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ePaper created 2015-12-01, 11:30:18 | version 1.43.00
akzente 1/1530 Background MARTIN HANSEN is Director General of GIZ International Services. GIZ International Services carries out projects exclusively on behalf of international institutions, the governments of other countries and companies. Martin Hansen gives some current examples and talks about the ins and outs of this work. Clients around the world F rom developing a sustainable energy strategy for Central Asia to providing lo- gistical support for EU election observers in Chad and managing vocational training colleges in Saudi Arabia – the activities of GIZ International Services are as varied as the work carried out by GIZ as a whole. Unlike other GIZ departments, however, we don’t imple- ment commissions from the German Govern- ment; we work exclusively on behalf of inter- national institutions, the governments of oth- er countries and the private sector. We bid for new contracts through the in- ternational tender process and also take on commissions directly. GIZ International Ser- vices operates many projects in collaboration with national or international partners. Since 2002 we have successfully acquired and imple- mented around 2,000 programmes and pro- jects worth over three billion euros on behalf of international clients. As part of the federal enterprise GIZ, we offer our clients a high degree of transparency, professionalism and integrity. GIZ Interna- tional Services is able to meet the specific re- quirements of our diverse range of clients, while at the same time implementing the val- ues of the German Government and the stand- ards of GIZ. Although this demands great tact and sensitivity, the benefits are enormous. Both for our clients and for GIZ itself. We are a part of GIZ’s global network. All our teams are made up of experts drawn from the local area, from Germany and from other countries. This combination of local and inter- national know-how enables us to achieve out- comes that are tailored both to the specific sit- uation and to the requirements of our clients. The range of services provided by GIZ Inter- national Services is broad – with a major focus on vocational education and training. Here is ter reservoir, which is fed with desalinated sea- water. Now there are enough drinking water reserves to supply Abu Dhabi’s almost one million inhabitants for 90 days, rather than just three days as before. The new reservoir is equipped with technology supplied by me- dium-sized German companies and sets a benchmark for the entire Gulf region. GIZ International Services implements over half its projects on behalf of the European Union. Another example of our current activi- ties is a project in Turkey, in which we work with local authorities to draw up strategies to promote women’s rights and protect women from domestic violence. As part of this project we are coordinating the development of a net- work of women’s hostels and advice centres, which women can turn to in an emergency. In all its programmes and projects, GIZ International Services upholds the values of the German Government. As a service pro- vider for the German Government, we help it to achieve its global objectives. In so doing, we make a substantial contribution in interna- tional cooperation towards sustainable devel- opment – without using money from German taxpayers. Previous ‘Background’ articles on GIZ’s work can be found on: www.giz.de/magazine-akzente just one example: on behalf of the Govern- ment of Saudi Arabia, we support develop- ment of the country’s vocational education system. We run a training institute for voca- tional school teachers in Riyadh, which has been accredited in line with European stand- ards since 2012. We also carry out activities in the region on behalf of Abu Dhabi’s state wa- ter and energy provider. In the first project of its kind worldwide, we are coordinating the construction of an underground drinking wa- ILLUSTRATION:ELLIOTBEAUMONT