Strengthening societies in the long term with a green recovery

At the annual press conference for fiscal 2020, she pointed out that the pandemic has accelerated various crises, thwarted development progress and intensified problems such as poverty, hunger and social inequalities. However, she had a clear message: ‘A crisis such as this also provides the opportunity to shape the coming decade together and make it even more sustainable in the spirit of a social and ecological market economy.’ She explained that if this ‘green recovery’ is successful, developing countries and emerging economies would also become more resilient in the face of future crises. Furthermore, this would consolidate social cohesion, which has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working with commissioning parties such as the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and cooperating closely with partners on the ground, GIZ launched a EUR 253 million Emergency COVID-19 Support Programme in 2020. Through the programme, the federal enterprise reached more than 208 million people with information campaigns on COVID-19, just under half of whom were in sub-Saharan Africa (102 million people). GIZ equipped cooperation countries with personal protective equipment, test kits and medical equipment, including ventilators, worth more than EUR 53 million. Measures designed to secure livelihoods reached more than 14 million people.

Martin Jäger, BMZ State Secretary and Chair of GIZ's Supervisory Board, also emphasised that the COVID-19 pandemic had focused attention on global contexts. ‘More than ever the onus is on us to find common answers to existential questions in the world.’ He emphasised that GIZ has a significant role to play here: ‘GIZ has expertise, experience and established networks in the countries – also based on the many decades of work carried out by its predecessor organisations. It was therefore able to provide swift and targeted support during the pandemic.’

GIZ's business volumes increased again in 2020: At EUR 3.3 billion, it was nine per cent higher than the previous year (EUR 3.1 billion).