State Secretary Beerfeltz visits display and opens German-Chinese conferences on vocational training and CSR

The World Exposition in Shanghai, whose theme is Better City, Better Life, opened its gates on 1 May 2010. By the end of its six-month run, up to 70 million visitors will have come to Expo to learn more about the many different aspects of sustainable urban development.

Among the exhibitors in the German pavilion is the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which is showcasing its global activities in this field to the 40,000 visitors who come through the pavilion’s doors every day. One high-profile initiative is WASH United, which is endorsed by several international football stars and aims to promote improved water supply and better hygienic conditions. WASH United recognised the extensive media coverage of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa as an opportunity to put its message across, and has set up a goal wall for visitors to the German pavilion.

Other project displays and guests from Egypt, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Yemen, Mongolia, Nepal, Romania, Syria and Germany also illustrate BMZ’s hands-on approach to sustainable urban development. On one occasion, visitors to the stage outside the German pavilion noted down their vision of an ideal city on cards that were then used to build an entire structure, with thousands of dreams reaching into the Shanghai sky.

GTZ was the organiser of the BMZ display in the German pavilion at Expo. On 11 July, the pavilion welcomed a distinguished visitor in the shape of BMZ State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, who used his official trip to China to open two conferences that were also organised by GTZ: one on 12 July, entitled ‘Vocational Training for Experts in the PR China – a Challenge for Businesses and an Opportunity for New Partnerships’, the other on 14 July, entitled ‘Sustainable Supply Chains in China’, both on the Expo 2010 grounds.

Delegates to the vocational training conference included high-ranking officials from the Chinese government and Chinese businesspeople as well as several representatives of German companies such as Audi, BMW, Bosch and Daimler and of the German Chamber of Foreign Trade in Shanghai. Although China remains a major growth market for many German and European companies, the scarcity of skilled labour increasingly means that its growth potential is not being leveraged. The conference served to rejuvenate the dialogue between the private sector, educational policy stakeholders and educational institutions and to establish new partnerships to address existing training and qualification deficits. The discussions revealed that GTZ, which claims almost 30 years of experience in vocational training in China, is still very much in demand as a partner.

The conference on sustainable supply chains in China two days later also drew interest from high-ranking Chinese government officials, for instance from the Ministry of Trade, and from representatives of German and Chinese companies such as BASF, TÜV Rheinland, Shanghai Guanhua Stainless Steel and Hebei Huatong Wire & Cable. Popular topics of discussion were the concepts, best practices and ideas associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR), an exemplary tool that businesses can employ not least to improve their financial performance. The discussions also shed light on the role of international business partners, whose purchasing decisions are capable of influencing social and economic standards in the Chinese private sector. Delegates agreed that the Chinese government needs to step up its efforts to promote sustainable corporate governance, especially at the provincial and local levels. The CSR programme that GTZ is implementing on behalf of BMZ for China’s Ministry of Trade plays an important role in this respect. The conference also highlighted GTZ’s expertise as a provider of CSR services for the private sector, notably training services for Chinese suppliers.

Further information

• Expo 2010
  en.expo2010.cn
• Deutscher Pavillon auf der Expo 2010
  www.expo2010-deutschland.de
• German Pavilion at EXPO 2010 Shanghai China
  www.expo2010-deutschland.de/en/home/