The aim of the Free State of Bavaria's development cooperation is to make a global contribution, within the scope of its possibilities, to the fight against poverty, to sustainable and peaceful development and to international understanding. The living conditions of people in developing and newly industrializing countries are to be improved so that people see a perspective in their homeland. The basis for this are the guiding principles of the development policy cooperation of the Free State of Bavaria, which the state government adopted on April 30, 2013. These were further developed by the Bavarian State Parliament's development policy guidelines, which were unanimously adopted by the State Parliament on February 17, 2016. The Bavarian Africa Package (brochure) adopted by the Council of Ministers on April 30, 2019, opens a new chapter in Bavaria's relations with African states. The Free State of Bavaria specifically supports the development of individual African states, develops long-term partnerships and continues its existing intensive relations.
The Free State of Bavaria is involved in the field of development cooperation in a variety of ways and covers different thematic areas. These include in particular the four priority areas of the Africa package, which are based on Bavaria's competencies: Economic Relations and Vocational Training, School Education and Science, Agriculture and Environment, and Public Administration.
Cooperation with selected countries takes place in a spirit of partnership, strengthens the ownership of the partner countries, offers help for self-help, pays attention to subsidiarity and compliance with international conventions and standards.
The maintenance and further development of relations with the partner regions of the Free State of Bavaria play a special role, as there is a high common interest in cooperation in these regions. Furthermore, the Free State of Bavaria is also open to cooperation with other countries.
The Free State of Bavaria also aims to achieve a better understanding of the problems of developing and newly industrializing countries among the local population, as well as to clarify global interrelationships and interdependencies and to contribute to sustainable development worldwide. For this reason, the activities abroad are supplemented by domestic work such as school and extracurricular measures and cooperation with non-governmental organizations from the One World sector such as the Eine Welt Netzwerk Bayern e. V. (One World Network Bavaria).
Within the Bavarian State Government, the Bavarian State Chancellery has the coordinating function for the development policy measures and, if interdepartmental, the lead function. The head of the State Chancellery and State Minister for European Affairs and International Affairs, Melanie Huml, MdL, is the central contact person of the state government for non-governmental organizations in the field of development policy. The respective departments carry out measures on their own responsibility.