GIZ works – even during a pandemic

Renewable energy, access to electricity and energy efficiency are just three of the areas in which the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH provides advisory services and implements projects. These projects make countries’ electricity supply more secure, more environmentally friendly and more cost-effective. Commissioning parties include the German Development Ministry, other German Government ministries and the European Union. As well as the areas of energy and climate change, GIZ’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic has been dominated by health. The impact is illustrated by the latest results figures. Collected once a year across a total of 10 different thematic areas, the figures underscore the key role that effectiveness and transparency play in our work.

What results are GIZ projects achieving? 

The figures for 2020 show that, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, GIZ was able to continue successfully to deliver services and help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Health services have required wide-ranging support over the past year. 89 million people have benefited from improved health services as a result of GIZ’s many emergency COVID-19 support measures among others. For instance, 165 million now have better health insurance. But health care was not the only area to face challenges: COVID-19 has also had a major impact on education and vocational training. GIZ moved rapidly to adapt projects in this area and, in many cases, expanded them to include digital elements. Hence, 12 million people benefited from a better school education in 2020, while 680,000 took part in continuing vocational training. 

Energy savings for one million German households 

The results in the energy sector have also been impressive. For example, GIZ has helped save a total of three million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity. To put that in context, a two-person household in Germany consumes around 2.5 MWh of electricity a year, so the savings are equivalent to more than one million German households. Click here for an overview of GIZ’s results and further information.