On 22 September 2014 State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth discussed Indo-German environmental cooperation with Vijay Gokhale, the Indian Ambassador to Germany. They had an exchange on the preparations for the upcoming climate conferences in Lima and Paris within the scope of the COP21. They also discussed the set-up of the second Indo-German Environment Forum, which will be jointly organised by the Federal Environment Ministry, the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business, the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests and an Indian Industrial Association and held in New Delhi in 2015. The first Indo-German Environment Forum, which was widely visited by companies from India, took place in New Delhi in 2008.
Ambassador Gokhale informed State Secretary Flasbarth of current developments in India. The Indian government is enormously interested in a closer cooperation with Germany in the fields of water and waste management, renewable energies and sustainable urban development.
As part of its International Climate Initiative, the Federal Environment Ministry supports projects in India with over 50 million euros. The bulk of the projects is concentrated in the areas climate action, biodiversity conservation, renewable energies and resource efficiency.