Governmental organization

Combating poverty, ensuring peace and preserving the environment: These are the three major concerns of Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation. Every year, about 600 projects and programmes are implemented and funds of well over EUR 100 million are deployed to improve living conditions in developing countries.

Together with the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs (MFA), partner countries, public institutions, civil-society organisations and businesses, ADA seeks to ensure that sustainable development works to the benefit of all people in Africa, Asia, South-Eastern and Eastern Europe as well as in the Caribbean. Personnel in 13 coordination offices make sure that ADA operations are in line with national development goals and the needs of the local population and that funds are put to the best possible use.

MFA allocates the ADA budget, but other federal ministries and donors or the EU, for example, draw on ADA expertise. Since 2008, the Austrian Development Agency has been conducting programmes for the European Commission. Via a further financing instrument, business partnerships, it allocates private funds for development cooperation: ADA promotes projects of enterprises in developing countries and emerging nations if they contribute to improving the conditions of life of the population in a region. Most funds are invested in its key regions and priority countries.

The Free State of Saxony supports the goal of a sustainable develop-ment according to the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations 2000. Sharing the responsibility with the federal government and the municipalities, the state of Saxony attempts to contribute to and
promote development cooperation. This was reconfirmed through the signing of the 2014 Resolution on Development Policy of the Minister Presidents of the German Federal States.

The state government of Saxony strives to carry out development co-operation as a cross-sectional task with the significant participation of the civil society and of the Development Policy Network of Saxony (Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Sachsen e.V.). In particular, Saxony supports development education and information in schools so that, among other things, extracurricular all-day learning pro-grams can be provided. The State Ministry of Education supports the Co-ordination Centre of “Education for Sustainable Development”, which provides the framework for mutual exchange and networking of formal and informal education.

The Free State of Saxony supports the goal of a sustainable develop-ment according to the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations 2000. Sharing the responsibility with the federal government and the municipalities, the state of Saxony attempts to contribute to and promote development cooperation. This was reconfirmed through the signing of the 2014 Resolution on Development Policy of the Minister Presidents of the German Federal States.

Since October 2010, the responsibility for the “One-World”-policy in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has been in the hands of the State Chancellery section of the Ministry for Federal, Europe and International Affairs. In December 2012, the Cabinet passed on a new „One-World”-Strategy, through which North Rhine-Westphalia underlines its global responsibility as the most populous federal state in Germany. The new “One-World”-Strategy functions as the basis for the future development work in North Rhine-Westphalia and for its development cooperation with partners in countries of the South. The strategy states the six strategic fields of action of the development contribution of North Rhine-Westphalia: education and youth; science and research; climate protection; economy; Good Governance and administrative action; participation of the civil society. Basic principles of the North Rhine-Westphalian involvement are global justice, sustainability, inter-departmental coherence and concentration.

Since October 2010, the responsibility for the “One-World”-policy in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has been in the hands of the State Chancellery section of the Ministry for Federal, Europe and International Affairs. In December 2012, the Cabinet passed on a new „One-World”-Strategy, through which North Rhine-Westphalia underlines its global responsibility as the most populous federal state in Germany. The new “One-World”-Strategy functions as the basis for the future development work in North Rhine-Westphalia and for its development cooperation with partners in countries of the South. The strategy states the six strategic fields of action of the development contribution of North Rhine-Westphalia: education and youth; science and research; climate protection; economy; Good Governance and administrative action; participation of the civil society. Basic principles of the North Rhine-Westphalian involvement are global justice, sustainability, inter-departmental coherence and concentration.

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.