One World Strategy NRW: ‘Development policy is not a one-way street.’

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is assisting the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in bringing about its One World Strategy. Their joint projects prioritise capacity building through international vocational training and the promotion of NRW’s development partnerships.

‘GIZ has supported us in the context of the One World Strategy by establishing specific development projects on our behalf, for example in NRW’s partner countries of Ghana or China,’ says Minister Angelica Schwall-Düren, who is responsible for the One World Strategy in the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). ‘Development policy is not a one-way street. It is not just the local stakeholders who benefit from the projects – we in NRW do, too.’

Projects being carried out in China are strengthening relations with NRW’s partner regions Shanxi, Jiangsu and Sichuan. Chinese experts and managers from Jiangsu, for example, now have the opportunity to hone their professional skills in North Rhine-Westphalia – with the backing of NRW’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy – and to network with NRW-based companies. An intensive preparatory German-language course in China is also part of this package. Of the 1,000 or so participants that have undergone professional training to date, many have since gone on to assume key positions in China, making them vital contacts in NRW’s network for foreign trade and investment promotion.

The biggest project being conducted, which has received support since its inception in 2012, concerns climate and natural resource protection in NRW’s partner country Ghana. With a total of EUR 1.65 million in funding, NRW’s State Government is assisting the University of Kumasi in the south of the country in its efforts to become a competence centre for renewable energies, waste management and natural resource protection. These activities are not only promoting the education system but also fostering the efficient use of resources, thus helping to drive forward sustainable economic development.

In the words of Chair of the GIZ Management Board Tanja Gönner: ‘GIZ is not only active in developing countries and emerging nations, but also in Germany. And NRW is the federal state we cooperate with the most. This is because NRW is one of the leading regions in Europe for business, science, technology and innovation. For many years now, we have been building bridges to the entire world from NRW.’

GIZ and the German federal state of NRW are long-standing cooperation partners. In September 2012, NRW’s State Government and GIZ signed an agreement cementing their cooperation within the scope of NRW’s One World Strategy.