Supporting refugees, protecting the climate, addressing the skills shortage – strong growth in demand for GIZ’s services

The business volume 2014 broke the two billion euro barrier.

Berlin. Demand for the services of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is stronger than ever. ‘In 2014, our business volume broke the two billion euro barrier, reaching EUR 2.03 billion – an increase of EUR 100 million compared with 2013. Our portfolio is a perfect fit for our clients’ current international cooperation priorities,’ said Tanja Gönner, Chair of the GIZ Management Board. GIZ now has a presence in more than 130 countries, making it one of Germany’s most globally engaged companies.

‘Solutions that work – that’s what we need, especially nowadays. After all, no country can deal with the global challenges currently on the agenda on its own. GIZ is a highly professional service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development, and its satisfied clients include not only the German Government but, increasingly, other European and international donors as well,’ said BMZ State Secretary Dr Friedrich Kitschelt, the Chair of GIZ’s Supervisory Board.

GIZ’s services directly benefit countless people who are fleeing from war and disasters. They also reduce carbon emissions that damage the climate by millions of tonnes and support nature conservation. Worldwide, the forests protected with GIZ’s support over the last 10 years cover an area 150 times the size of Germany’s own woodlands. Since 2005, India alone has reduced its carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to Germany’s total annual transport sector emissions with GIZ’s assistance . And in the last 10 years, more than six million refugees have received support from GIZ.

In 2014, GIZ significantly expanded its business from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), its principal commissioning party, growing this portfolio by EUR 151 million to around EUR 1.6 billion. This figure includes EUR 181 million from third parties, such as the European Commission, foreign governments and foundations, which provide additional cofinancing in order to broaden the scope of BMZ projects.

GIZ is a service provider for the entire German Government. Commissions from other federal ministries – ranging from the Federal Environment Ministry to the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs – were worth EUR 239 million in 2014.

GIZ International Services (IS) generated funds of around EUR 152 million in 2014 to support the German Government’s international cooperation for sustainable development without relying on German taxpayers’ money.

‘2014 was a successful year for GIZ,’ said Tanja Gönner. ‘And we anticipate that the services we provide for the German Government will remain at this high level in 2015 as well.’

At the end of 2014, GIZ had a total of 16,410 staff members (31 December 2013: 16,510). As in the previous year, around 70 per cent of its employees – a total of 11,260 individuals – were employed in the partner countries as national personnel. GIZ also has around 1,000 integrated and returning experts and 785 development workers.

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 its work, we assist people and societies in shaping their own futures and improving living conditions.