Students in Göttingen doing group work

    Work at a national level Development education and information

    Development policy is a task for the whole of society. To achieve a more peaceful and just world, in which people have control over their own lives and are free of want, we need as much of the public as possible to get actively involved.

    Germany can only achieve its development policy goals and meet its international commitments if there is broad support for development policy from within German society.

    In order to encourage the German public to get involved in this way, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports development information and education work. This is aimed at:

    • communicating the general principle of globally sustainable development – a functioning economy coupled with social justice, ecological sustainability and good governance;
    • awakening the general public’s interest in developing countries, putting issues in their global context and showing the impact on people at an individual level;
    • motivating people to get involved in working for a more socially responsible society in today’s globalised world; and
    • supporting involvement in development issues in Germany.

    One of the most important groups targeted by development education is children and young people. But there is also a focus on organisations and people that have the capacity to reach broad sections of the public. These include, for example, non-governmental organisations, associations, private initiatives, churches and faith communities, trade unions, teachers and media professionals. The BMZ is also developing new ways of communicating that will allow it to also reach out to companies and business associations, migrant organisations and sports clubs, for example.

    Effectiveness through division of labour

    Information and education work on development policy issues is organised in a way that reflects the diverse nature of German development cooperation. Government and non-governmental players share the work and complement each other. The BMZ sets the general framework and manages the dialogue and cooperation processes involved. Among other things, it supports public information campaigns and events aimed at the public, produces audio-visual material, distributes films, issues publications on a whole range of development topics and provides a wealth of information via the internet.

    The BMZ’s development policy information and education work is conducted in the main by the non-profit organisation Engagement Global – Service for Development Initiatives. It implements the government’s development education work, provides advice on the funding programmes available from the BMZ and also manages them. It also offers opportunities for training and networking for those who are already working in the development field or are interested in getting involved.

    The implementing organisations GIZ and KfW Development Bank and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) are also engaged in providing information to the public through events and specialist publications about development issues.

    To make sure the quality remains consistently high, development information and education work is subject to regular evaluations, as are all programmes and projects implemented under German development cooperation.