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Dear reader,
We are pleased to report that our services were once again very much in demand in 2014.
We saw growth in particular in the fields of climate action, food and nutrition, and peace
and security. More than 300 commissioning parties place their trust in our professionalism
and experience. This impressively demonstrates that our service package mirrors their current
agendas in German, European and international cooperation. All of the programmes and
projects that we implement on behalf of our clients have one thing in common – we develop
solutions with our partners, not for them, in order to foster societal change. Our long-stand-
ing relations based on trust and our innovative cooperation arrangements worldwide are
the basis upon which we work together to elaborate solutions of this kind.
To put it in figures: in 2014 we surpassed the two billion euro mark, with a business
volume of EUR 2.03 billion. This represents an increase of EUR 100 million over 2013.
In the public-benefit sector we recorded an increase of EUR 151 million to EUR 1.6 billion
in business with our main commissioning party, the German Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This includes EUR 181 million provided by third
parties to cofinance BMZ commissions – a rise of EUR 11 million as compared to the previ-
ous year. Income from other German public sector clients was down to EUR 239 million,
primarily because of the drop in the volume of commissions in Afghanistan. GIZ Interna-
tional Services, our taxable business sector, recorded a total business volume of around
EUR 152 million in 2014 (as compared with EUR 178 million in 2013). GIZ IS aims to
maintain this level in the years to come.
In addition to BMZ and other German federal ministries, an increasing number of interna-
tional donors and governments, foundations and private companies are commissioning our
services. Their financial contributions also help ensure that German taxpayers’ money can
be used even more effectively. One good example is the African Cashew Initiative in West
Africa, which BMZ is financing jointly with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Through
this initiative we are working to make small farmers competitive on international markets
with the help of modern farming methods and business training. And with good result.
The household income of more than 2.2 million people has more than doubled since 2009.
The reform of vocational education and training in Pakistan is another example. These
activities are supported by BMZ, with cofinancing from the European Union and the Dutch
and Norwegian Governments. Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia GIZ International Services has
set up a subsidiary with Festo Didactic, which runs an entire training centre on behalf of
the Saudi Arabian Technical and Vocational Training Corporation.
In Afghanistan, where the national government assumed full responsibility for the security
of its people in 2015, GIZ is supporting the country in building a police force that operates
on the basis of the rule of law and protects women’s rights. Working in countries prone to
crisis or conflict is particularly demanding. It is not easy to recruit highly qualified staff for
these regions. But it is a challenge we accept. Even today, about 60 per cent of GIZ’s turnover
is generated in countries that are not fully able to perform fundamental sovereign functions
and deliver services to their people. And the demand for our services is growing in these
countries.
Sustainability is central to our work. That is the yardstick against which we would like to be
measured – both inside and outside the company. And we intend to keep the general public
informed about our progress. This publication marks the launch of our integrated reporting,
illustrating GIZ’s commitment to sustainability as well as presenting the facts and figures.
None of this would be possible without our staff, without their exceptional dedication, their
knowledge and their creativity. GIZ’s success is the result of their work. On behalf of the
entire Management Board, I would like to thank them all most warmly. Equally, GIZ would
not have been able to achieve results like these without the trust and support of all of our
commissioning parties, to whom we would also like to express our gratitude.
Tanja Gönner, Chairwoman of the Management Board
(left to right) Dr Hans-Joachim Preuß, Tanja Gönner, Cornelia Richter and Dr Christoph Beier
Foreword by
the Management Board
GIZ Integrated Company Report 2014
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Foreword by the Management Board