‘Anti-Semitic statements unacceptable’

‘As a federal enterprise, our stance is clear: we do not tolerate anti-Semitism,’ says Tanja Gönner, Chair of the GIZ Management Board, ‘which is why we are taking the allegations currently levelled at us very seriously.’ All GIZ employees have an obligation to maintain political neutrality, and this includes refraining from making political judgements or demands. ‘We are using the incidents as an opportunity to reinforce this message and raise awareness through our managers.’ In addition to the current discussions, regular meetings are held in all country offices to raise awareness among employees.

Yesterday, GIZ became aware of statements made by individual staff members in the Middle East on Facebook regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All staff members are obliged to respect human rights and integrity. This is enshrined in GIZ’s company-wide corporate principles. Every employee commits to adhere to the Code of Conduct in their employment contract.