Cooperation arrangements, alliances and partnerships with other national (i.e. German) organisations are crucially important for GTZ. Good cooperation management in Germany and in our partner countries shapes our relationships with other governmental implementing organisations in German DC, with non-governmental institutions and organisations, with political and other foundations, and with the federal states.
When working together with the development cooperation actors in the plural German system, we must harness synergies, promote efficiency and achieve more results by working in concert. GTZ cooperates with organisations/institutions from all areas of society. Though the forms and intensity of the various cooperation arrangements vary, they all involve agreements between equals that enable both partners to better achieve their respective development-policy and corporate objectives.
Cooperation partners in a plural development cooperation system
In the interests of the coherent and effective implementation of German development policy, GTZ cooperates closely with other organisations/institutions that have a development-policy mandate.
Germany's plural development cooperation system consists of various governmental and non-governmental organisations/institutions, each with their particular instruments, priorities and strengths. This enables the German Government to design its development cooperation flexibly and tailor it to the specific needs of its partners. This plurality leads to a situation-specific mix of instruments and a complementary division of labour, generating healthy competition between ideas and forms of implementation. Sectoral, implementation and management expertise is broadened, networks are enlarged and improved, and new activity areas and markets are opened up.
The challenge for development cooperation actors is to jointly manage their cooperation arrangements and to leverage their shared strengths.
The structure of the German development cooperation system:
Examples of cooperation
- Cooperation agreements: Agreements of this kind exist with almost all the other development cooperation actors. They lay down the general framework, activity areas, terms and concrete measures of cooperation.
- 'Deutsches Haus': In its field representations in many partner countries, GTZ shares offices with other governmental implementing organisations. This ensures that technical, human resources and financial cooperation are coordinated on the ground, and that relations with partners are harmonised.
- Annual meetings at the executive management level and regular meetings at the middle management level: At least once a year meetings are held between the top managers of the respective organisations/institutions. These focus on strategic issues, compliance with the agreements and the status of cooperation. Regular meetings are organised at the middle management level in the form of committees that deal with all issues of cooperation.
National (German) cooperation partners
- Governmental implementing organisations:
KfW-Entwicklungsbank (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau)
DEG (Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH)
InWEnt (Capacity Building International, Germany)
DED (German Development Service)
PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt)
BGR (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources)
- Non-governmental organisations (NGO):
VENRO (Association of German development non-governmental organisations)
Welthungerhilfe
CARE Deutschland-Luxemburg e.V.
Others…
- Church-based development organisations:
MISEREOR (German Catholic Bishops' Organisation for Development Cooperation)
EED (Church Development Service)
- Political foundations:
KAS (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung)
FES (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung)
FNS (Friedrich Naumann Foundation)
HSS (Hanns Seidel Foundation)
HBS (Heinrich Böll Foundation)
RLS (Rosa Luxemburg Foundation)
- Private foundations:
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Peter Ustinov Foundation
SES (Senior Expert Service)
Others…
- Research institutions:
DIE (German Development Institute)
SWP (German Institute for International and Security Affairs)
Others…
