Aims of German development policy
The development policy of the Federal Republic of Germany is an independent area of German foreign policy. It is formulated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and carried out by the implementing organisations.
The German government sees development policy as a joint responsibility of the international community, with Germany making effective and high-profile contributions. Germany has pledged to take an active part in realising the goals set out in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
Since it is in Africa that the greatest efforts are required to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, Germany’s engagement in Africa will be particularly strong. But other regions too will be able to count on Germany as a reliable partner. The German government intends to raise the effectiveness of German development policy in keeping with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, through a clear international division of labour and good coordination with other donors.
The BMZ adopted a new list of countries in February 2008, detailing the 57 countries with which it will be engaging in development cooperation over the long term. A number of other countries will continue to receive support under regional programmes or programmes dealing with specific sectors. In 17 countries, ongoing programmes will be completed as planned and bilateral development cooperation then brought to an end.