New markets in industrialised countries

GIZ in demand in the USA and Greece

Berlin. After her first year as Chair of the GIZ Management Board, Tanja Gönner said she was very pleased with last year’s developments. ‘We achieved extremely good results with a business volume of EUR 2.1 billion, which we see as clear confirmation that our strategic reorientation is working.’ Today, GIZ is not just involved in ‘traditional’ cooperation with developing countries. Our services are also in demand in emerging economies and industrialised countries, for example on the European single market and in Germany. On 25 June GIZ will be opening its first office in the USA. This will enable us to participate in invitations to tender in the field of technical and vocational education and training. In Greece, GIZ has been providing advisory services on health and administrative reform.

In 2012 our main commissioning party was the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). We received business from BMZ worth EUR 1.63 billion (77 per cent of the total). This figure also includes EUR 179 million in cofinancing contributions to BMZ commissions made by other donors.

Ten per cent of GIZ’s business volume (around EUR 209 million) was provided by other German federal ministries, with the largest shares coming from the Federal Foreign Office (EUR 89 million) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (EUR 70 million). A further two per cent of our business volume was obtained from grants.

In addition, some eleven per cent of our business – around EUR 230 million – involved commissions and funding contributions from private enterprises, foundations, multilateral organisations and foreign governments. ‘With this substantial share we are also providing international cooperation that is “Made in Germany” – without using German tax revenue,’ said Ms Gönner.

‘The results clearly demonstrate that in GIZ we have created a provider of international cooperation services for the whole German Government that is in strong demand, and operates even more effectively, efficiently and productively,’ said Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Chairman of the GIZ Supervisory Board.

At the end of 2012, GIZ employed a total workforce of 16,229 (compared to 17,185 as at 31 December 2011). As in the previous year, just under 70 per cent of the workforce – 11,119 individuals in all – were employed as national personnel in the countries of assignment. A further 2,300 people also work for GIZ, including just under 900 development advisors, almost 450 ‘weltwärts’ volunteers, and some 1,000 integrated, returning and local experts.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federal enterprise with worldwide operations. We support the German Government in the fields of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education. Through our work we assist people and societies in shaping their own future and improving living conditions.