Over the last several years, municipal energy and climate protection management has become a central working area within German development cooperation. Municipalities are faced with immense and multi-faceted challenges: increased spending on energy is a strain on the inhabitants as well as public budgets. As a result, many municipalities are witnessing growing engagement in the area of climate protection. Many, however, do not possess the necessary professional, administrative and financial wherewithal nor do they have sufficient legal or political mandates that would allow them to establish independent and effective systems for energy and climate protection management.