for Blue & Teal Carbon

Effective conservation and management of coastal and inland wetland ecosystems contributes to biodiversity preservation and benefits local communities through water, food and livelihood security. At the same time it also offer significant climate co-benefits in terms of both mitigation and adaptation, such as of carbon storage and buffering extreme climate events. Blue carbon refers to the carbon captured and stored by coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes, while teal carbon refers to the carbon stored in inland and freshwater ecosystems.

While the carbon storage value of coastal wetland ecosystems (Blue carbon) such as mangroves is widely recognised and supported through financing mechanism, the same is not the case for other wetland ecosystems particularly inland wetlands (Teal carbon). This Task Force aims to explore the potential of various blue and teal carbon-based mitigation solutions along with viable financial pathways. Financial mechanisms will be studied across carbon markets, national and international climate finance, public-private partnerships, insurance and risk finance, and other financial incentives.

We propose a pilot project aimed at installing sensors (up to 4 nos.) in strategic locations/ area within the city of Bhubaneswar to monitor and quantify the effectiveness of implemented clean air measures. The locations will be identified in consultation with the city authorities. The primary objective is to assess the impact of these measures on air quality and gather data to support evidence-based decision-making for future environmental initiatives. Furthermore, this will assist the authorities in comprehending how the sensors might be used to enhance Air Quality Monitoring.
  • Strengthening capacities of members / stakeholders / partners on potential of blue and teal carbon-based mitigation solutions to support achievement of NDCs and SDGs.
  • Identify viable and inclusive financial pathways for blue and teal carbon-based mitigation solutions through wetland restoration and conservation.
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Youth-led Transition (YLT) for Climate Change and Energy

The Task Force aims to place high value on the role of the youth to lead and transform critical policies, topics and issues, drive theory of change, promote a society for all, and ensure that planetary boundaries are well respected.
  • Support the youth in leading transformative actions to address emerging issues in climate change and energy in Asia Pacific.
  • Strengthen the role of youth in critical dialogues and reforms to impact ambitious targets in climate change and energy
  • Foster a youth network in TUEWAS Asia Pacific that is geared towards peer-to-peer exchange of knowledge, information, and best practices.
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TUrbOCliC - Transformation - Urban Opportunities - Climate Change

Turboclic is a long-standing cross-sectoral community comprising of members from TUEWAS (Transport, Environment, Energy and Water in Asia) and SNGA (Governance in Asia) networks. Our work mainly focuses on the topics of urban climate change and urban management, and planning and governance, namely smart cities, urban resilience, net-zero cities, innovative climate financing, urban living labs, service delivery, participation, localizing the global goals, capacity development, among others.
  • Continuous on-boarding and networking, knowledge management and strategic conversations
  • To foster joint learning among programs, regional and technical exchange with national and international partners
  • To strengthen the technical and advisory capacities of GIZ staff and partner experts, and work on developing innovative products.
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Proposal from SNEGA Green request for co-funding with TUEWAS

To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement in the energy sector (which accounts for 60% of CO2 emissions) high-quality and fast-paced training of technicians in the renewable energy industry is of paramount importance.

Digital educational technologies (DET) have proven their potential to tackle this challenge and overcome limitations of conventional training in several ways on a global scale: simulating training which normally requires very expensive and hard to transport physical equipment (e.g. wind-, hydro- turbines) as well as enriching/empowering interaction, self-directed learning and assessment.

We empower project teams to overcome this challenge: The “e-training toolkit” guides teams step by step in the design process, drawing on the experience gained from implementing many successful projects. Three cases serve as sophisticated examples of how other projects have tackled this challenge successfully.
  • An e-training toolkit is available online that guides project teams step by step through the design- and selection process of e-training. It provides many useful hints and practical examples from other projects. The tool will build on a decision-making tool kit developed for CF 2023 SN Assets for Asia and SN TUEWAS.
  • In 2-4 online expert support sessions three project teams are guided to develop or improve a comprehensive project outline for cost-effective digital solutions. The resulting three outlines are documented online together with the toolkit and serve other projects as cases to illustrate possible DET solutions.
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SNRD-TUEWAS Joint Working Group on Gender Transformative Approaches

There is a growing interest of GIZ colleagues in Asia Pacific to understand and have a platform to exchange & share the experiences of applying GTA approaches in their project or region. The working group Lighthouse Talks organised jointly by SNRD Africa GTA and SNRD-AP GTA working groups oragnised last year provided great opportunity for south-south exchange for GIZ colleagues.

This working group would further support in strengthening the capacities and understanding of GIZ colleagues in AP region on implementation of GTA approaches and Feminist Development policy at project level, with partners, and for policy level discussions. Thus, striving for implementation excellence.

Feminist Development Cooperation in Asia Pacific is not a well understood concept for many. The working group can document some case studies from different AP countries to enhance discussion on FDC with implementing partners in the region.
  • To strengthen capacities of GIZ colleagues in AP countries on GTA
  • Further contexualise discussions on FDP with GIZ colleagues in the region
  • Further strengthening cooperation with SNRD-Africa GTA WG and other Sector Networks/ Task Forces focusing on GTA.
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German Expert Placement Programme (GEPP)

The overall objective of the Task Force is to create, promote and implement a new instrument for development cooperation that mobilises otherwise difficult-to-tap know-how and expertise from German Utilities.
  • To increase the engagement of municipal organisations in international development cooperation, as per priority of BMZ.
  • To do so for the energy sector by developing an instrument for knowledge and experience transfer from German utilities to their peers in the target countries (initially India, Nepal, Viet Nam), thereby creating exciting opportunities for young professionals and seasoned experts to exchange knowledge and experience new challenges abroad.
  • To develops a concept for this instrument, together with the Verbund Kommunaler Unternehmen – VKU (German Association of Municipal Enterprises), that can be deployed in the four participating countries (and beyond).
  • To raise funds to finance GEPP.
  • To disseminate and promote the concept among the approximately 900 utilities who are members of the VKU, as well as among the utilities of participating countries.
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Digital Solutions for Renewable Energy Skills Trainings

Digital solutions have proven their potential to enrich conventional training in many different contexts, supporting learners in the classroom, during placements, at home or in remote areas. Among other things they can help reinforce:
1. Interaction between learners, between learners and trainers or business coaches
2. Self-directed learning in different forms, including access to high-quality e-content, drill & practice apps, simulations or VR/AR/XR-solutions
3. Assessment, including learner analytics

The design of cost-effective digital solutions is demanding a clear focus on learning goals and the consideration of many context factors requires a systematic approach. The “e-training toolkit” guides the project teams step by step through the design process, drawing on the experience gained from implementing many successful projects.

  • Three project teams receive individualized expert support in the design (Moldova? ... and ...) and refinement of their design (Vietnam) of cost-effective digital learning solutions.
  • Program leaders of (TUEWAS, A4A, …) are supported in their design of cost-effective digital learning solutions.
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Just Energy Transition (JET)

The overall objective of the Task Force is to develop a better and joint understanding of just energy transition (JET) preconditions and entry points for TUEWAS target countries. The Task Force strives to identify common relevant policy areas to establish a mapping of key issues related to JET-planning that occur in GIZ operational projects (e.g. sustainable coal mine closure and ecological rehabilitation; just energy systems transformation, financing the (early) retirement of coal-fired power plants; reskilling, upskilling and energy transition workforce planning).
  • Identify relevant topics for peer-to-peer exchange formats in regions are identified that can be used by participating projects
  • Lessons learnt from the TF are used to improved tools and services within the GIZ HQ's JET-portfolio
  • Develop insights on how just energy transition aspects can be integrated in energy planning and how power sector transformation influences the boundaries of JET planning.
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Gender Energy Nexus

The overall objective of the Task Force is to promote the representation and leadership of women in the energy sector through providing best practices and knowledge on women network operations and gender related policies and studies in energy.
  • To promote the impact of women networks in the energy sector
  • To create an easy-to-access database for knowledge and best practices transfer among women networks and GIZ countries
  • To provide evidence-based incentive for other countries in planning to or advocating for setting up similar women networks
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Regional Development of Agrivoltaics and Aquavoltaics

Agrivoltaics is the simultaneous use of land for agriculture and electricity generation through solar photovoltaics. This approach offers the potential to mobilise additional land for the expansion of solar-based power generation while ensuring food security. The concept has many other potential benefits such as increasing crop yield, panel efficiency, protection of crops or diversing farmers' incomes. Besides growing research and installed agrivoltaic plants, agrivoltaics is still a nascent practice with evolving technology, designs and standards as it offers great diversity.

The Task Force was established as a means of knowledge exchange and identification of common opportunities and bottle necks to be addressed for potential piloting / large-scale roll-out of agrivoltaics and aquavoltaics in the region by GIZ. As the interest in agrivoltaics remains high and many open questions are yet to be answered, a further extension will cater to the interest.
  • The Task Force aims to synthesis knowledge and experiences from countries in Asia on agrivoltaics and aquavoltaics to facilitate national and regional efforts to enable and expand the deployment.
  • The Task Force aims to provide and create useful knowledge products on agrivoltaics and aquavoltaics, create a network for interested colleagues across countries and enhance the knowledge of its members.
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GIZ@ACEF

The continuation of this task force is to sensitize the relevant national partners in the region for integrating relevant regional experiences in their clean energy transition in line with sentiments of thematic topics, and to familiarize the relevant project personnel in GIZ to incorporate the regional experiences in planning and implementation of the energy projects in participating countries.
  • To prepare the presentation/session by the TUEWAS Energy working group to share innovative ideas/outputs in an innovative format, such as Pecha Kucha, or Demonstration of digital toolbox, or co-organize a side event with ACEF such as a competition on TUEWAS thematic area(s) work done by TF members' projects to enhance the exchange/distribution of knowledge.
  • To strengthen the knowledge among the GIZ participants by sharing and exploring both proven and new ideas to accelerate the clean energy transition.
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Communication for promoting sustainable energy systems

The overall objective of the task force is to facilitate collaboration among communication focal points working in GIZ supported energy projects in Asia for exchanging knowledge and fostering synergy to collectively develop impactful communication materials that advocate for the smooth and efficient transition to sustainable energy systems.
  • To collaborate and share effective communication tools and platforms for promoting sustainable energy among member countries.
  • To prepare joint communication materials including a video highlighting the role of women in the promotion of clean energy solutions in the region.
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Industrial Energy Smartness Challenge

The overall objective of the task force is to contribute in decarbonization of energy use in industries through the assessment of energy smartness in participating industries in the region and giving public recognition to the best practices. Different industries in the participating countries will be sharing the deployment of different digital technologies and applications on a basis a predetermined assessment tool. Based on their stage of digitalization participating industries will be recognized at the country level. The dissemination of the achievements in participating industries will be aware and encourage other industries and policymakers on scaling up of the best practices contributing to decarbonization in the industrial sector to greater extent.
  • Identify the achievements and/or potential of achieving EE through assessment of energy smartness in industries in participating countries.
  • Sharing of best practices and knowledge exchange (at national and regional level).
  • Promote private sector investment for industrial energy smartness for decarbonization in energy sector.
  • Aware government authorities on significance of conducive policies to promote industrial energy smartness.
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Net Zero Now

More than 130 countries have declared Net Zero Targets, yet there remains a significant gap in understanding what this entails for a country, its sectors, industries, and citizens. Achieving net zero targets necessitates a comprehensive understanding and collaboration among various stakeholders. Proposed activities include:
1.1. Establishing a framework that outlines the fundamental components and principles crucial for attaining net zero emissions in the energy sector.
1.2. Identifying and analyzing the boundary conditions for net zero emissions in the energy sector, encompassing both direct and indirect emissions stemming from production, consumption, and trade.
1.3. Gaining insight into the frame of reference that will be utilized to certify any country or sector deemed to have achieved Net Zero status.
1.4. Developing criteria and guidelines for certifying countries, sectors, or organisations as having achieved net zero emissions specifically within the energy sector.
  • To develop a comprehensive framework for achieving net zero emissions in the energy sector at the national level, focusing on clear definitions, boundary conditions, certification criteria, and comparative analysis of pathways.
  • Establishing robust monitoring, reporting, and verification mechanisms to track progress towards net zero emissions in the energy sector and ensure accountability.
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Digitalisation of the Energy Sector (DigEn)

Digital learning is an essential part of capacity building activities implemented by GIZ. The rapid progress and the evolution of digital learning requires quick and agile reactions by the project team. Metaverse learning is becoming the next big trend in digital learning. Currently, the target group of training courses are overloaded with plenty of digital courses and opportunities. Thus, the learning experience needs to be attractive and stand out for the target group to trigger interest and retain their motivation throughout the course. Metaverse learning and a 3D immersive experience have a high potential to satisfy this need of the target group and therefore could be a useful and effective tool to contribute to the resilience, economic recovery and just energy transition.
  • Enhance the prototype of the 3D multiplayer serious game on energy efficiency developed under TUEWAS Innovation in 2023. Please refer to this link to see the product in 2023 (Link)
  • Compilation and dissemination of lessons learnt including potential for upscaling and wider use in related interventions by GIZ supported projects.
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