dena held two capacity building seminars on the creation of a designated national authority (DNA) and on possible projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in Dushanbe on 15 and 16 July 2009. The seminars were organised for the Federal Environment Ministry in cooperation with the Tajik Climate Change and Ozone Centre. Both workshops, attended by around 25 members of the relevant Tajik ministries, scientific institutions, NGOs and businesses, were very successful.
The Kyoto Protocol came into force in Tajikistan in April 2009. As a result, the country is now able to profit from any investment in energy efficiency and renewables carried out under the scope of CDM if a national approvals authority (DNA) for CDM projects is created. The aim of both seminars, to which the German Emissions Trading Authority and a CDM project developer contributed, was thus to pass on the know-how necessary for the development of suitable DNA structures and processes and to identify existing project potential.

The Russian-German Energy Agency (rudea) was established on 16 July during the Russo-German government talks in Munich. The memorandum of association was signed by Stephan Kohler, Chief Executive of dena, and Sergey A. Mikhailov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Energy Carbon Fund. more (in German) 

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has promised the Chinese government that Germany will build eight schools as part of the country's aid for the Chinese province of Sichuan, which was badly hit by an earthquake in 2008. As part of these activities, dena will be involved in the construction of a new primary school. Talks with Chinese developers and a partner from the private sector were intensified in the second quarter of 2009, and a construction project was selected in Mianyang, the city worst affected by the quake. The new school is to be built with a focus on energy efficiency.

During a study trip to Germany by the China Association of Mayors on "Sustainable building and management of modern cities", dena organised an inspection of Europe's biggest low energy house in Berlin and provided comprehensive information regarding both the German government's energy efficiency targets and the agency's activities. Dr Markus Ederer, Head of Policy Planning in the German Foreign Office, and dena's Executive Director Stephan Kohler welcomed the delegation of Chinese mayors and deputy mayors headed by the Vice Construction Minister to Berlin. The example of the Transatlantic Climate Bridge was used to present possible ways of cooperating in the international mitigation of climate change, and these were then illustrated and discussed in relation to dena's projects both past and present in Germany and China.   

The work of the Russian-German Energy Agency (rudea) began quickly once the founding documents had been signed at Schleißheim Palace near Munich during the Russo-German government talks in July 2009. rudea’s office is located in the Haus der Deutschen Wirtschaft in the centre of Moscow, and by the end of 2009 fifteen members of staff were already employed here to work on the various projects - projects which have been commissioned by German and above all by Russian partners.

rudea has encountered great interest in Russia, as the various regions need to develop concrete energy efficiency plans if they are to achieve the efficiency goals set for the year 2020. A lot of these regions have therefore commissioned rudea to draw up corresponding plans. From Germany, projects for the use of biomass, to refurbish buildings for energy, and to introduce contracting to the Russian energy industry have been commissioned. Concrete projects are being developed and implemented in cooperation with German companies, one example being a scheme in Yekaterinburg. The first meeting of the agency’s supervisory board will take place in Moscow in early 2010. Go to rudea website