In Saxony-Anhalt, statewide coordination of development cooperation takes place in the Ministry of Economics, Science and Digitalization (MW).
Development policy guidelines
The development policy guidelines, which date back to 2000, were revised from 2018 with the participation of organizations and groups active in development, churches, trade unions, and business and science, and adopted by resolution of the state government on March 12, 2019.
The guidelines serve as an orientation and guideline for the development-related commitment of the state as a whole. In accordance with the relevant MPK resolutions of recent years, the guidelines were to be further developed, in particular taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the United Nations' Agenda 2030. In addition to the basic principles, the guidelines highlight 8 focal points according to which the country's development cooperation (DC) is or should be oriented:
Development-related information, education and public relations work, the promotion of development-related non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including corresponding network structures, the use of the potential of science and research , the linking of migration and development, the strengthening of fair trade and sustainable consumption, the sensitization of companies for DC while integrating the competencies of the business sector, the strengthening of partnerships and the use of existing competencies, the practice-oriented education and training of foreign experts and executives, and humanitarian aid. In accordance with the guidelines, the state government expressly views development cooperation as a cross-cutting task that must be implemented across all ministries, given its comprehensive and multidimensional nature. To improve interdepartmental cooperation, a working group on development cooperation has been set up. It is composed of representatives of all ministries, the parliamentary groups of the state parliament and experts from various areas of development cooperation.
Development-related information, education and public relations work
Development-related NGOs are of central importance for raising awareness among the population and for increasing understanding of and commitment to the problems of the One World.
These NGOs are therefore supported both as providers of development-related information, education and public relations work in Germany (including the areas of sustainable consumption/fair trade advice and fair procurement) and as providers of development cooperation projects in developing and transition countries.
The addressees or places of development education are the training of teachers as well as all types of schools including vocational schools and kindergartens. With regard to the fair procurement of goods and services, companies and administrations are advised and appropriate forums for employees are held. The One World promoter program acts as a central instrument in this regard. The first participation of Saxony-Anhalt in 2014 in the co-financing of the "One World Promoter Program" has been expanded to five full-time positions as of 2019.
After the cities of Halle/Saale, Magdeburg and Wernigerode have so far won the title of Fairtrade Town with the support of the Fair Trade Town campaign of the One World Network Saxony-Anhalt, further applications are being sought.
Municipal partnership with DC reference
The city partnership between Hoi An (Vietnam) and Wernigerode (at the time the first official German-Vietnamese municipal partnership ever), which has existed since 2013, was expanded in 2016 to a climate partnership with the development-related core topics of energy efficiency/conversion to renewable energies, waste reduction/elimination and sustainable tourism. The partnership, which is supported by broad sections of the population and financed with EU federal, state, municipal and private funds, was expanded in 2016. The bottom-up partnership, which is supported by broad sections of the population and funded by the EU, the federal state, local authorities and private contributions, will be continued annually on a project basis. In 2020/21, a joint project is underway to train specialists in the hotel and catering industry.
State program "Partners of Tomorrow"
The "Partners of Tomorrow" program, which was launched in 2001 as a contact and qualification program with the then focal partner countries China and Vietnam, is now generally aimed at foreign students and university graduates as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the state, across all sectors and countries.
Through the internships completed in the participating SMEs, the participants gain important professional experience and practical vocational qualifications which, after returning to their home countries, benefit them in the long term in terms of development and at the same time strengthen the foreign trade activities of the participating companies.
Also worth mentioning in this context are the development-related activities of SMEs from Saxony-Anhalt in the fields of solar energy, waste management and agriculture in the African countries of Morocco, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Zambia.