GIZ’s memberships

Global challenges are better mastered in partnership. That’s why we are pushing ahead with the targeted expansion of our strategic alliances and cooperation arrangements with other development-cooperation organisations, civil society and private sector actors. We are actively involved in networks worldwide and are a member of numerous organisations with which we engage in intensive exchanges on corporate sustainability issues at all levels. We have also undertaken a series of voluntary commitments.

Below we describe some of these in detail:

B.A.U.M.

We have been a member of B.A.U.M. (the German Association of Environmental Management) since 2011 and are therefore bound by the B.A.U.M. code of conduct. B.A.U.M. aims to raise awareness among companies, municipalities and organisations of the importance of pro-active environmental protection and its vision of sustainable management, and to support them in implementing ecologically effective, economically sensible and socially just schemes. It does so on the basis of the B.A.U.M. code of conduct for sustainable management.

BIODIVERSITY IN GOOD COMPANY

GIZ has been a member of the Biodiversity in Good Company initiative since it was first established. The initiative is a collaboration of companies from various sectors. They have joined forces to promote the protection and sustainable use of the world’s biodiversity – in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The initiative aims to stop the dramatic loss of ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.

Sustainability Leadership Forum (SLF)

The Sustainability Leadership Forum was founded by B.A.U.M. (German Environmental Management Association) and the Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM). The Forum functions as a working and discussion group for companies that already have excellent sustainability management systems in place but want to further expand their corporate sustainability strategies. Its aims are to promote the transfer of knowledge and to develop solutions.

UN GLOBAL COMPACT

We have been a participant in the United Nations Global Compact since 2004 and have undertaken to adhere to its ten principles in the areas of human rights, environment, labour and social standards and anti-corruption. We report our progress on these principles on a yearly basis. Moreover, we support the implementation of the Global Compact. Since 2001, GIZ has run the Focal Point of the German Global Compact Network on behalf of BMZ.

Business Mitigates Climate Change

The Dialogue Forum Business Mitigates Climate Change, which was initiated by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), increases networking within the German business sector for better climate change mitigation. The aim is to initiate and expand mitigation measures inside private companies. The Forum was set up to operate for a limited period only: 2018-2019.