Brazil

The Climate Alliance is a global partnership between more than 1,500 European cites and the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest area for the protection of the world's climate. In Austria, all of the federal states and more than 530 cities are involved. They have volunteered to commit themselves to reduce their CO2 emissions by half by the year 2010, and they are also supporting their partners in the Amazon region in their work to preserve the rainforest. 200 companies and over 70 schools are also members of the alliance. Apart from ecologocal aspects, the Austrian Climate Alliance is also aware of social interactions such as the unfair distribution of resources and opportunities.

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.

ASW, the Action for World Solidarity Organization, is an independent organization involved in development policy. It has been sponsoring basic projects in India, Africa and Brazil since 1957. Our main aims are to promote women's rights, protect the environment and defend political, social, economic and cultural human rights.

These projects have all been started by people within the communities themselves. They are working together for a better future and they need our financial support to continue their efforts. We do not send experts or development workers; instead the projects remain the responsibility of the people who start them.

We know that the situation in the developing countries cannot improve unless change takes place in the developed world, too. Our second major aim, therefore, is to provide people with information on our project partners, their needs and their progress.

We provide this information in exhibitions and presentations, as well as in our journal "Solidarische Welt." In addition, we show how everyone's actions in Germany and the rest of the Western World affect the lives of people in developing countries and what each one of us can do to help our partners. In the "ASW-Test" series we examine how consumer goods for the German market are produced in developing countries, and how this affects the conditions there. We also provide information on what consumers here can do to stop unfair production practices.

AFS Austria is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.

The Instituto Marques de Valle Flor is a Portuguese Non-Governamental Development Organization that implements Development Cooperation projects (Angola, Brazil, Cape-Vert, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé und Príncipe, East Timor) and Development Education Projects.

YFU is a non-profit student exchange program. They place students in over 30 countries and accommodate students from over 40 countries in Germany. For one year, students live with a host family and attend school.