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Aims
The three levels of action of German development cooperation
In Germany, development policy is seen as global structural policy. It creates the framework for development to take place and addresses the task of structure-building at three levels of action: international, in Germany’s partner countries and in Germany itself.
International
At international level, Germany is seeking to bring about changes to international regimes, agreements and institutions that will benefit the developing countries. The aim is to create, by means of fair international frameworks, the conditions necessary for successful and sustainable development in all countries. The priority areas of German involvement at this level are reforming international trading, financial, social, environmental and peace-building and -maintaining systems. Germany is a strong advocate of greater participation by the developing countries in international decision-making processes, for example by reforming voting rights at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank so as to benefit the poor countries, or by strengthening their position within the World Trade Organization (WTO). The continuation and expansion of the HIPC debt cancellation initiative is another of the Federal Republic’s goals at the international level. Germany also advocates policies of this sort within the European Union.
In Germany’s partner countries
In the partner countries as well, Germany is an advocate for creating an enabling environment for development. The Federal Republic supports partner governments’ own efforts to put in place functioning institutions and effective administrations. Decentralisation and local development have traditionally been priority areas of German development cooperation. Many partner countries request support in these areas, because of Germany's own experience with federal structures. Partner countries are also helped to develop their own national poverty reduction strategies. Other priority areas of German development cooperation are upgrading social systems, education, and environmental and resource protection. In all its development cooperation programmes, Germany makes sure that, to the extent possible, local know-how is used and local experts are involved.
In Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany can only meet its development policy obligations if there is broad support for development policy within German society. German development policy seeks to mobilise these forces through education and information work, for example, the fair trade campaign "Fair Feels Good".
It also takes into account the development-policy impacts of all political decisions. Development policy in Germany has been established as a task that cross-cuts all policy domains. Regular coherency talks between the BMZ and other ministries also help to ensure that policymaking takes account of development concerns.
