Nowhere does knowledge of another country's culturally determined norms and values play so decisive a role as in development cooperation. The success or failure of development efforts is due not least to cultural factors. Those who support persons and institutions in other countries, for instance, in developing structures for the rule of law or designing educational system reform, are well advised to examine and constantly re-examine their own cultural roots and the transferability of their experiences and values.

GTZ is careful in its work to devise instruments that are geared to the culture of each individual partner country. Part of this involves constant improvement of the intercultural competence of GTZ employees.

In a series of regional round tables, GTZ is devoting itself to the question of the influence cultural factors bear on development, how development cooperation can itself influence the culture of partner countries, and whether or not a cultural or systemic change that is instigated from outside is even desirable in the first place.

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• Glossary Culture and Development
  de-glossar-kultur-und-entwicklung-2005.pdf, 1,34 MB (deutsch)