Lobby

WEED is an independent NGO and was founded in 1990. Our goal is to create more awareness in Germany for the causes of worldwide poverty and environmental problems. WEED is committed to national and international networks and unites organisations and initiatives in the North and South.

Our focus is on:

• international indebtedness, debt clearance initiatives and Germany's role in this context;
• politics, projects and programmes of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank;
• reforming and democratizing the international financial markets;
• international trade policy and WTO (World Trade Organisation);
• the North-South policy of the European Union, and international environmental and development policy

WEED performs research, collects background material, and writes working papers, including for example, the WEED-Schuldenreport (the Weed debt report) that is published on a regular basis and provides information on indebtedness. WEED runs campaigns, talks to political decision-makers and intervenes in political decision-making processes. WEED wants to draw attention to these problems by organizing seminars, workshops and conferences, by collaborating with the media and through public relations. WEED works together with national and international NGOs, and supports and completes the work of other environmental and developmental organisations.

Through global learning, scholastic education becomes part of the international world. The process of global learning will help students understand the concept of the One World, and it will allow them to identify the interrelations between various global issues. While inspiring them to address questions that have remained unsolved, it will also encourage young people to take active part in shaping the world of tomorrow.

It was with this in mind that the German state of Baden-Württemberg created the Foundation for Development Cooperation in 1991. The SEZ's main focus lies on education and public relations with regards to the relationship between the northern and the southern hemispheres. We see ourselves as an advisory center for individuals and groups that have taken an interest in the so-called "Third World". Our main objective is to support exchange and networking between individuals and groups involved in development policy, and to assist private, communal and regional initiatives working in the context of the Third World.

In the educational sector, the foundation acts as an information center for global learning in Baden-Württemberg. We are able to provide schools with a variety of information, ideas, advice, and teaching materials concerning the "One World". The resources we offer include various publications and workshop materials.

While offering advice, we also help schools design workshops and establish contacts with guest speakers and artists. We offer assistance in all aspects and stages of projects such as exchange programs or the twinning of schools. In addition, we advise those who are interested in gaining work experience abroad, for example as an intern. We see ourselves as a forum for exchange and continuing education, and we cooperate with higher state departments of education in order to hold seminars and workshops on a regular basis.

training institute for teaching practice

The Palme Center was founded in 1992 by the Swedish Social Democratic Party, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and the Swedish Cooperative Union and has currently 29 member organisations from the Swedish labour movement. The board is chaired by Ingvar Carlsson, previously Prime Minister. Operations are led by Secretary General Thomas Hammarberg and Carin Jämtin heads development cooperation activities. The Palme Center runs extensive meeting and seminar activities, which together with the web service and a magazine form a broad opinion-moulding platform. Each year the Palmecenter and its member organisations work with almost 200 projects. These deal with everything from adult education to human rights, democracy and reconciliation.