From fair access to education and poverty reduction to combating climate change – in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and improve people’s living conditions, digital innovations are more important than ever before. More than four billion people use the internet, almost twice as many as ten years ago.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports and implements cross-sector projects worldwide that promote innovative solutions and use data-empowered technologies. Particularly in developing countries, digital transformation can break down barriers due to networking, improved communication possibilities and access to knowledge – from allowing fair access to education, reducing poverty or building resilient health systems.
Digital transformation is a game changer: it changes the framework conditions, provides networking beyond borders and opens up new avenues for action. This has proven especially relevant during the coronavirus pandemic and will remain so after it. After all, fair access to, and secure use of, data are key factors for viable business models and sustainable development. The task of international cooperation (DC) is to shape digitalisation in a fair and responsible way. GIZ imparts technological knowledge. It advises ministries in partner countries with high data protection demands on data protection and supports them in developing laws and framework conditions for a value-based digital economy and society – and in implementing them.
Digitalisation also offers many opportunities for GIZ as a company active worldwide. Mobile work was already part of GIZ’s modern work culture before the outbreak of the coronavirus. It enables more flexibility in daily work, simplifies cross-border cooperation and allows uninterrupted project work even under difficult conditions. Virtual meetings and online events using digital communication tools will continue to shape how we work and international cooperation in general after the pandemic.
Accordingly, GIZ continues to focus on digital solutions, digital upskilling and technology partnerships for further development. IT security and staff-wide digital literacy are key to securing the opportunities the future holds. This investment is already paying off and will continue to do so after the pandemic.
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