A compass in unsettled times

‘The day I made peace’

Mali is one example of a long-term preventive approach. Since 2012, this West African state has been in the throes of a national crisis. To counter extremism, we are supporting cultural initiatives there on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office. Considerable importance is attached to the arts in Mali. Cultural forms of expression allow young people to have a say in discussions relevant to their society, and enable them to work as change agents. That is why we are supporting hip-hop festivals, music workshops and drama productions. One example is the cultural initiative Un jour où j’ai fait la paix (‘The day I made peace’). Cultural events reach out to thousands of young people.

In addition to the stabilisation approaches of the Federal Foreign Office, GIZ uses transitional development assistance, a BMZ instrument designed for use in crisis-affected contexts. In northern Iraq, for instance, we are creating jobs for up to 40 days for internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and disadvantaged individuals in the host communities. To date, we have been able to provide short-term employment and thus income opportunities for over 39,000 people. With the United Nations Refugee Agency, we also make use of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. This approach combines acute humanitarian aid with longer-term development cooperation. In northern Uganda, for example, refugees and the local population are receiving training that will enable them to install photovoltaic equipment. The people learn together and then translate their knowledge into practice, creating their own prototype solar-powered mobile phone chargers, for instance.

Our work is repeatedly influenced by events that are either unpredictable or that cannot be steered. Our staff members, who are well acquainted with the conditions and interrelations on the ground, enable us to respond to this volatility. We plan for the future with appropriate structures, such as business continuity management. In particularly hazardous regions we use remote management. We can drive our projects forward from a distance with the help of local partners, which might be non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or representatives of local civil society. The offices in the capital city maintain telephone and email contact. Where travel is possible, it is organised only on a case-by-case basis. The security experts in the country offices – in extremely fragile countries there is a Risk Management Office – are consulted prior to any trip. For monitoring – the systematic recording of progress – GIZ has also put in place digital tools and a network of reliable partners that allow it to work effectively from a distance.

Watershed in Afghanistan

The Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan in August 2021 was one of the most dramatic events of last year. But despite the shock waves it generated, our work there has not been in vain. The impacts of progress, for example improved access to electricity and drinking water, enhanced literacy and better training, can still be seen. Along with the international community, German development cooperation has succeeded in increasing the number of children attending school by a factor of 12 over the last 20 years, to more than 12 million – including many girls who can now read and write.

Under the current exceptional circumstances, GIZ continues to support local staff and their families who are endeavouring to leave the country. The German Government stipulates the criteria and preconditions governing the evacuation procedure for local staff, thereby determining who is eligible. On behalf of the German Government, GIZ also organises the evacuation of Afghan staff members of other organisations and individuals classed as vulnerable by the German Government. We deal with air and land transport and arrange appointments for visa applications. By the end of May 2022, we had already helped more than 17,400 Afghans to leave the country and organise onward travel.