Development policy

Baobab - Learning opens worlds

Baobab is a library and place for education and consultations and focuses on educators and their practice. As an independent non-profit organisation, Baobab promotes knowledge and education about global interconnections, social justice and sustainable development and supports educators in their educational work in a diverse and multilingual society.

Baobab's library offers over 8,000 educational materials, films, children's books, games and online resources on global connections, diversity and sustainable development. The offer is aimed at kindergartens, schools and the extracurricular sector.
Baobab is part of the C3 - Centre for International Development.

The federal state of Hesse is self-conscious of the challenges of globalization. The federal state government (Landesregierung) supports the numerous actors of the civil society in their international relations and helps whenever its intervention as facilitator is necessary in order to provide access for private measures and programs.

Through development cooperation, Hesse contributes to the promotion of trade and economic development as well as to ensuring the protection of human rights and the promotion of peace and understanding among nations. This way, Hesse contributes to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Economic development is a necessary condition in order to eliminate poverty. Strengthening the private sector helps enabling economic growth, employment, leads to employee qualification and generates income. Hence, Hesse’s development cooperation concentrates on projects aiming at economic growth and the integration of its partners into the global market. This represents also a means of improving the conditions in developing countries for foreign private investments. To achieve these purposes the government of Hesse works close together with associations and organizations active in the field of development cooperation, notably with the Network for Development Policy in Hesse (Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Hessen) and with local actors of the economy.

Hesse supports above all educational projects as well as projects facilitating the transfer of know-how and the strengthening of market-oriented economies – from self-help projects to qualification projects in international marketing.

These measures also include the promotion of Fair Trade. On the one hand, Fair Trade is a means of supporting producers in developing countries; on the other hand, it provides opportunities for action to citizens who, in their role as consumers, wish to contribute to a fair shaping of globalisation.

The federal state of Hesse supports development education and information, on globalisation issues and education for sustainable development, following the motto „shared responsibility in thinking and acting“. This enhances the understanding of global inter-dependencies and encourages cooperation with partners in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Development cooperation in the Free State of Bavaria aims at making the greatest possible contribution to the worldwide fight against poverty and to sustainable and peaceful development, as well as to international understanding. The state wants to improve the living conditions of people in developing and emerging countries and strengthen Good Governance. All this is based on the Guidelines of Development Policy Cooperation of the Free State of Bavaria which were approved on April 30th 2013 by the Government of Bavaria.

Bavaria is committed to many aspects of development cooperation and covers a lot of different topics, including Good Governance, policy and institutional consulting, sustainable economic development, climate protection, environment and energy, scientific and technological cooperation, food security and rural areas, city development and building industry as well as culture, migration and development.

The cooperation with selected countries is based on mutual partnership, it strengthens the own responsibility of the partner countries, it offers aid for self-help and ensures subsidiary and observance of international conventions and standards.

The cultivation and development of relations with partner regions of the Free State of Bavaria play a special role thanks to a high level of mutual interest for cooperation. Besides these selected partner countries, the Free State of Bavaria is open to cooperation programs with other countries.

Furthermore, the Free State of Bavaria intends to achieve a better understanding among the local population of the problems developing and emerging countries are facing, to demonstrate global connections and interdependencies as well as to contribute to sustainable development worldwide. This is why international activities are complemented by domestic activities such as development education and information in schools and extra-curricular activities, network building and cooperation with non-governmental organisations in the
“One-World” sector.

Within the Bavarian State Government, the Bavarian State Chancellery is the coordinator of development policy and, in the case of inter-departmental issues, it has the leading role. The respective government departments carry out measures on their own responsibility.