‘International cooperation is a matter of good sense’
UNICEF and GIZ have been working together for around 15 years. This is particularly beneficial in crisis regions, explains Verena Knaus. As the head of UNICEF in Berlin, she is responsible for the partnership with Germany.
heads the Berlin office of UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, and is responsible for strategic partnerships with the governments of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein.
Why is cooperation between UNICEF and GIZ particularly important now?
We are at a turning point in traditional development cooperation. Less and less money is becoming available – not only in the US, but also in Europe and in Germany. It is all the more important that we demonstrate how effective and important development cooperation and international partnerships are. The expectations on us are high. At the same time, we can show that we work well and efficiently in various different roles that complement each other.
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries as a multilateral UN organisation, including in current crisis regions. Our work is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We also work in areas that strengthen the reforms of state systems. As a federal enterprise, GIZ contributes particular expertise, for example on state reforms and vocational education and training. In this way, we complement one another. This can also be seen in fragile regions like the Sahel region.
Can the two organisations support each other in these regions, in particular?
Absolutely. Many of the countries in which we work are struggling with difficult government conditions or are experiencing acute conflicts. We work together in complementary roles in these countries to implement the priorities of German development policy. For UNICEF, working in crisis and conflict regions is routine. We have extensive local experience and presence. In turn, we benefit from GIZ’s technical expertise, for example.
What are specific examples of this good cooperation?
A few years ago, UNICEF, together with partners like GIZ and young people from Africa, developed the Youth Agency Marketplace (Yoma) platform. Yoma is aimed at disadvantaged young people in Africa and gives them the opportunity to continue their school education while earning money at the same time. We partnered up successfully with the precise aim of creating prospects for young people forced to leave school for economic reasons. This developed into a long-term cooperation arrangement that now extends beyond Africa.
Another example is the Sahel Resilience Partnership involving UNICEF, GIZ and the World Food Programme (WFP). Together, we are strengthening the resilience of the population in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad – countries that are particularly hard hit by crises, conflicts and the impacts of climate change.
Which challenges currently concern you the most?
What worries me most is the political resistance to international development cooperation and humanitarian aid. A particularly careful, effective and evidence-based approach is being taken here. And we know: a dollar invested well today can prevent much greater costs later on. It is about stability, economic development and future prospects.
‘International cooperation is not a matter of idealism but of good sense. It helps to prevent crises, strengthen stability and tackle common problems like climate change and pandemic prevention together effectively.’
Can you name some examples?
We are currently seeing heavy cuts to humanitarian aid and in key areas like global health and education, in particular. This is short-sighted. If cuts are made to health care, the serious and significantly more expensive consequences are often only apparent years later. We can see this with the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Due to the loss of health partners, institutions and programmes, responses there are now a lot more difficult.
The same applies to education. If children and young people no longer go to school, we not only lose a whole new generation that could drive the country’s economy. It also creates new risks for social stability. Those who see no future are more vulnerable to radicalisation and extremist messages. Problems are thus created that can be prevented through basic investment in education and services.
What impacts do tight budgets and shifts in political priorities have on UNICEF’s work?
We need to set new priorities, and this is painful. For UNICEF, this means that we are having to close health care facilities in Somalia and cutting back our programmes significantly.
At the same time, international norms are shifting in the current global political situation. The work of humanitarian actors like UNICEF is also becoming more dangerous. Warfare is changing, drone attacks are a new challenge. International law is being violated – this, too, makes our work more difficult in many places.
How do you respond to people who think that international cooperation is unnecessary?
We live in an interconnected world and have just recently experienced the impact that the closure of a shipping route like the Strait of Hormuz can have. In Germany energy prices are rising, in Somalia fertilisers cannot be delivered or are becoming exorbitantly expensive. We cannot isolate ourselves from global challenges, instead we need to tackle them together. International cooperation is therefore not a matter of idealism but of good sense. It helps to prevent crises, strengthen stability and tackle common problems like climate change and pandemic prevention together effectively. We all benefit when people in other regions are doing well, too.
