facts and fiction organizes 17th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin
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The 17th Petersberg Climate Dialogue was held in Berlin on 21 and 22 April 2026. Cologne-based creative agency facts and fiction was once again commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) with implementing the international event.
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue is a preparation for the next UN Climate Change Conference – in this year, this is the COP31, which will be held in Antalya in November 2026 under the presidency of Türkiye in cooperation with Australia. The event was hosted by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) at Berlin’s Westhafen Event & Convention Center (WECC) under the direction of Federal Minister Carsten Schneider. This is the first time since 2022 that the environment ministry has taken the lead in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. Ministers and high-ranking delegations from over 30 countries came together in Berlin to discuss central questions relating to international climate policy and to facilitate an informal exchange of views.
The Climate Dialogue is hosted by Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, as well as Murat Kurum, Minister of the designated COP31 Presidency of Turkey, and Chris Bowen, Minister of the designated COP31 Negotiating Presidency of Australia (Copyright: BMUKN/ Sascha Hilgers).
facts and fiction took over the extensive planning and organisation of the event, the success of which can be attributed to its excellent working relationship with BMUKN’s organisational team. As well as providing expert advice on the choice of location, this included technical equipment, interior design and the entire guest management process – from developing a registration tool to on-site accreditation. The agency was also responsible for graphic design, including key visual, location branding and the design of central spaces. Working closely together with BMUKN, facts and fiction was additionally in charge of coordinating the various specialist providers, such as security, interpreters and event personnel. The security requirements were implemented in close coordination with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the location.
Ministers from more than 30 countries, as well as representatives of the EU, the United Nations, and other international organizations, gathered in Berlin (Copyright: BMUKN/ Annette Riedl).
As Sven Wolgram, Managing Partner at facts and fiction, explains:
The event is a staple on the international climate calendar (Copyright: BMU/ Sascha Hilgers).
Established format in international climate dialogue
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue was first held in 2010 on the initiative of then Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and has taken place every year since. A permanent fixture in the international climate calendar, it brings together selected states at minister level in order to sound out possible alliances and to provide new impetus for the global climate negotiations.
The event is regularly among the internationally recognised formats held in the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conferences and generates much attention among policymakers and in the media.
The event regularly attracts political and media attention (Copyright: BMUKN/ Sascha Hilgers)
On the second day of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, central issues of international climate policy were also discussed (Copyright: BMUKN/ Annette Riedl).
About facts and fiction
facts and fiction is an interdisciplinary creative agency with more than 70 full-time employees in Cologne and Berlin. The agency was founded in Cologne in 1992. facts and fiction conceptualises, designs and implements innovative analogue and digital projects in the fields of art, culture, business and science. The focus is on museums and exhibitions, Expo pavilions, events, exhibits and digital solutions for participative and individualised experiences.
facts and fiction has developed the pavilions for Germany, Austria and the EU at the World Expo in Japan that took place from April to October 2025. The agency has 25 years of Expo experience and will now have implemented a total of 13 country participations including Japan. Large-scale, previously realised projects in the public museums and exhibitions sector include the Mining Museum in Bochum and the Berlin Exhibition at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin. The agency is currently working on the design of the Zeppelin Tribune and Zeppelin Field learning and meeting centre in Nuremberg, the permanent exhibition of the Buddenbrook House in Lübeck, Germany and a permanent exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland. In Berlin, facts and fiction is active in the tension-charged field of political communications: The agency develops a wide variety of analogue, hybrid and digital event formats and exhibitions for ministries, institutions and associations in the context of political discourse. In 2025, the budget was again awarded to facts and fiction by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE)
facts and fiction has implemented over 700 projects in 50 countries and has already won numerous awards for its work, including the BIE Award, the iF Communication Award, the ADC competition, the Galaxy Award and the Red Dot Award.