Stories on social development

Monika Egerer is a professor at the Technical University of Munich. Her research explores what a healthy urban climate could look like. akzente asked her about the importance of urban ecosystems in the Global North and South, and how they benefit society.

Digitalisation is an important driver of development, but only if everyone benefits from it equally. akzente has gathered interesting facts and figures to show how much needs to be done to bridge the digital divide.

They may not make the headlines, but neglected tropical diseases are still a health risk to many. In this interview, Dr Christina Kreuzberg from GIZ Medical Services explains that a great deal of suffering can be prevented through early diagnosis and treatment. GIZ not only educates its own staff on the issue, but also shares its experience with experts worldwide in order to advance general health care. 

Scientists at Chittagong Medical College Hospital on the Bay of Bengal and Frankfurt University Hospital share a fascination for snakes. Under a hospital partnership, they are working and learning together, so that more snakebite victims can be saved. A contribution to global health. 

Climate change, biodiversity loss, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine – food security is under pressure worldwide. GIZ expert Diana Diekjürgen explains the role that digitalisation could play for food security in the future.

Ethiopia, a large landlocked country in the Horn of Africa, is a key partner country in German development cooperation. The GIZ country office in the capital, Addis Ababa, is headed by Peter Palesch. akzente spent a day with the experienced country director, who manages to keep calm even when the going gets tough.

‘Together we can achieve more’ is a principle that is especially relevant in international cooperation. The global challenges and complexity of the issues at stake are too vast to be tackled by one organisation alone. Donors are therefore bundling their approaches more and more. Cofinancing arrangements involving GIZ are on the rise, and cooperation is becoming increasingly important in implementation.

GIZ has undergone massive changes and evolved beyond recognition since the merger of GTZ, InWEnt and DED in 2011. It has grown in size and become more diverse.

Svenja Schulze is new to the German Development Ministry but not to Government. Her priorities are climate, poverty, gender, health and crisis prevention. In an interview, she discusses German development policy in flux.

Water is a precious resource in Central Asia. akzente visits Uzbekistan to see how it can be distributed sustainably and fairly – and how this enhances stability in the region in times of climate change.

Why drones are joining chickens and bees in boosting biodiversity. A visit to the Núñez family farm in the Dominican Republic.

In northern Mali, women smallholders are providing good and healthy food. Thanks to new vegetable varieties, goat farming and improved methods of growing rice, they are enhancing not only their income, but also their standing in the community.