Responsibility: Germany's role in the world

The prominent Indian politician and long-serving diplomat with the United Nations, Shashi Tharoor, believes the Federal Republic of Germany has a key role to play in strengthening multilateral institutions. In his essay, he calls for Germany to be ‘a strong and reliable international actor if the world is to successfully navigate the turbulence that characterises our age.’

But what does taking on responsibility actually mean, and where is Germany already engaged? akzente answers these questions from various perspectives. In the Horn of Africa, for instance, the German Federal Government and the EU have tasked GIZ with making migration within the region safer. To achieve this, GIZ is setting up clinics and mobile medical teams, and also training border officials to administer first aid. Justice and police officers are being trained to end activities by human traffickers. Protection for migrants is at the core of the Better Migration Management Programme.

A report from Havana showcases the way a German company is taking on responsibility in Cuba. The medical technology company, Ottobock, from the city of Duderstadt in Lower Saxony, is supporting the island state with its know-how and materials. Training for Cuban orthopaedic technicians is empowering them to provide state-of-the-art prosthetics for their fellow citizens – people like the young interpreter, Leisé González, who dances salsa with her ‘new leg’.

You can read these and many other reports and articles in the latest issue of akzente, which is available in print and online at akzente.giz.de.