News 2021
18.01.2022
Interview: ‘My boss said I was mad’
In a globalised world, diseases can quickly become a global problem. How can international cooperation contribute to health worldwide? A conversation with doctor and GIZ health expert, Paul Rückert.
17.12.2021
Social participation through e-governance
With digital formats, public administrations can directly involve their citizens in local issues. In the Palestinian territories, this is how people shape their environment.
17.12.2021
‘More and more staff are coming out’
Machismo, homophobia, overt violence: Discrimination against minorities is a big problem in Mexico too. How do you create a working environment in which everyone feels safe? Myriam Arroyo, HR coordinator for GIZ in Mexico has some answers.
16.12.2021
Interview: ‘Diversity is what we are all about’
Embracing diversity, not marginalising or discriminating against anyone – this should go without saying in any job. However, this is not always the case. In an interview, Managing Director and GIZ Labour Relations Director Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel explains why diversity is an integral part of our success.
08.12.2021
‘Many feel it is essential to live and work sustainably’
GIZ is committed to sustainable development. Its worldwide commitment to a future worth living goes far beyond project work: four GIZ staff members talk about what they’re doing for a future worth living – also after work.
07.12.2021
New multi-media report: In search of sustainable cocoa
Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s biggest producer of cocoa. To secure a fair wage for cocoa farmers, numerous organisations have joined forces to promote greater sustainability.
23.11.2021
Interview: ‘Using digital technology to benefit the whole of society’
Digitalisation poses complex challenges for international cooperation. Dirk Aßmann, Director General of GIZ’s Sectoral Department, talks in this interview about the related challenges, opportunities and solutions.
22.11.2021
Peru: Using waste wisely, conserving resources
For the Incas, Machu Picchu was a place of spirituality. A few years ago, a rethink was needed to get the mountains of trash at the popular tourist site under control.
16.11.2021
Rwanda: first electric tractor goes into operation
In cooperation with Volkswagen and partners in Africa, GIZ is supporting research and development to pilot the first e-tractor in Africa.
11.11.2021
Innovation factory for better education
GIZ’s BACKUP Initiative is supporting African countries in providing education for all. And it’s breaking new ground. It’s an initiative that is more important than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic.
11.11.2021
Interview: Does protecting wildlife also protect human health?
Over 700,000 unknown viruses in wildlife have the potential to jump to humans as ‘zoonoses’. Veterinarian Hannah Emde explains the process and how we can prevent it.
02.11.2021
Kenya: New companies providing fresh boost for transport
Nairobi’s growing population is pushing the transport system to its limits. New ideas for solutions are coming from local start-ups.
29.10.2021
Climate commitment at GIZ: meeting the 1.5°C target worldwide
On Sunday, the international climate negotiations will be beginning in Glasgow. GIZ is taking on the challenging task of making the goals of the Paris Agreement a reality.
28.10.2021
Only 99 months to put the brakes on the climate crisis
On the road to climate protection, there is no way around transportation. An article by GIZ Managing Director Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven.
26.10.2021
Old homeland, new life
Wafa’a and Omar are forced to leave their homes in Iraq: she escapes the threat of IS, he hopes for a better life in Germany. When they return years later, they have no prospects. Then they go on a training course – which changes everything.
21.10.2021
Milestone: GIZ has achieved climate neutrality worldwide
The company has offset all its own greenhouse gas emissions worldwide for the first time. It has ambitious targets for the coming years, too.
13.10.2021
Togo: Ensuring access to family planning services even during the pandemic
Despite the COVID-19 crisis, medical professionals can access training courses and thus help to improve health care for young women, pregnant women and mothers.
04.10.2021
Ukraine: joining forces to shape the cities of the future
A sustainable approach to urban planning that takes account of locals’ views is improving quality of life and coexistence in Ukrainian towns and cities.
30.09.2021
Turkey: job opportunities in a new home
Training opens up career opportunities in the Turkish IT sector for young jobseekers from Turkey and Syria.
28.09.2021
Dancing, football and theatre – vaccination awareness in Malawi
Creative solutions to encourage more people to get vaccinated: mobile teams are raising awareness of protective measures and vaccination against COVID-19.
23.09.2021
Strong partners for climate neutrality
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and GIZ step up their cooperation to a next level. The goal is ambitious: to make a contribution to a climate-neutral energy sector by 2050.
16.09.2021
Tackling COVID-19 by phone: using mobile phones to respond to the pandemic
Misinformation about COVID-19 is a global problem. Now a project is using basic mobile phones to provide reliable information.
13.09.2021
‘South Africa can play an important role in local vaccine production’
Opportunities and challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. Three questions for Martin Weiß, GIZ Country Director in South Africa/Lesotho.
06.09.2021
Trailblazers for the right balance between people and the natural environment
Preserving biodiversity is vital for humans, animals and the environment. GIZ works worldwide with partners like IUCN to protect ecosystems.
02.09.2021
Representing Togo in Tokyo: sport unites people
Jacqueline Kabissa is competing in the shot put at the Paralympic Games. A sports project for people with disabilities has been supporting her along the way.
27.08.2021
Afghanistan: Efforts to find alternative evacuation routes continue
GIZ is doing everything in its power to get Afghan employees and their families to safety
20.08.2021
Afghanistan: Responsibility for staff
GIZ is working intensely to get staff from Afghanistan and their families to safety.
11.08.2021
Pakistan: Local partners are the key to project success
Specialist in Islamic studies, journalist and now project manager in Pakistan – GIZ employee Peer Gatter is working to promote the expansion of schools and health centres in traditional tribal areas.
02.08.2021
Education – the smartest investment in the world
How can we achieve high quality education for all? The latest issue of the GIZ magazine akzente looks at opportunities in times of crisis.
29.07.2021
Safequarding Grenada’s water supply in times of climate change
Drinking water is in increasingly short supply in Grenada. A joint project with the world’s largest green climate fund is investing in a water supply fit for the future.
22.07.2021
Clean water for all – with modern facilities and sound knowledge
GIZ is working around the globe to ensure that people have widespread and sustainable access to clean water. To achieve this, it provides them with technical support and helps them develop specialist knowledge.
08.07.2021
Adequate at best: Germany scores poorly for environmental protection
A new study by DAAD, GIZ and the Goethe-Institut reveals what people in other countries want and expect from Germany.
05.07.2021
Goodbye, single-use plastics!
The ban on single-use plastics across Europe now applies in Germany, too. Some countries are developing their own strategies to reduce plastic waste and protect the environment.
01.07.2021
Strengthening societies in the long term with a green recovery
Annual results for 2020: business volume increases to EUR 3.3 billion in 2019. The pandemic remains the dominant topic.
30.06.2021
Presenting the GIZ Bonn Campus
The grand opening was planned for March 2020, but then came the coronavirus. With a small event, GIZ’s new campus in Bonn has now been officially inaugurated.
24.06.2021
Tourism during a pandemic: looking to the future
In many developing countries and emerging economies, tourism is a major driver of the economy. So it’s high time to get the recovery going.
18.06.2021
Paying tax in Tanzania: at the touch of a button without a day’s travel
Digital payment of tax and trusted partners cut out tiresome journeys and give Tanzanian municipalities revenue for education, health and infrastructure.
18.06.2021
Eastern Ukraine: working through displacement and beginning the healing process
World Refugee Day: psychological advice is supporting people in Eastern Ukraine in coming to terms with the effects of displacement and violence.
15.06.2021
The European Green Deal: Working together on climate action – in Europe and around the world
The Green Deal is Europe’s response to climate change. The EU is discussing how best to achieve the Deal’s objectives with its partners – including GIZ – at this year’s European Development Days.
09.06.2021
Using blockchain against counterfeit drugs
Many of the drugs in circulation in Africa are counterfeits. That can cost lives. But now, with support from a GIZ advisor, a start-up in the German city of Chemnitz has developed a code to tackle the problem of counterfeit drugs in Côte d’Ivoire.
08.06.2021
A strong alliance for international climate action: GIZ becomes a member of the NDC Partnership
The partnership supports countries in translating the Paris Agreement into specific national targets. This cooperation is now being expanded.
07.06.2021
Reflecting major trends in development cooperation
The Academy for International Cooperation and its predecessors have been preparing experts for foreign assignments since 1965. Ten years ago, it was absorbed into GIZ. Inge Halene has been part of the programme for 20 years. A conversation about learning – and the major trends of the future.
02.06.2021
Enthuse, educate, employ: New opportunities on the African IT market
A new initiative brings together companies and potential employees in Africa’s IT sector – while promoting inclusion.
26.05.2021
Practitioners’ Network: Joint European solutions for global challenges
As of May 2021, GIZ and its Lithuanian counterpart CPMA have assumed the co-Presidency of the Practitioners’ Network for European Development Cooperation.
25.05.2021
Ice from solar energy for sustainable fishing
Successful cooperation: cooling technology from Germany and solar energy from Indonesia secure an income for small-scale fishing in remote regions.
20.05.2021
Côte d’Ivoire: blockchain stops the activities of drugs counterfeiters
Many of the drugs in circulation in Africa are counterfeits. A start-up has now developed a code that makes it possible to identify counterfeit drugs.
11.05.2021
GIZ works – even during a pandemic
Education, energy, health ... throughout 2020, GIZ continued to improve lives on behalf of its commissioning parties. The latest figures illustrate just how many.
29.04.2021
Digital marketplace offers training for young people in Africa
Innovative solutions to global challenges: The digital platform Yoma provides education and networking opportunities for young people in Africa.
21.04.2021
Setting sail to work
Janina Marie Laurent started out in her new job with GIZ on the Marshall Islands right in the middle of the pandemic. She reached her new workplace by unusual means.
13.04.2021
‘Tunisia has the IT professionals that Germany is lacking.’
The Tech216 initiative connects German companies with Tunisia’s tech industry. BMW Group has been a pilot partner for a year now.
07.04.2021
We should help because we can help
COVID-19 doesn’t recognise national borders. That’s why we need a global vaccination strategy. An article by Lucia Puttrich, Minister of European Affairs in the State of Hesse, and Tanja Gönner, Chair of the GIZ Management Board.
29.03.2021
Feeding the world – never-ending hunger?
What needs to change to achieve a well-fed world? The new issue of GIZ’s akzente magazine examines the challenges and solutions.
26.03.2021
Education for all? Getting through the pandemic with new learning formats
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, GIZ was devising alternative and digital education formats. The last year has demonstrated just how important these formats are.
24.03.2021
Medical gowns from Albania: ‘Our cooperation was a stroke of luck’
Christian Schneider was really planning to set up operations in Africa, but COVID-19 put paid to that. In this interview, he explains why he began working in Albania instead – together with GIZ.
19.03.2021
‘The pandemic has shown us that digital collaboration makes many things possible.’
Labour Relations Director Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel explains how the impacts of the pandemic are changing work processes at GIZ and accelerating the trend towards new ways of working.
10.03.2021
Bangladesh: using data to further climate adaptation
Data helps with measuring adaptation to climate change. In Bangladesh, GIZ employee Emilia Huss is supporting ministries in using climate data effectively.
04.03.2021
Lebanon: cooperation for urgent medical assistance
The United Nations and GIZ are working together to improve medical care for COVID-19 patients in Lebanon. Palestinian refugees, in particular, are thus receiving support in the pandemic.
25.02.2021
Digital skills and support for young people in the tech sector
Training in future technologies: Orange Digital Centres in Africa and the Middle East teach young people practical digital skills.
25.02.2021
Using knowledge: GIZ presents its Evaluation Report 2020
Following reform of its evaluation system, GIZ has improved the quality and comparability of its evaluation data, which provide an important basis for project work.
17.02.2021
The pandemic has realigned the SDG compass
Now is the time to pave the way for sustainability everywhere, using the global goals as a guide. A commentary by Tanja Gönner, Chair of the GIZ Management Board.
08.02.2021
Malawi: medicine delivered by drone
Drones can deliver medicines very quickly – even to remote locations. In Africa in particular, they could be extremely helpful in fighting the pandemic.
05.02.2021
Lebanon: Swift and steady support in persistently difficult times
Six months have passed since the massive explosion in Beirut, but the need for assistance remains. The German Government continues to rely on GIZ, among others, to implement measures.
26.01.2021
Ethiopia: ‘You can only fight a pandemic together’
In an interview with the Agency for Business & Economic Development (AWE), Joost Hemmelder from Tradin Organic explains what the food company has learned while dealing with the pandemic.
21.01.2021
The coronavirus pandemic: how Europe is learning from Africa
To track and trace contacts, German health authorities are using SORMAS, a disease surveillance system invented and trialled in Nigeria.
15.01.2021
Kenya: comprehensive package for young people entering the labour market
Giving young people practical experience and working closely with companies helps overcome prejudices and creates job prospects, particularly for women.
07.01.2021
‘Learning from one another’ – sustainable forest protection in Central America
Forestry scientist Jan Bock has been working for GIZ in El Salvador for the past three years. With his team, he supports the sustainable protection of forests.