Ministry Working approach

When the Federal Republic provides a developing country with a soft loan, when German experts advise the government of a country on poverty alleviation or when a private German organisation promotes small farmers' cooperatives in an African country, these are all approaches involving direct development cooperation between Germany and its partners.

he European Union (EU) is the world's largest donor in international development cooperation, contributing a share of around 50 per cent. As the largest single market in the world it is also an important trading partner for many developing countries and has a major influence on world trade regimes. This combination of financial, economic and political influence makes the EU one of the most influential players in international development policy.

Broad membership, political neutrality, capital and know-how – these are the things that make international organisations important players for development cooperation. They offer forums for discussing development policy principles or developing international standards for economic, social and environmental policies. Multilateral institutions play a leading role in the implementation and coordination of development cooperation in partner countries. 

Countries such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa, which are part of the group referred to as emerging economies, are increasingly getting involved in development cooperation. They are now in a position to support other developing countries by offering expertise, funding and staff. Their increased aid activities are facilitating a new form of development cooperation: triangular cooperation. 

Germany will only be able to achieve its development objectives and meet its international commitments if it has the broad-based support of German society. In order to foster the active involvement of German civil society, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports development information and education work