Media

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation is the foundation for liberal politics. At home, political education is the most important task; abroad, the foundation promotes international political dialogue. Another focus is the promotion of talented young people.

PRO ASYL was founded in 1986 with the aim of establishing an effective voice for the rights of refugees in Germany. We are a national association of people working for federal refugee councils, churches, trade unions, welfare and human rights organizations. PRO ASYL is a non-profit association and finances itself with membership-fees and donations.At present the support association has 12.000 members.

PRO ASYL

• promotes the rights of refugees,
• publishes leaflets and information sheets about causes for flight and integration of refugees in Germany,
• performs educational work by organizing events and symposia.,
• supports exemplary court cases and law suits in order to secure justice for refugees,
• promotes regional associations of refugee councils and collaborates with refugee initiatives,
• makes proposals for the annual Day of the Refugee.

One of PRO ASYL´s current emphases is the campaign "Hier geblieben – Recht auf Bleiberecht" (the right of asylum). It campaigns for more than 150.000 people who are living in Germany and who are apparently are often well-integrated in society, but are in fact merely "tolerated" and even after many years have to face the possibility of deportation. A broad basis of linked organizations supports PRO ASYL in demanding liberal asylum laws. Basic initiatives promote the campaign within the federal states and communities. PRO ASYL has created posters, flyers, and background brochures for this purpose. PRO ASYL keeps a critical eye on the refugee policy in Germany and Europe and consistently gets involved in current political debates.

German Forum on Environment and Development

Since 1999, the ZEU has been active as an interdisciplinary institution of research of the Justus-Liebig-University, transcending faculties in the process of its work. At present, the disciplines of Agricultural und Food, Geography, Environmental Safety, as well as the disciplines of Law, Political Science and Economics are involved in the ZEU. Research is mainly financed through third-party funds.

The fact that the ZEU's subjects and contents concentrate on the topics of environment and development owes to the idea that issues of development and environment are usually interdependent, and should therefore be examined through faculty transcending research.

This basic idea is supported by the research potential of Giessen University. Developmental as well as environmental research is conducted in a variety of institutes which perform their work in many different countries and, partly, in international comparative studies regarding one or even both topics.

A major task of the ZEU is to use this potential effectively and to fill a gap in the market of international research with the comparative advantages arising through the Center's activities.

The importance of interdisciplinarity for the ZEU is mirrored in its organisational structure: it is made up of the four sections

1. Use of Natural Resources and Environmental Preservation
2. Food Security
3. Development and Poverty Fighting
4. Institutional Foundation of Regional Development Processes

A regional specialisation is not intended.