How we work

For successful, long-term political, social, environmental and economic transformation, all relevant stakeholders from politics, business and society must collectively shape change. The various activities and strategies also have to be coordinated and managed efficiently.

If a country is to take charge of its own destiny in the long term, it must be able to organise complex processes and foster an enabling environment without external assistance.

We develop the capacities and resources of people, organisations and societies so that they can achieve their development goals independently and sustainably. This involves:

• Providing training and continuing education that strengthen people’s technical and methodological expertise
• Supporting organisations with improving their structures and processes so that they work more efficiently and effectively
• Fostering societal conditions and networks that facilitate sustainable development  

Sustainable development can only succeed if capacities are strengthened at all levels.

Scaling means disseminating successful approaches and measures in a targeted way so that their impact is all the greater. The objective behind this is to broadly mainstream approaches beyond individual commissions , initiate structural change and achieve sustainable results in the long term. Types of scaling: 

• Vertical scaling (‘scaling up’): Institutionalisation through standards, laws and development plans.
• Horizontal scaling (‘scaling out’): Broad application of proven approaches through standardisation and systematic processes.
• Functional scaling: Replication of successful solutions in other contexts and services.
• Deep scaling: Changing of cultural values, norms and behaviours (e.g. through social and behaviour change). 

The human-rights-based approach is a binding guiding principle of German development cooperation and provides the framework for action for GIZ as an implementing agency. It is based on the following three elements:

• recognising individuals as rights holders and states as duty bearers
• embedding human rights objectives and principles in bilateral and multilateral policy dialogue, integrating them into all development initiatives (“mainstreaming”), and addressing them specifically through targeted measures
• respecting and promoting human rights and related principles (participation and empowerment, non-discrimination and equal opportunities, transparency and accountability)

GIZ has extensive experience of different forms of cooperation, such as global networks and triangular cooperation. At the heart of its long-term engagements are the active and reciprocal exchange of knowledge and the establishment of relationships of trust.

With over 200 commissions involving triangular cooperation, Germany is a global leader in this area and is highly regarded for its active role in shaping international discussion. This form of cooperation also strengthens the international engagement of emerging economies and helps Germany build political capital on the global stage – a key element of technical diplomacy.

Most commissions here come from Latin America and the Caribbean, where there is a specialised Fund for Triangular Cooperation. A broad range of issues are covered, from marine conservation and renewable energy through to women entrepreneurship and mutual learning for digital consumer protection. 

In global networks, GIZ often takes on a coordinating role on behalf of the German Government. Here, too, a wide spectrum of topics are addressed, including sustainable supply chains for textiles and palm oil, solutions for protecting the environment and natural resources, and matters of tax policy. Programmes to strengthen partnerships, such as the Hospital Partnerships initiative, are also increasingly moving towards mutual learning, which benefits Germany as well.

Sustainable development can only be achieved through cooperation. Governments, civil society, the private sector and other partners often face complex challenges in this context: different interests, cultures, policy frameworks and ever-changing requirements contribute to the complexity of international cooperation. Professional cooperation management is required. 

Capacity WORKS is GIZ’s management model, which was developed to shape cooperation with partners in a systematic and successful way. It brings together GIZ’s management experience from over 30 years of international cooperation and is used worldwide to plan, manage and implement commissions. Whether in health care in Cambodia or the water sector in Malawi – Capacity WORKS is helping to ensure that development projects are implemented with a focus on results, transparency and partnership.

Competitions ensures that funding and technical support are awarded to selected implementation partners and beneficiaries in a structured, transparent and fair way. They encourage our partners to take on responsibility and they foster the development of innovative and local solutions. 

Funding and ideas competitions can be used across different thematic areas and be adapted for various scenarios. The many possible applications include use in fragile contexts to identify suitable partners and efficiently allocate resources and services for specific purposes.

At GIZ, competitions are most commonly used within the context of awarding contracts for works or services. However, they are also used to grant financial and technical support to partners and recipients of services. Depending on the field or sectoral priority area, the competitions are generally aimed at organisations, companies or individuals. As well as conventional calls for tenders for contracts for works or services, GIZ primarily uses these four types of competitions:​ 

• Call for proposals: competition for awarding financing arrangements for the implementation of projects
• Call for ideas: competitions for identifying and promoting new ideas and innovation
• Call for applications: competitions for participation in capacity development measures​
• Call for solutions: competitions for identifying specific (existing) solutions

GIZ uses financing arrangements as an instrument for achieving results in projects. Financing arrangements are tied to a specific purpose and are non-repayable grants to partners and German and international public-benefit organisations that allow them to independently carry out activities as part of a GIZ commission.  

The recipients can act flexibly and autonomously within the agreed scope for action. Financing arrangements are a strong example of a collaborative relationship between equals. 

For more information on financing, arrangements please see Financing: receive funding.

We apply our knowledge and experience worldwide in more than 120 countries and thousands of different projects – always learning something ourselves in the process. In these uncertain times, it is important that proven solutions are not lost and that new ideas get quickly to where they are needed. Ultimately, everyone benefits from this: GIZ, our partners, our clients and commissioning parties and, not least, the public. 

To ensure that knowledge gets to where it is needed, we focus on:

• relationships based on trust within GIZ and with our partners
• supportive structures for sustainable knowledge flows and
• the intelligent use of tools and methods. 

We work in a networked and collaborative way. For example, the sector networks offer a platform for the organised exchange of regional and technical information and for thematic cooperation between GIZ experts in the countries of assignment and our offices in Germany. They function as a tool for quality assurance and knowledge management. 

In addition, communities of practice foster the exchange of technical information, create spaces for shared learning and promote an open culture of learning and feedback. 

Knowledge management is more than just document storage. A three-pronged approach has proven its value to us: ‘Connect’ (knowledge exchange), ‘Collect’ (knowledge is easily accessible) and ‘Co-create’ (knowledge advancement and learning).