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Newsletter January 2012
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Editorial
"Development is the best investment in a free and stable world."
State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz
Dear Readers,
In December, German Development Minister Dirk Niebel visited Burundi and Togo. In the latter country, he officially announced the resumption of development cooperation. In 1993, Germany had suspended official development cooperation in response to continuous human rights violations under the then dictatorship. "The mood of change in the country is tangible," said Niebel after his visit. However, the country is still facing major challenges. Two thirds of the population lives in poverty. Togo is likely to fail to achieve six of the eight Millennium Development Goals.
Other events that played a large role in the BMZ's work over the past few weeks were the climate conference in Durban, South Africa; the publication of the German government's progress report on Afghanistan; State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz's visit to Peru; and the presentation of the first World report on disability by the World Bank and the World Health Organization.
Read more about this and other news on Germany's development policy in this Newsletter.
A Happy New Year to all our readers!
Your BMZ Internet Editors
Dirk Niebel visits Burundi and Togo
In December, German Development Minister Dirk Niebel visited Burundi and Togo.
In his talks with Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza, Niebel assured him: "Germany will continue to support Burundi as it makes the transition from a country traumatised by decades of civil war to a stable democracy, which is the prerequisite for sustainable development." To that end, Germany committed a total of 27.5 million euros for Burundi for the next two years. Niebel also called on the government to undertake efforts to further improve the security situation and to ensure that human rights are respected.
During his stay in Togo, Minister Niebel announced that development cooperation with that West African country would be resumed. "We want to acknowledge the continuing efforts made by the Togolese government since 2007 in terms of democratic governance and improving the human rights situation and offer them our support in the future." In 1993, Germany had suspended official development cooperation with Togo in response to continuous human rights violations under the then dictatorship. In a meeting, Minister Niebel assured President Faure Gnassingbé that Germany would offer its support for poverty reduction efforts and announced that there would be an initial commitment of 27 million euros.
- Press release 02.12.2011: Minister leaves for Burundi and Togo
- Press release 04.12.2011: Minister Niebel visits projects in Burundi and hands over medical equipment
- Press release 05.12.2011: Niebel meets Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza
- Press release 06.12.2011: Resumption of development cooperation with Togo – support for a successful future
- Press release 07.12.2011: Minister ends visit to Burundi and Togo
- German development cooperation with Burundi
German government presents progress report on Afghanistan
In December, the German government presented its latest progress report on the situation in Afghanistan. "A great deal has been achieved in Afghanistan, but a lot still remains to be done. That is why, at the international Afghanistan conference in Bonn, the international community pointed out that it would continue to support Afghanistan in the long term. Civilian activities will be playing a more and more important role in that support. However, the support will be contingent on further reform efforts by the Afghan government," said German Development Minister Dirk Niebel.
Just before the Afghanistan conference, representatives of Afghanistan's civil society held a forum in Bonn to elaborate proposals to be presented at the conference. "By presenting policy recommendations, Afghanistan's civil society is demonstrating its legitimate claim to having a say in policymaking. Its committed work to facilitate dialogue between the people and the government of Afghanistan is crucial for a peaceful political future in Afghanistan," noted Parliamentary State Secretary Gudrun Kopp. She was pleased that a large number of women took part in the forum. "The voice and presence of Afghan women in the country's political, economic and social life must become even stronger," said Kopp.
Peru is strategic partner for Germany in Latin America
In December, State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz visited Peru. In Lima, he had meetings with President Ollanta Humala Tasso, Minister of Economy and Finance Luis Miguel Castilla, and other government officials. In his talks, Beerfeltz highlighted Peru's great importance as a strategic partner for Germany in Latin America. He paid tribute to the Peruvian government's progress on poverty reduction: "I am impressed by Peru's economic and social policy achievements in the past few years. I trust that the new Peruvian government will continue this judicious and prudent course."
Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz used his visit to learn about Peruvian-German development cooperation on the ground.
He also met with business representatives and opened a regional conference in South America which was hosted jointly by the German Development Ministry, the German Economics and Technology Ministry, Germany's Foreign Office and the German Association of Chambers of Industry and Commerce.
International Day for South-South Cooperation
On 19 December, the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, Parliamentary State Secretary Gudrun Kopp paid tribute to this form of cooperation, calling it an important pillar of international development cooperation. "Germany's development cooperation can only be successful to the extent that our partner countries, in the course of their increasing economic development, assume greater responsibility vis-à-vis the least developed countries. And one crucial element in that is South-South-North cooperation, also called triangular cooperation, which we have been supporting actively through Technical and Financial Cooperation," said Kopp. Within the framework of the current United Nations General Assembly, the BMZ is advocating the introduction of meaningful indicators to measure the volume and impact of South-South cooperation and the inclusion of civil society and the private sector.
At the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Busan in November, the BMZ had also advocated for increased South-South cooperation. "In Busan, we succeeded for the first time in getting emerging economies and new providers of development cooperation on board, thus establishing South-South cooperation as an important complement to North-South development cooperation," said Gudrun Kopp.
Dialogue on social responsibility
In December, a conference was held in Berlin on "CSR – Social Responsibility in International Dialogue". At the conference, the German government presented its Action Plan for CSR, which comprises a broad range of activities that address the national and international levels. Participants also learned about the "CSR – made in Germany" concept. Other issues on the conference's agenda were the CSR activities of the European Union, the OECD, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations. State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz emphasised that in many instances, German enterprises are already exceeding legal and international standards – both labour standards and social and ecological standards.
The BMZ encourages corporate social responsibility at a variety of levels. "We introduced the first-ever comprehensive 'human rights check' for all of Germany's development cooperation. This check also covers all PPP projects supported by us. And we have joined forces with other players to give impetus to the implementation of the United Nations Global Compact with its ten principles for human rights, fair labour standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption," said Beerfeltz.
Government negotiations with Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Burkina Faso
In December, the BMZ held government negotiations with Viet Nam, Cambodia, and Burkina Faso.
The German side committed a total of 288.2 million euros to Viet Nam for the continuation of development cooperation over the next two years. The country will also receive one million euros to address flood damage and prevent flood disasters in the Mekong delta. And, for the first time, Viet Nam will receive resources from Germany's Special Energy and Climate Fund.
For Cambodia, Germany committed a total of 21.5 million euros for 2011 and 2012. In addition, Cambodia was promised additional support in 2012 to address flood damage to rural infrastructure. The country recently experienced the worst flooding in ten years.
Burkina Faso received commitments of 82 million euros for a three-year period. The funds will be used for development cooperation in the fields of decentralisation, food security and agriculture, and water supply and sanitation. Germany also supports the health sector in Burkina Faso and is involved in efforts to strengthen human rights.
Strict criteria for budget support are having an effect
German contributions to budget support are subject to strict and transparent allocation criteria and continuous monitoring. The policy pursued under Minister Dirk Niebel of requiring strict adherence to the jointly agreed basic principles for budget support cooperation (especially respect for human rights and fundamental democratic standards) is furnishing effective incentives for positive political change in Germany's partner countries, for instance in Mozambique and Malawi.
In late 2010, Germany had cut budget support for Mozambique because agreements on tackling corruption had not been implemented within the agreed timeframe. Mozambique's government now has presented a large and ambitious package of anti-corruption legislation to parliament. The legislative measures are part of an action plan elaborated in dialogue with the donors of budget support to Mozambique. "The ongoing dialogue with the Mozambican government must now be directed towards achieving the adoption of the anti-corruption measures. The consistent implementation of the measures will be used as a yardstick to measure the actions of the government. That will lead to further improvements in governance in Mozambique and thus also improve the climate for development," said Niebel.
The German government's consistent stance is also having an impact in Malawi. Following the decision by all donors of budget support to halt payments, Malawi's government is now indicating a new willingness to engage in dialogue and change its thinking. Contentious laws (including laws on the rights of minorities and on freedom of the press) have been passed on to the independent legal commission for examination.
- Press release 16.12.2011: Strict criteria for budget support are having an effect: Mozambique’s government has stepped up efforts to fight corruption
- Press release 08.12.2011: Government negotiations with Malawi concluded
- German development cooperation with Mozambique
- German development cooperation with Malawi
German-Indonesian scholarship programme launched
Germany is starting a scholarship programme in support of Indonesian students at German institutions of higher education. To finance the programme, Germany offered the Indonesian government a debt swap: 18.8 million euros in Indonesian debt will be cancelled. In return, Indonesia will make a commitment to provide 9.3 million euros under the scholarship programme for doctoral scholarships and research visits for Indonesian postgraduates in Germany. The programme's purpose is to improve the qualifications of up to 240 Indonesian university/college lecturers. The measure is being prepared by KfW Entwicklungsbank on behalf of the BMZ and will be supervised by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Dirk Niebel noted, "This newly planned project is an innovative approach to promoting German-Indonesian higher education cooperation. It is important that we strengthen our cooperation, especially in the education sector. Addressing educational poverty is key to any poverty reduction effort!"
BMZ fosters climate change mitigation
In December, the Development Ministry signed another financing agreement in support of the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). The new agreement provides for a contribution of 30 million euros. "Viable, low-carbon development paths require a systematic transformation of the energy and technology sectors, but also action against the destruction of tropical forests," noted German Development Minister Dirk Niebel. Germany has already become FCPF's biggest donor, having contributed a total of 84 million euros. FCPF is the largest multilateral initiative to pilot the REDD mechanism (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation).
The latest decisions on REDD adopted at the global climate summit in Durban, South Africa, have reinforced the approach. German Development Minister Dirk Niebel welcomed the outcome of the Durban negotiations: "We have a roadmap for a new global climate treaty that also includes developing countries. This is a great step forward. Large emerging economies' responsibility is no longer being ignored."
First World report on disability published
In December, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank jointly released the first-ever World report on disability. "According to the latest findings in the first World report on disability, one billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. This is about 15 per cent of the global population. The figure is far higher than earlier estimates and shows that we need to take action," said Parliamentary State Secretary Gudrun Kopp. On 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, she stated: "In our development policy, too, we want to change our way of thinking and include people with disabilities to an even greater degree in our work in future."
Global action against corruption
Developing and emerging economies are losing billions of dollars a year to corruption – money that is then not available for development. So preventing and fighting corruption is a central goal of German development policy.
On 9 December 2011, precisely eight years after the signing of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), German Development Minister Dirk Niebel stated: "In our bilateral cooperation with partner countries, we support anti-corruption reform on the ground. And it is not only government institutions but also civil society and the private sector that play an important role in the fight against corruption. In parallel, we are pushing for progress on this issue internationally – in the United Nations, the OECD, the G-20 and on other platforms."
German government calls for improvement of human rights situation in Ethiopia
In the context of making a new commitment of 14 million euros for economic development in Ethiopia, the German government expressed its concern in Addis Ababa about the shrinking scope for civil society activities and political opposition in Ethiopia. The German government called on Ethiopia to immediately follow up on recent allegations of human rights violations. For Germany to engage in development cooperation, it is indispensable that its partners respect and adhere to human rights standards. State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz said: "The German government has committed 14 million euros in support of economic development, subject to the proviso that promising arrangements for the promotion of the private sector have been agreed by March 2012 at the latest. For the new projects to be implemented, there must be compliance with the principles of a market economy and the rule of law, there must be legal certainty, and Ethiopia's private sector must be brought on board."
BMZ condemns raid on Konrad Adenauer Foundation office in Cairo
On 29 December 2011, the Egyptian government conducted raids on various non-governmental organisations' offices in Egypt. The Cairo office of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation was searched, all computers and numerous documents were seized, and the rooms were sealed. The German government demanded an immediate investigation. On 3 January, the Foundation's office rooms were opened again. In response, Development Minister Dirk Niebel made the following statement: "I very much welcome the fact that the Konrad Adenauer Foundation has been allowed to re-open its offices and that the Egyptian authorities have now adopted a more constructive stance. Nevertheless, I continue to expect that the events will be fully investigated and that the Foundation will be enabled to return to its work as soon as possible. It is on this that we will be judging the Egyptian government." Dirk Niebel emphasised that the foundations were a vital backbone of Germany's development work. One of the three transformation funds that the BMZ set up in support of the 'Arab Spring' is geared primarily toward the work of the political foundations, whose job is to help improve democratic institutions, the human rights situation and the governance situation.
BMZ increases contribution to UN Women
The German Development Ministry will increase its contribution to the budget of UN Women to a total of more than 1.7 million euros. The organisation was created in July 2010 by the General Assembly of the United Nations by merging four existing UN organisations, the aim being to make better use of synergies. By increasing its contribution, Germany emphasises the important role of gender equality in German and international development cooperation. Minister Niebel said: "UN Women is an important partner for us. At the forthcoming meeting of the Executive Board in New York, the BMZ will be pressing for UN Women to demonstrate effectiveness and efficiency in its organisation and working methods in 2012."
Biofuels
Opportunities and risks for developing countriesBMZ Strategy Paper 14|2011, November 2011, 19 pages
