Vital partners

In supporting refugees, GIZ works with non-governmental organisations. Martha Gutierrez talks about these partnerships.

Martha Gutierrez heads GIZ’s Governance, Crisis Management and Construction Division.

When ‘Islamic State’ militants overran the Yazidis’ villages in Sinjar in Northern Iraq, tens of thousands of people fled. Many of them initially found shelter in abandoned half-finished buildings. In order to winterproof them as quickly as possible, GIZ worked with Welthungerhilfe, installing plastic doors and windows to make the concrete shells habitable.

This rapid response to a crisis is a good example of how GIZ is collaborating successfully with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide refugees with the support they need. In Northern Iraq, where we are working on behalf of the German Government, there is close cooperation with German, international and local NGOs – not only Welthungerhilfe but also Forum Civil Peace Service, medica mondiale and Harikar, an Iraqi organisation with a strong track record in providing legal advice and psychosocial support for refugees.

Strong networks, even in fragile states

Although this collaboration is particularly intensive at present due to the refugee crisis, partnerships with NGOs are not a new feature of GIZ’s work. The diversity of the NGOs’ approaches is a good fit for official development cooperation, especially in fragile states. Through their networks, NGOs often have direct access to the most marginalised groups within society. Precisely because they are not linked with the government, they are deeply rooted within the country and have relatively broad scope for action.

GIZ, for its part, has the political contacts needed for effective cooperation with government bodies. We thus ensure that the deployment of partner NGOs is integrated into the wider policy framework, and we also encourage local authorities, for example, to make provision for the continuation of project activities when planning their budgets. In addition, the NGOs build local organisations’ technical and commercial capacities to implement projects themselves. As just one example, we are working with NGOs on expanding and equipping schools and health centres for refugees and host communities, with NGOs often taking on the management of smaller construction projects under GIZ’s supervision.

Improving health care provision in refugee camps

These joint activities create vital synergies – and making use of them means faster progress. There are many more examples: in Ukraine, we are working with German and local NGOs to deliver language and computer courses for displaced persons, offering them prospects for the future. In Kenya and Turkey, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a key partner: in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, for example, we have jointly improved health care provision, and in Reyhanlı on the Turkish-Syrian border, we are supporting a youth centre.

The structures and financial organisation of these cooperative arrangements vary. In some cases, our client envisages the involvement of NGOs from the outset. In others, we ourselves sign contracts with NGOs because we believe this is the best way to reach people in need.

Of course, this form of cooperation does not always run smoothly. We have to respect the fact that NGOs conduct their own public relations activities independently, and that they sometimes openly express political views that are very different from our own. This can cause frictions, especially in our dealings with partner governments or embassies. But the benefits are the overriding factor. When it comes to supporting refugees, pragmatism prevails, for all sides recognise the immense and seemingly endless challenges.

published in akzente 2/16