Development Policy

Nina R / flickr / CC BY 2.0/ creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Development Policy

Good development policy is more than just drilling wells. In other words, development policy is helping people to help themselves, working in partnership to find solutions for the different regions.

Angela Merkel, former German Chancellor

Development Policy Is Future Policy

Within the meaning of the 2030 Agenda, development policy is a central field of action for achieving sustainable development worldwide. Germany can play an important role here through cooperation with partner countries around the globe in thematic areas such as combating poverty and inequality, climate and environmental protection as well as the promotion of social and economic development opportunities. For this, development policy needs to be seen as an essential component of our international relations and coherently deployed in interaction with other policy areas, such as foreign, economic and security policy.

Development Policy Is Helping People to Help Themselves

By means of development policy, we advocate for the creation of humane living conditions worldwide, and foster sustainable and self-determined development. The principle of helping people to help themselves is a central guiding theme here. Targeted support intends to empower actors to contribute towards the sustainable social, economic, and ecological development of their respective countries or regions.

Against this backdrop, development policy also includes working to improve global economic framework conditions in favour of developing countries and championing the principles of social market economy across the world as well as a fair rule of law and strong institutions.

Development Policy Is International Cooperation

This means development policy can only be conceived of in partnership, be it bilateral relations with partner countries or through cooperation at the multilateral level. With its numerous partnerships and active participation within the framework of the EU and relevant multilateral forums, Germany is well positioned here. Together like like-minded partners, we can contribute towards value-based international development and thus represent a counterbalance to players such as China.

Development Policy Is Firmly Embedded in the Work of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

Since the 1960’s, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has been committed in its international work to improving the political framework conditions in developing countries through development policy activities, among other things, in order to foster democracy, rule of law and the respect for human rights. The promotion of equal rights, climate protection and economic development are important issues, too. That is why close cooperation with local partners is central to the Stiftung’s project work.

International Offices and Programmes

As part of a sustainable development policy, the commitment to democracy, rule of law, freedom and social market economy plays a prominent role for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. For this reason, we engage with our international offices worldwide, promoting democratic structures and processes, and thus helping to empower relevant players to play a role in successful and sustainable social, economic, and ecological development.

Multinational Development Dialogue

The Multinational Development Dialogue (MNED) programme located in Brussels and New York, is responsible for dialogue with the European Union, NATO and the United Nations in development policy, but also for the networking of partners and experts from the worldwide KAS network with relevant institutions. Furthermore, a project team based in Brussels and Berlin supports the offices of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in third countries when applying for EU projects.

Learn more about the Multinational Development Dialogue Brussels

Learn more about Multinational Development Policy Dialogue New York

International Media Programme

Tim Weber

A democracy only functions if freedom of the press and of expression are guaranteed. However, these basic conditions do not exist in many countries around the world. That is why our offices in Johannesburg, Singapore and Sofia support media in the respective region with accepting its political responsibility and with contributing towards the development of democracy and strengthening statutory framework conditions. This enables the emergence of an independent media landscape as well as establishing a basis for the free formation of opinions in politics and society.

Learn more about the Media Programme

International Rule of Law Programme

Weltkarte – Weltweit für den Rechtsstaat

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

Since 1990, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has complemented its international projects for democracy promotion and political dialogue with the transnational Global Rule of Law Programme. Locations of the five regional programmes are in Bogotá for Latin America, Singapore for Asia, Nairobi Dakar for Sub-Saharan Africa, Bucharest for South-East Europe and Beirut for the Middle East/North Africa. Global activities concerning the rule of law are coordinated from Berlin.

Learn more about the Rule of Law Programme

International Energy Security and Climate Change Programmes

Windräder am Deich in Ostfriesland | Foto: Allie Caulfield / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Allie Caulfield / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 / Stefan Stahlberg

Since 2015, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has been helping to strengthen supranational dialogue on the issues of energy, climate, and environmental policy. Our Regional Programmes are located in: Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa. Here special emphasis is placed on accompanying currents debates, developing solutions as well as promoting specific projects of sustainable action in politics, business and society within the meaning of a sustainable development policy.

Learn more about the Energy Security and Climate Change Programme

A World Without Hunger

A farmer processing grain in Bochessa, Ethiopia.

Ryan Kilpatrick / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0

As part of the special initiative “A World Without Hunger” of the German Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ), the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is working to combat hunger in ten African countries.

Learn more about the special initiative “A World Without Hunger”

Publication Series

In addition to individual publications on the issue, with the publication series “Development Policy Monitor” the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung provides a series of articles dedicated to the role of non-traditional donor countries in development cooperation.

Development Policy Monitor

Michal Huniewicz / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0

Articles of the publication series Development Policy Monitor deal with non-traditional donor countries, the approaches and objectives that these states pursue with it, and the influence and potential impact on German development policy cooperation as well as the international development landscape.

Learn more about the series Development Policy Monitor

Networks

As part of its work as a globally active political think tank, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is attempting to establish networks and bring relevant experts together, so as to promote the exchange of ideas on internationally significant issues and problems and to help develop solutions.

Strong Cities 2030 Network

imran shahabuddin / flickr / CC BY 2.0

The Strong Cities 2030 network plays a crucial role in international cooperation for sustainable development. With it, the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation has created an association in the framework of which politicians alongside urban development experts from around the world come together to discuss new approaches and ideas for functioning cities in the future.

Learn more about the “Strong Cities 2030” network