09.04.2025
Frank-Walter Steinmeier: ‘You are a cornerstone of our foreign relations and a shining example of Germany in today’s world.’
The Federal President spoke with GIZ staff at the Bonn Campus about their experience of working abroad.
‘Many of you are on assignment in areas where life and work are difficult, and where it is often trying and hazardous. Thank you above all for the vital work you do on site,’ said Frank-Walter Steinmeier to 500 staff when he visited GIZ on Wednesday, 9 April 2025. The Federal President went on to say that international cooperation plays a key role in resolving global issues because this cooperation enables us to maintain close partnerships with a host of countries. ‘We need these partnerships urgently today, especially in times when others are placing more emphasis on power than on partnership and cooperation.’
The Federal President talked to staff and was keen to hear about their experience of working abroad. He spoke to experienced employees, who reported on their assignments in countries like Ukraine and the Philippines. They discussed shifting geopolitical challenges with the Federal President.
Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, Chair of GIZ’s Management Board, said, ‘At this time, marked as it is by many crises and heated debate about the impact and direction of international cooperation, the visit of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sends a strong signal to our staff.’
Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel accompanied the Federal President with fellow managing directors Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven and Anna Sophie Herken as he visited the modern Campus. In Bonn, the concept of co-working spaces with open areas and active zones has been translated into reality. Sustainability is a fundamental architectural principle that runs throughout the entire Campus – from the building materials, energy-efficient heating and green power right through to the interior fittings.
