Since the farmers' protests, the Federal Development Ministry's projects have been questioned. In an interview, State Secretary Bärbel Kofler (SPD) explains how the ministry actually works.
Munich/Berlin – German funds are available for projects abroad, but not for domestic agriculture: the traffic light coalition has been confronted with this accusation since the farmers' protests. The Federal Development Ministry (BMZ) has already discussed in a questionnaire which projects exist and why. Bärbel Kofler (SPD), Parliamentary State Secretary in the BMZ and member of the Bundestag from the Traunstein constituency, explains in an interview Ippen.Mediahow the ministry actually works.
Ms. Kofler, do so many individual measures such as bicycle paths in Lima really contribute to the bigger picture?
Yes, because the measures always stand for something. Bicycle paths represent CO2-free transport. Lima is one of the fastest growing cities in Latin America. That's why we're working with Peru to strengthen alternatives to cars. This ultimately protects the entire world, including us, from the consequences of climate change. Whether the CO2 is emitted here or in Peru is irrelevant from a global perspective. The floods in Pakistan, for example, have the same trigger as the floods in northern Germany.
How can gender training in other countries benefit us?
Women are half of humanity. If they cannot contribute equally, it will cause enormous damage to the development of entire countries. So this is not just a question of justice, but also of economics. Economically, Germany, as an export nation, has an interest in strong and stable partnerships. Every second euro in our country depends on exports.
The BMZ has itself answered critical questions. Why now?
Because many people ask themselves these questions, not least at the farmer demonstrations. We have received a large number of questions from citizens, representatives and the media. It is an opportunity for us to show what Germany and Europe get from development cooperation.
So does the BMZ need to communicate better?
We do that. With numbers, data, facts. It is of course the case that development cooperation has not always generated great public response in the past. Probably because many people can't immediately see what it has to do with us in Germany. If Germany retreats into its shell as an export nation, it would be short-sighted and expensive in the long term.
Some projects can sound a bit exotic to outsiders. How does the BMZ come up with such projects?
We don't just think up the projects. Our partner countries tell us the areas of interest they are currently working on and we think about: Is the topic also relevant from a German perspective? We also check whether it fits with our international obligations. In the context of CO2-neutral transport in Peru, this would be the Paris Climate Agreement. When implementing it, we then look at what the social and environmental standards are, how the fight against corruption is taken into account and whether the division of labor fits in with the work of other development partners such as the EU.
Kofler: “The funding amount always depends on the German budget situation”
How does the funding process work exactly from the application to the funding being paid out?
We have 65 partner countries with whom we regularly hold government negotiations. They are prepared by experts and then decided at the political level. Projects and even entire reforms are decided together. And the funding amount is also agreed upon – of course this always depends on the German budget situation. Our partners drive most of our projects forward on their own initiative and with our support. This is the only way development cooperation can be successful in the long term.
And how do the testing mechanisms work?
We continually review all of our projects. They are checked on the one hand by the organizations carrying out the work and on the other hand by us, the Federal Audit Office and our partner countries. There is also the independent testing institute Deval, which evaluates development cooperation projects. If there are no successes, projects and collaborations sometimes end.
“We are not making any further commitments to UNRWA in the Gaza Strip for the time being”
Does the traffic light have a fundamentally different strategy than the previous government?
We want to work more closely with our partner countries on a structural level. This means that an agricultural project is definitely a sensible project for the location. But to have a greater impact, we are also working to change the agricultural and food system as a whole, towards climate-friendly agriculture and more production in the developing countries themselves.
There have recently been allegations against employees of the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA that they have… Hamas-Supports terrorism against Israel. How do the control me
chanisms work?
We have already monitored all of our Palestinian projects very closely, including in coordination with Israel. This is a close, multi-stage review of local partners and their employees, materials entering the Gaza Strip, and financial flows. It is now very important to clarify exactly what happened. We do not tolerate support for Hamas terrorism in any form. We are not making any further commitments to UNRWA in the Gaza Strip for the time being.
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