Reconstruction, emergency and transitional aid

GIZ and its partners combine rapid assistance in emergency situations with a long-term outlook. Thus they lay the foundations for rapid reconstruction.
  

Around the world, millions of people face urgent threats to their survival as a result of armed conflict, war and natural disasters. These individuals need rapid assistance. Damage to infrastructure, institutions and social networks make direct action more difficult and hamper long-term, sustainable development. In these emergency situations, GIZ helps to secure people’s survival, meet basic needs and relieve suffering. Through reconstruction projects, it secures and stabilises the livelihoods of particularly needy people and bridges the gap toward long-term, sustainable development.

GIZ’s holistic approach combines immediate assistance with a long-term outlook:

• By strengthening self-help and self-management structures in partner countries, GIZ facilitates a rapid transition to independent and sustainable development. In so doing, it promotes the skills and abilities of both state and non-state partners to create a solid framework for long-term development.
• GIZ combines economic, social and environmental development goals with the objectives of combating poverty and ensuring sustainability, thereby creating the basis for structures and measures with a long-term impact. The focus is on infrastructure, food security and disaster risk management.
• However, GIZ does not merely react to crises and catastrophes; it also seeks to prevent them. With its support, the people, state and civil society institutions can better protect themselves against natural disasters and their consequences. Adaptation to climate change is one element in this preparedness.

GIZ has deep-rooted competences for dealing with crises and emergency situations. For decades it has been managing and implementing complex projects, particularly in fragile states. It provides rapid emergency assistance and stabilises the situation in crisis regions as quickly as possible. This creates the basis for rapid, wide-ranging and sustainable reconstruction.

In delivering emergency and transitional aid, GIZ cooperates closely with its national and international partners. These include the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Foreign Office (AA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the European Union and a wide range of international and local non-governmental organisations. Together, the partners tackle the particular challenges in emergency and crisis situations.