issue 1 /16 the giz magazine diversity – the value of difference help with starting a career in germany new optimism for refugees in iraq akzente
2 playing the role of ‘superwoman’, she shows television audiences and theatre-goers in timor-leste alternatives to everyday violence. in the wake of civil war and occupation, de sousa pereira and 800 other mediators are working to promote peace in the fledgling democracy. you can find more ‘faces and stories’ at www.giz.de/stories. jacinta de sousa pereira mediator in timor-leste scan the code with your smartphone to watch the video. i show people how they can resolve conflicts peacefully faces and stories
editorial 3 akzente 1/16 dear reader, our studies of nature have shown us that homogeneity is risky. it can disrupt the delicate balance in the plant and animal world. and so we have long viewed biodiversity as something precious that we must nurture and protect. even if our ef- forts often prove inadequate, we have at least recognised the benefits. but in society, things are different. here we’re only gradu- ally starting to appreciate the advantages of diversity and to grasp that the whole, i.e. cooperation between people with different genders, skin colours, religions, cultures and customs, is greater and more valuable than the sum of its many individual parts. this understanding does not always translate eas- ily into practice, however. the arrival of around a million refu- gees in germany in 2015 has made us very aware of how fragile an issue diversity actu- ally is. how do we want to live? how many different people should we accept into our society? and under what conditions? on the one hand, the broad ongoing debate that has been triggered in germany again highlights the positive connotations of di- versity, with words such as abundance and wealth commonly used as synonyms. but when it has a direct impact on people and their lives, some less positive tones emerge in interactions with those who represent something different. at the same time, studies have shown that diversity can be a real driving force. it a colourful mix sabine tonscheidt, director of corporate communications sabine.tonscheidt@giz.de stimulates creativity and in turn provides the basis for innovation, which is so important in our globalised, digitised world. the more dif- ferences societies and companies embrace, the more productive they can be – provided we actively engage with this variety rather than simply take a passive approach. diver- sity goes beyond upholding documented in- dividual rights. thus former us secretary of state madeleine albright was spot-on when she said: ‘diversity is what makes our socie- ties richer in every single way...’. but we have to fight for diversity. this is something that author ingrid müller from the berlin tagesspiegel highlights in the cover story, discussing both the demonstrated value of difference and the difficulties inherent in embracing diversity. for when people with different ways of thinking and living come together, tolerance is the order of the day, and this sometimes requires real strength. you will find some interesting extras on our app for tablets and on our new akzente website – akzente.giz.de/en. whether you opt for the traditional or digital version, i hope you enjoy reading this issue. best regards, why diversity is more than just a nice addition – and for this reason is not always easy to handle. photos: sebastian löffler (page 2), die hoffotografen/maria vogel (page 3)
contents akzente 1/16 4 in brief in the spotlight 10 make it in hamburg! a project which promotes the integration of foreign experts is benefiting both jobseekers and employers. in focus 14 diversity – the value of difference we live in a world of diversity, which means embracing the ‘other’, but also devising clear rules to guide our social relations. 22 in figures diversity is vital for economic and political success: when companies and parliaments draw on a broad mix of people, they work better and achieve more. 25 ‘reflecting customer diversity’ interview with susanna nezmeskal-berggötz, head of the diversity department at deutsche post dhl group 27 tolerance – the jordanian way guest article by minister of culture lana mamkegh 6 updates prize for excellence in city transformation, a study on the future of energy systems, new projects in mexico and morocco background 30 diversity: a success factor working with people from diverse backgrounds is a given at giz. lutz zimmermann, director general of the human resources department, explains how important this is. 3 editorial 28 through the lens 42 special: working for giz around the world 44 info: events and publications 47 sustainability, preview akzente app you can use our app to read akzente on your tablet whenever you want. visit our website for more information on the app as well as current and previous articles from akzente. akzente.giz.de/en illustration: fotolia (left), photo: laif/kent nishimura
akzente 1/16 5 introducing 46 mbissine diouf ‘i’m interested in all aspects of communication,’ says the giz employee from senegal. authors and photographers ingrid müller (1) from the tagesspiegel in berlin highlights the advantages of diversity – and the challenges too. mirjam hecking (2), editor for manager magazin, and photographer tim hoppe (3) met foreign professionals in hamburg and sat in on a seminar all about german job applications. jorge cabrera (4) photographed an art installation in honduras, capturing the beauty of waste. gabriele rzepka (5) conducted moving interviews with refugees who fled from the terrorist group islamic state in dohuk province in northern iraq. she was accompanied by photographer markus kirchgessner (6). innovative farmers showed ethiopian-dutch journalist marthe van der wolf (7) the fruits of their labours in the north of ethiopia. the deutsche gesellschaft für internationale zusammenarbeit (giz) gmbh offers sustainable and effective solutions for political, economic and social change processes. giz is a federal enterprise that employs more than 16,000 staff members and operates in over 130 countries worldwide. www.giz.de/en company profile 1 commitment 32 work at last how pakistan is improving its training system – and helping misbah naz to get her career going. 36 rich harvest in ethiopia how farmers are ensuring that others also benefit from their experience with new farming methods. 40 a new life how nazrin iljaz and her family found a haven from islamic state terror in dohuk in northern iraq. 2 3 4 5 6 7 photos: markus kirchgessner (top), sylvain cherkaoui (below), doris spiekermann-klaas (photo ingrid müller) akzente 1/165 234 567
in brief akzente 1/16 6 229,277 people are born on average around the world every day. in april 2016, the global population is an estimated 7.4 billion. voluntary family planning, i.e. the ability to freely choose your partner, when you become pregnant and how many children you have, has an impact on population growth. around 225 million girls and women in develop- ing countries have no access to modern contraceptives. 875 million small arms are estimated to be in circulation worldwide, with an average period of use of 30 to 50 years. small arms claim more victims than any other type of weapon, and they exacerbate conflicts, destabilise societies and hinder development. in many parts of the world, civilians can buy small arms easily and cheaply and often do so illegally. 80 per cent of all humanitarian emergencies are caused by conflicts. preventing and finding political solutions to conflicts will therefore be high on the agenda of the first world humani- tarian summit, which is being organised by the united nations and is scheduled to take place in istanbul in may 2016. in figures photo: getty images/bernhard lang new study ‘by 2040 consumers will expect busi- nesses, products and services to be sustainable on a comprehensive scale. non-sustainable forms of production will be considered unethi- cal.’ some 400 experts developed and evalu- ated this and around 50 other theses on the future of energy. these were the main issues addressed by a delphi study conducted by giz, the german association of energy and water industries and the management consultancy pricewaterhousecoopers. www.giz.de/future-of-energy-systems future of energy
akzente 1/16 7 pierre el khoury acting project manager of the lebanese center for energy conservation, which is affiliated to the lebanese ministry of energy and water how important is energy conservation in lebanon? we have major problems with energy supply: demand far outstrips the amount which can be supplied by state providers. this leads to many power cuts which then have to be bridged by private generators. how- ever, these generators, like the power plants them- selves, do not have a good track record when it comes to energy consumption. that’s why we need to increase energy efficiency. what is your country doing to achieve this? one key initiative is a regional project funded by the european union which aims to promote energy efficiency in the construction sector. through this, guidelines are being developed for the construc- tion and renovation of buildings. since 2010, leba- non has already reduced its energy consumption by 5 per cent a year. what is giz’s role in this initiative? giz international services, as a leading member of the project consortium, contributes to the devel opment of guidelines and provides training. in all energy projects implemented jointly by lebanon and giz, support is always tailored to the needs identi- fied by the lebanese partners. nkosazana dlamini-zuma, chairperson of the african union commission, on africa human rights day ‘african union member states should take stock of what they have done so far to establish a culture of respect for human rights on the continent.’ three questions for illustrations: nate kitch (below), elliot beaumont good report relevance: 1.5. this is one of the results of the evaluation which giz subjects its projects to every two years. the most recent monitoring and evaluation report entitled meas uring results – contributing to results evaluated 200 projects on the basis of globally standardised key criteria: in addition to relevance, these include effectiveness, overarching development results, efficiency and sustainability. giz’s overall score improved from 2.4 to 2.2 – proving that many projects are helping to change people’s living conditions for the better. however, these evaluations are not primarily about self-affirma tion; they are about understanding the reasons for successes and failures. only then can helpful lessons be learned for the future and services improved on a continuous and targeted basis. www.giz.de/evaluation-findings measurable results akzente 1/167
in brief akzente 1/16 8 responsibility giz has earned itself a top position in the bertelsmann stiftung’s most recent corporate responsibility index. it has been named a corporate responsibility champion, the title awarded to the top 10 per cent of the 187 companies surveyed. the index, which is compiled every two years, is a leading instrument for measuring corporate responsibility (cr) among german companies. in the most recent index, giz was also singled out as one of the five best practice examples for its corporate sustainability handprint (csh). the csh maps out not only giz’s ecological footprint but also its positive contribution – or handprint – to the four dimensions of sustainability: social responsibility, ecological balance, political participation and economic capability. according to the bertelsmann stiftung, ‘giz has created a framework within the company that requires all business areas to ensure corporate responsibility is integrated into their activities and to document all cr-relevant data online.’ www.giz.de/sustainability in good hands shorter wait for start-ups in comparison the conditions for entrepreneurs vary greatly worldwide, as the diagram on the average time required to start a business shows. however, things are moving in the right direction. between june 2014 and 2015, useful reforms were imple- mented in 122 countries. meeting in frankfurt in 2016, germany will host the annual meeting of the asian development bank (adb) for the first time. the event will be held in frankfurt am main from 2 to 5 may. as well as the adb governors from all 67 member states, participants will include finance ministers, heads of central banks and representatives from the private sector, the academic and research community, and non-governmental organisations. for the 3,000 guests, dis cussions will focus on new financial instruments in keeping with the theme ‘cooperating for sustainability’. the meeting will therefore reflect the enormous demand for financing in asia and contribute to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. asia am main giz is organising the meeting in frankfurt on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development (bmz) and is involved in content planning. the german government’s priorities are re- newable energies, energy efficiency, cli- mate change, sustainable production chains, vocational training, municipal partnerships and urban development as well as financial coop eration between europe and asia. hans-joachim fuchtel, chair of the board of governors of adb and parliamentary state secretary to the bmz, said of the meeting: ‘we expect to see leverage of fund- ing for sustainable development projects.’ www.bmz.de/adbannualmeeting2016 source: doing business 2016, world bank group 0.5 10.5 29 97 days new zealand germany india haiti
akzente 1/16 9 training professionals morocco vocational training is the fo- cus of a project which giz international services plans to implement for the mo- roccan state phosphate producer, office chérifien des phosphates. the company is planning four vocational training centres, primarily for young professionals in the areas of chemicals, mining and industrial mechanics. together with the non-profit organisation codifor, giz will advise the company on setting up and operating the training centres. viet nam wiki official language vietnamese / capital city hanoi / form of government one-party system / head of state president truong tan sang / head of government prime minister nguyen tan dung / size 332,800 km2 / population 90.7 million [1] / population density 279 inhabit- ants per km2 [2] / gross domestic product usd 186.2 billion [1] / currency vietnamese dong sources: [1] world bank 2014, [2] un data 2015 new projects city scoops transformation award strengthening justice mexico at least 26,000 people disap- peared without a trace in mexico between 2006 and 2012 alone. very few of these cases have been resolved. on behalf of the german federal foreign office, giz is supporting the relevant authorities in mexico in their efforts to more effectively investigate missing persons cases with probable links to violent crime. it is also advising the mexican authorities on how to improve the way they deal with victims of violence and their families. photos: ina riaskov (left), getty images/jordi camí (centre), dpa/emily wabitsch (right) new wastewater system it is now official: da nang is an example of excellence in city transformation. the vietnamese city, with 900,000 inhabitants, was awarded the prize of the same name by the financial times and the international finance cor- poration, a member of the world bank group, in recognition of its strategy for a new wastewater system. da nang receives support from giz, which also advises nine other cities in south-east asia on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic co- operation and development. up to now, wastewater has drained into leaky pits which overflow into the streets when there is flooding. a treatment plant will also filter the wastewater, which can then be used safely as an agricultural fertiliser by urban co- operatives. www.giz.de/en/worldwide/32332.html improving quality of life cuba for the first time since 2003, giz is working in cuba. it joined forces with otto- bock, a medical technology company, to im- prove the supply of prosthetic devices and train specialists. the german federal minis- try for economic cooperation and develop- ment, as commissioning party, and ottobock are covering the majority of the costs, with the cuban government also contributing. the project is part of the developpp.de pro- gramme, which fosters development part- nerships with the private sector. akzente 1/169
10 akzente 1/16 in the spotlight make it in hamburg! a hamburg-based project which promotes the integration of foreign experts is benefiting both jobseekers and employers in germany.
11 akzente 1/16 text mirjam hecking photos tim hoppe h is dark eyes focused straight ahead, farhad haidari, a young man from afghanistan, absentmindedly runs his index finger over his top lip. a few me- tres in front of him, workshop leader bernd wenske is explaining what should be in- cluded in a german job application: ‘if it says: “please send your complete applica- tion”, this means that you should send all certificates and references along with your cv,’ he explains. ‘the same applies if the terms “detailed”, “comprehensive” or “full” are used,’ he adds in german-accented english. with a soft click, he puts the lid back on the pen he used to write the key words on the flip chart. haidari’s neighbour, a woman with curly blond hair, bursts out laughing. ‘ger- mans have so many words for exactly the same thing,’ she says, shaking her head, but taking note of the terms nonetheless. after all, she does not want to make any mistakes in her next application. together with ten other participants, they are sitting in a bright room in an old building near hamburg’s central train sta- tion. the wooden tables are arranged in a horseshoe shape around a large digital board. there are coffee cups, water bottles and laptops on the tables of the partici- pants, who come from cyprus, france, in- dia, poland, south africa and, of course, afghanistan. the atmosphere is one of concentrated silence, interrupted only by the occasional clicking of a keyboard. in red letters, a poster on the window reads ‘make it in hamburg!’, the name of a project which is being implemented » by giz. it aims to help foreign skilled professionals in hamburg to find work. the three-day job application training workshop organised by cooperation part- ner arbeit und leben hamburg comple- ments the one-on-one advice provided by giz. the project is funded equally by the european social fund and the city of hamburg. all participants speak fluent english. many have excellent university degrees, some even have doctorates. yet they are still struggling to find a job on their own in germany. this is due to the fact that, despite regular reports in the media about the shortage of skilled professionals in germany: ‘when it comes to employing foreign applicants, many companies are still very cautious,’ says florian krins from giz. native to hamburg, he has seen this many times. since the beginning of 2014, he has been advising well-educated foreign jobseekers through the make it in ham- burg! project. however, it is not just companies that need to expand their knowledge. many foreign applicants do not know how the german labour market works. ‘the appli- cation process in germany is fundamentally different to that of other countries,’ ex- plains krins. some have no idea where to start more than 450 foreign specialists from over 70 countries worldwide have sought support since the project was launched. they are given advice and tips, and take part in workshops like the one run by bernd wenske. not everyone who walks through the door of giz’s hamburg city centre office needs job application train- ing. some only need to be pointed in the direction of suitable job portals. others have no idea where to start. job application training, such as the workshop completed by haidari, can be a good place to begin. jobseekers spend three days learning about the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the german working world. the dos and don’ts of writing a cv. how to handle salary negotiations. and how to word a cover letter that will grab a company’s attention. ‘if a vacancy lists new start: with make it in hamburg!, farhad haidari is now learning the intricacies of the german working world – and there are one or two surprises.
> contact florian krins > florian.krins@giz.de ten requirements but i only meet nine, should i bother applying?’ asks haidari, his eyebrows raised incredulously. ‘yes,’ wen- ske answers calmly. the grey-haired work- shop leader dressed in jeans and a light, short-sleeved shirt adjusts his horn-rimmed glasses. ‘a job advertisement is like a wish list. you can still apply even if you don’t meet all the criteria,’ he says, looking around the group. arunkumar jayaprakash also knows how difficult it can be to gain a foothold on the german labour market. the 33-year-old aircraft engineer from banga- lore has lived in hamburg for more than three years. he was brought to the city by an airbus supplier to develop parts for the a350. the aircraft is now complete. and he is unemployed. making a good impression through telephone training he needs to find a new job soon. but even contacting potential employers is proving more difficult than he anticipated. ‘most people just hang up the phone,’ he ex- plains, pulling a thread from his freshly ironed linen shirt. ‘maybe my name puts them off.’ after taking part in telephone training through make it in hamburg!, things are now looking up. ‘we practised explaining the reason for our call to the person on the other end of the phone and learned that you should perhaps not mention your name first,’ he says. ‘i now always make a point of explaining which is my given name and which is my family name,’ says jayaprakash, with a mischievous glint in his eye. just to be on the safe side, he has shortened his first name, arunkumar, to arun. although he has yet to find a job, companies are now get- ting back to him. ‘i also have a date for an interview,’ he says. zhuoli li – or linda lee, as she calls herself here in germany – faced a similar situation. the 32-year-old international sales specialist from china has been in hamburg for over a year. she moved to germany from shanghai to work in cus- tomer services at an automotive supplier, but her contract is now about to expire. li appreciates german social standards and wages and wants to stay in germany. she has also built up an international circle of friends in hamburg. with the help of the job application training course, she learned how to formu- late a cover letter. and this led to an inter- view with a technology firm. ‘the interview went really well,’ she says, beaming. a few weeks later, she has even better news: the contract is signed. nonetheless, li is continuing to work on her german. that, she has noticed, is a key criterion for entering the german la- bour market. even if english is the main working language, ‘companies still expect you to have good german skills,’ she says. 12 akzente 1/16 also available on the akzente app and on the website: zhuoli li’s job search akzente.giz.de/en top: in the job application training course, farhad haidari (second from the left) and the other participants learn that the requirements in a job advertisement are really more of a wish list. so they should be bold and apply anyway, even if they do not meet all the criteria. right: groups are relatively small. each participant can ask questions relating to their own personal situation, work- shop leader bernd wenske (small photo at the bottom) explains patiently.
13 akzente 1/16 > at a glance internationality has long been part of hamburg’s history – the port and city of com- merce has always benefited from diversity. skilled professionals with new ideas are in high demand here. the make it in hamburg! project helps these professionals to integrate into the labour market. among other things, it offers a service point for jobseekers and companies. on behalf of the hanseatic city of hamburg, giz also of- fers job application training and intercultural workshops. the project is part-funded by the european social fund. around 450 skilled professionals have already taken advantage of the services on offer. roughly 300 have taken part in workshops, and more than 75 have subsequently found a job, training place or internship. good advice in diverse hamburg in the spotlight
the value of difference: with so many different cultures and traditions, the world has much to offer. in order to make constructive use of this abundance, openness and clear rules to guide our social relations are essential. overview: examples of work at giz in figures: diversity – a prerequisite for success in business and politics ‘reflecting customer diversity’: interview with susanna nezmeskal-berggötz, head of the diversity department at deutsche post dhl group tolerance – the jordanian way: guest article by minister of culture lana mamkegh diversity themes
akzente 1/16 16
in focus akzente 1/16 17 hate, and muslims) and diverse languages (of sino-tibetan and indo-european origin). in an ideal world, the national heroine, at least, would surely take up the cause of the per- secuted. and yet even nobel peace prize laureate aung san suu kyi – revered for her pro-democracy campaign – has failed to speak up for the rohingya: aligning herself with their cause could cost her valuable support. the history of the rohingya in myanmar makes it clear why it is always important for the international com- munity to reach agreement on key principles under interna- tional law – and why further work is needed to put them into practice. in 2015, unesco marked the 10th anni- versary of the convention on the protection and promo- tion of the diversity of cultural expressions. unesco defines culture as ‘the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, [which] encompasses, in addition to art and litera- ture, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, tradi- tions and beliefs’ – a neat summation, surely, of all that the world has to offer. and yet how little we know about the treasure house that is diversity. does it also exist where we see uniformity? do we sometimes confuse diversity with more of the same? m yanmar: a land of mystery, a golden land, a shangri la for countless tourists, and home to 135 distinct ethnic groups – and that’s just the official number. even vast russia barely exceeds this figure with its 160 na- tionalities, while mighty china is home to just 55. greater diversity is hard to imagine. but the reality, sadly, is more complex: with around 40 per cent of myanmar’s popula- tion belonging to a minority, being different should really be the norm, and yet myanmar is riven by conflicts, some of which have escalated into civil war. one particular group – the rohingya – stands out for not fitting into the picture. the united nations calls these stateless muslims the most persecuted minority on earth. their fate encapsulates, in microcosm, the frequent triggers of conflict: the coexistence of a majority (in this case the burmese) alongside a minority (the rohingya), the pres- ence of different faiths (buddhists, some of whom preach the value of difference we live in a world of diversity – a world which welcomes different languages, cultures and customs. for some people, however, this diversity is daunting, even overwhelming. the solution is not to isolate ourselves but to get to know and embrace the ‘other’ and to devise clear rules to guide our social relations. text ingrid müller a festival of diversity: athletes from around the world at the opening ceremony of the 2015 special olympics world games in los angeles » photos: getty images/antonio iacobelli (page 14/15), laif/kent nishimura (page 16) akzente 1/1617
in focus akzente 1/16 18 ultimately, if there is a different way of doing or being – as a choice, not as a necessity – everyone benefits. but some people put up barriers when they encounter some- thing new. perhaps it is insecurity about their own iden- tity that prevents them from recognising the value inher- ent in difference. we like to say that we live in a colourful world, precisely because there are so many different ways of life. and yet – despite our access to modern communi- cations – there isn’t a single person on earth who can identify all of them. a full cup of tea: other places, other meanings in any encounter between people from different cultures, misunderstandings can easily arise. working out exactly when a meeting is likely to take place or when a guest will arrive is an art in itself. ‘african time’, for example, is leg- endary: it almost always means a very late start. and in pa- kistan, even official meetings are not usually scheduled well in advance. the prime minister’s office might simply call up at midnight to arrange a meeting for 8 am the following day – almost unthinkable in germany. in japan, etiquette forbids the use of a handkerchief – instead, a drippy nose is cleared with a noisy snort, a prac- tice drummed out of every child here in europe. in india, shaking your head from side to side means yes, not no – very confusing for europeans, to whom it means the opposite. in sri lanka, basins of water are provided in res- taurants so that customers can wash their hands before and after the meal – much to the bemusement of visitors. the food is eaten with the right hand – after all, if you yourself haven’t seen the knife and fork being washed, how can you be sure that they are clean? and if western europeans in- vite a kazakh round for tea and fill the guest’s cup up to the top, they may well find him taking his leave much sooner than expected – for although there’s always time for some tea in kazakhstan, a brimming cup is a sign that the host is in a rush and not feeling particularly hospitable. and in ecuador, the locals think the europeans quite mad to take their dogs out for a walk: in their country, dogs walk them- selves – and always find their way home. there are often glaring differences, too, in the way people deal with personal events such as death. in europe, if there’s a death in the family, it’s customary to pay one’s respects quietly and in private. but in african countries, it’s not only the extended family that comes together in an open display of grief: anyone who happens to be in the neighbourhood automatically becomes one of the mourn- ers and may be asked to give a speech in honour of the indigenous peoples project: implementing the rights of indigenous peoples commissioned by: german federal foreign office lead executing agency: vice ministry of interculturality in peru’s ministry of culture term: 2012 to 2016 peru almost 30 per cent of peruvians belong to an indigenous people. these ethnic groups are still marginalised and disproportionately affected by poverty. the project aims to support the implementation of a new right to prior consultation and thus increase indigenous communities’ participation in law-making processes by giving them the right to have a say. www.giz.de/en /worldwide /13344.html 1 examples of work at women project: economic integration of women in the mena region (econowin) commissioned by: german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development lead executing agencies: governments of egypt, jordan, morocco and tunisia term: 2010 to 2016 middle east and north africa despite some progress, this region still has the world’s lowest rates of women’s participation in economic life. the project aims to achieve lasting improvements with media campaigns and better access to training for women. www.giz.de/en /worldwide /15981.html photo: getty images/hanan isachar (page 19)
akzente 1/16 19 » departed, even if he or she has never met the grieving friends and family before. living life as you choose in the west, most people have grown accustomed to the many different forms that a family can take. some people live on their own, while others – married or not – live with a partner or share their home with their own or someone else’s children. women can marry other women, and men can marry men. it’s of no concern to anyone else. but things are different elsewhere. bearded drag queen conchita wurst may have won the eurovision song contest in 2014, but the day when every person in every country of the world has the right to be open about their sexual orientation is still a long way off. homosexu- ality is still illegal in around 80 of the world’s countries, 38 of them in africa. as recently as 2014, uganda at- tempted to introduce capital punishment for homosexu- ality despite massive international protests. and seven countries inflict the death penalty on those found to be involved in same-sex romantic relationships. ‘civilisation can be judged by the way it treats its minorities.’ mahatma gandhi, indian pacifist and nonviolent resistance leader 10 to 20 per cent of the world’s population belongs to a minority, according to united nations estimates (no precise figures exist). this amounts to between 700 million and 1.4 billion peo- ple. source: office of the high commissioner for human rights peaceful relations between three world religions: the ‘festival of festivals’ in the israeli city of haifa shows the way. akzente 1/1619
akzente 1/16 20 akzentuiert
akzente 1/16 21 in focus in president putin’s russia, there are unpleasant conse- quences simply for speaking publicly about the issue. even in countries which do not prohibit homosexuality, such as the staunchly catholic philippines, gays and lesbians often keep their sexual orientation under wraps. there’s more freedom in germany, but even here, it is still relatively new: the infamous paragraph 175 of the criminal code penalised sex between men until 1994. since then, much has changed: germany has had an openly gay foreign minister, for example. nonetheless, many of the court rul- ings remain in force and prejudice persists. germans some- times forget that the rights they vocally demand from oth- ers are fairly new in their own country: the german civil code did not permit married women to make decisions about their own financial affairs until the late 1950s, and a married woman was not allowed to go out to work without her husband’s express consent until 1977. people who belong to the majority or live in a liberal environment often have no idea how it feels to be one of the ‘others’. ‘gringa, gringo, hey, whiteys,’ the bemused lo- cals muttered at us as we walked to a cathedral in peru one evening during holy week in the 1990s. at that time, shining path terrorists were still wreaking havoc in this andean country. foreigners rarely ventured off the beaten track – and certainly not on foot or after dark. a similar scenario can arise in the usa as well: a white person leav- ing the melting pot of new york and travelling to black middle-class neighbourhoods in new jersey is likely to en- counter incredulous questions from the police and black bus drivers: ‘do you really want to go there?’ and on reaching your destination, the local youth cast glances of disbelief, as if an alien had landed. most white people don’t venture into these neighbourhoods, and because most black people avoid the predominantly white areas, they don’t realise that they are in fact very similar to their own middle-class residential areas. but even if we do form our own impressions, can we ever be certain that we have properly understood what we have seen? or do we still think mainly in terms of black and white? are shades of grey too much of an effort? take the issue of the veil or headscarf worn by muslim women. for many christians, the situation is clear-cut: be- hind the veil is a disenfranchised woman. and yet, as is so often the case, the reality is more complex. the veil has emerged as something of a cultural battleground, making it a highly sensitive issue. a glance at pakistan illustrates the dilemma: some women professors wear a headscarf as the visible sign of opposition to supposed ‘enemies’ in the west. but many female students only pull up their dupat- tas to cover their hair when the qur’an is quoted or the muezzin recites the call to prayer, or if their father sum- mons them. they never wear it when out shopping in the bazaar. for some veiled women in the highly conservative border regions, the sight of a foreign woman without her hair covered is an intolerable affront. others say: ‘it’s en- tirely up to you. but i need my community’s respect in or- der to campaign for women’s rights, and that’s why i wear a headscarf.’ nowadays, many young women wear a head- scarf while they zip around town on their vespas. but then there is the articulate woman from the almost inaccessible tribal areas, who has been to university and has worked abroad for years but has nonetheless consented to an ar- ranged marriage. fully veiled on visits home, she has to hold her brother’s hand so that she doesn’t fall over – she’s not used to such a restricted field of vision. so even behind the veil, there is a measure of diversity. diversity is a source of deep displeasure to many conservatives, such as the self-styled moral guardians who are mainly interested in exercising their power over others and who claim an exclusive right to define what is accept- able and what is not. some of them exist in arab coun- tries as well. the worst example is the so-called ‘islamic state’, whose brutal fanatics are currently attempting » photo: getty images/veronique lee (page 20) there’s no such thing as the key to happiness. everyone must find their own path – and accept that there are countless other ways as well. almost a classic: facebook chief operating officer sheryl sandberg appeals to women not to shy away from leadership and to embrace the will to lead. ‘lean in: women, work, and the will to lead’, wh allen, 2013. ‘my idea of a perfect world is one in which we really appreciate each other’s differences... .’ barbra streisand, american actress akzente 1/1621
140 nationalities 69% local staff 45% women 32% middle east/north africa 8% sub-saharan africa europe/caucasus asia/pacific central asia latin america/caribbean 21% 7% 11% 21% local giz staff are located all around the globe, with the largest proportion in african countries south of the sahara and the smallest in europe and the caucasus. greater innovation according to a forbes survey, the majority of ceos of leading companies consider diversity to be the key driver of innovation. 48% 37% higher growth if women were to have equality in the labour market in all countries, it is estimated that global economic growth could rise by 26 per cent. +35 % improved sales companies with a diverse workforce have a much greater likelihood of achieving above-average sales revenues than homogenous companies: the so-called ‘diversity dividend’ is estimated at 35 per cent. + 35% diversity is now considered a key component of economic and political success. according to recent studies, when companies, teams and parliaments are composed of a mix of genders, religions, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and disabilities, they work better and achieve more because they are able to draw upon ideas from a wider pool. but creating diversity is not always easy. diversity wins i fully agree i mostly agree international giz giz is a highly diverse company, with a large proportion of staff working for giz in their respective home countries and many women in management positions. and with the proportion of women on the management board currently at 50 per cent, giz is setting a strong example.
23 in focus to subjugate the entire world to their inhuman brand of culture, religion and society and destroy anything that doesn’t fit in with their particular worldview. more and less diversity at once the threat is rarely quite as monstrous as that. but in many regions, people fear for the future of their language and their traditions: in other words, their identity. so they of- ten demand more rights: catalans in spain, scots in the united kingdom, kurds in turkey, tamils in sri lanka. experience has shown that peaceful community relations can only be sustained if every group within society is pro- tected and has a voice. if the majority believes for too long that it can dominate or ignore the minority, this often opens the door to militants. on paper, the body of rights is growing, and yet cul- tural diversity is shrinking at the same time. studies show that one language dies somewhere around the world every two weeks.traditional nutritional knowledge is also gradu- ally disappearing in many parts of the world as people em- brace a ‘modern’ diet. in countries as far apart as haiti and india, doctors are treating rising numbers of obese children and young diabetics. although their families could easily grow fresh fruit and vegetables, there are soft drinks and burgers available. and it’s not much better in the devel- oped countries. recent studies show that the germans enjoy eating foods from other countries, but – as in the usa – they now prefer to eat in a restaurant or while they are out and about, or they opt for ready meals. the number of germans who cook at home is diminishing – indeed, some people have got rid of their stoves altogether. globalisation makes some aspects of life much easier. many rwandans, for example, had mobile phones before they were popular in the developed countries. the reason is very simple: in the past, telephones were only available in the capital kigali and perhaps in one shop per village, due to the costs and effort involved in laying cables across rwanda’s impassable terrain. nationwide coverage was only achieved with the advent of mobile telephony – and people quickly embraced the new technology. today, mo- bile devices are a feature of everyday life in many african countries and even make it easier for farmers to do their work: the icow app, for example, offers calendar services to farmers and provides tips on feeding and milking. in ghana, the esoko tool enables farmers to compare market prices and find out whether the middlemen are trying to cheat them. this is the new diversity. but the globalised economy also leads to uniformity: people use the same type of tablet computer in buenos » ‘7 billion others’ is a video project which asks thousands of people about their hopes and dreams. the videos show that despite all the differences, there is a great deal that unites us. www.7billionothers.org sources: mckinsey, forbes, giz, national academy of engineering, unesco, inter-parliamentary union minority in parliaments only around 22 per cent of all parliamentarians in the world are women. northern countries have the highest ratio, with over 40 per cent, the pacific region has the lowest with around 13 per cent. the country with the highest proportion of women in its parliament is rwanda; in january 2014 that figure was 64 per cent. 21.8% 78.2% lack of inclusion around 57 million children around the world do not attend a primary school. approximately one third of these are children with a disability. 57 million traditional preserve of the white male engineers in the usa have always been a particu- larly homogenous group: most are men and not from ethnic minorities. african americans and hispanics, in particular, are distinctly underrepresented. nowa- days, however, as the population becomes more and more diverse, engineering services also have to cater increasingly for a more mixed customer base. 3.1% african american 4.9% hispanic
in focus akzente 1/16 24 » social cohesion project: avoiding new conflicts through better integration commissioned by: german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development lead executing agency: sri lanka’s ministry of national languages and social integration (mnlsi) term: 2002 to 2017 sri lanka in sri lanka, the political and economic marginalisation of various ethnic groups has caused frequent conflicts in the past. giz has developed numerous initiatives and activities to promote greater participation among minorities and thus prevent further conflicts. www.giz.de/en /worldwide /18405.html 3 examples of work at biodiversity project: conservation of biodiversity commissioned by: german federal ministry for the environment, nature conservation, building and nuclear safety lead executing agency: costa rica’s ministry of environment and energy term: 2014 to 2020 costa rica costa rica is one of the world’s top 20 richest countries in biodiversity and has placed around 25 per cent of its territory under various protection regimes in order to preserve this abundance. for the survival of many species, it is also important to connect the protected areas, so costa rica is now creating habitat corridors – with giz’s support. www.giz.de/en /worldwide /35382.html 4 aires and in new delhi and they drink the same brand of coffee in washington and in rome. there’s a growing con- cern that connectivity is toxic to diversity. one example is the debate about the transatlantic trade and investment partnership (ttip), currently the subject of negotiations between the european union and the usa. few politi- cians would ever have dreamed that such an obscure and complex issue would bring more than 150,000 protestors to berlin, as happened towards the end of last year. but ttip touches on key areas of our lives. will 1.3 million jobs be created, or will 600,000 be lost? does ttip spell the end for workers’ rights, consumer protection, food safety and regional products such as feta cheese and black forest ham? the german economic affairs minister is taking out full-page ads to deny these claims: no, he says, diversity will be preserved. the two sides present their arguments with equal conviction. diversity means creativity: the business view as studies show, businesses recognised the value of diver- sity in stimulating productivity and creativity long ago. diversity management is now well-established in major companies, and programmes for women’s advancement and the integration of people with disabilities are part of the new social reality. the german diversity charter ini- tiative is a case in point: it brings together 18 major com- panies, including adidas, bayer, bmw, telekom and sap, and its code of conduct has 2,300 signatories. ‘the compa- nies aren’t doing this because it’s nice to have. as exporters, small and medium-sized enterprises know how important it is to get the right message across to each consumer,’ says ceo aletta gräfin von hardenberg. ‘we can only be suc- cessful economically if we recognise and make use of the diversity that exists,’ says german justice minister heiko maas, who is a keen advocate of the d-word. however, diversity benefits not only each and every company but also the country as a whole. far more women with children are in work today than 10 years ago – and that has added almost eur 5 billion to germany’s gross domestic product. without foreign nationals, entire sectors of the economy would collapse. germans with a migration background pay more than eur 50 billion in taxes a year. and a little-known fact: one senior manager in three in germany does not hold a german passport. but this diversity can also cause all kinds of friction. in our dealings with others, we often relapse subconsciously into entrenched ways of thinking and prejudices. this doesn’t just have to do with psychology, which we can
akzente 1/16 25 your company places great emphasis on diversity. could you explain why? it’s very simple. we operate in 220 coun- tries and territories, which makes us one of the world’s most international compa- nies. we have around 490,000 staff from all the world’s countries, cultures and faiths. we want – in fact, we must – make use of their diverse perspectives for the benefit of our business. it’s mainly about respecting and motivating our workforce. but it is also the key to new markets, for it reflects the diversity of our customers, suppliers and investors around the world. that’s why diversity is a key component of our corporate culture. diversity is part of the corporate culture: what does that mean in practice? in 2006, we developed a code of conduct in which we state our commitment to a respectful and appreciative working environ- ment. but that’s not all: at our company, promoting diversity is also a leadership task and forms part of our senior managers’ job descriptions. they are responsible for ensur- ing diversity within their teams and uti lising it successfully. just how diverse is the company? around 60 per cent of our employees work outside germany, with at least a third of them located outside europe. there is a good spread of nationalities: even here in ger- many, we have around 160 nationalities in our 200,000-strong workforce. we also have a significant proportion of women in our global workforce – around 36 per cent, with women accounting for almost 20 per cent of our middle and senior management. we also have a large number of people with disabilities – almost 9 per cent in germany, which is roughly twice the german private sector average and well above the legal requirement. when and how did the company recognise that diversity is important? this is not a new topic for us. we have been working on diversity since the 1990s, although at that time, it was more about gender equality and equal rights for people with disabilities. then we broadened the scope. a key factor is that since it was pri- vatised in the 1990s, our company – a former public authority – has become in- creasingly international as a result of acquisitions and mergers and has expanded its business operations throughout the world. around two thirds of our turnover is generated outside germany – a very different scenario from 15 years ago. in parallel to this radical change, diversity has become an increasingly important issue for us. we are a ‘people business’ in a service in- dustry, so we deal with customers from a wide range of sectors, cultures and back- grounds. we want our workforce to reflect this diversity so that we provide the best possible customer experience. not all countries have the same attitude to- wards women’s or gay rights, for example. how do you deal with this? we ourselves never deviate from our corpo- rate standards, which are set out in the code of conduct that i have already mentioned. but of course, we have to show a degree of sensitivity to the cultural environment or le- gal situation in specific countries. in relation to diversity management, this means setting different priorities across countries and r egions. reflecting that, our diversity training is equally ‘diverse’. and we turn the global spotlight on this issue with diversity week, which takes place every year. where is there still some room for improve- ment on diversity issues within the company? we need sustainable human resources policies so that diversity can help safeguard our company’s future success. the environ- ment, markets and demographics are constantly changing, and the same applies to diversity management. for us, there is no doubt that diversity influences service quality, commitment and motivation – and that makes it a real competitive advantage. interview: friederike bauer ‘reflecting customer diversity’ susanna nezmeskal-berggötz has headed the diversity department at deutsche post dhl group since 2005. she sees diversity as a key economic factor in the global competition for markets and customers. ‘we attach importance to a respectful and appreciative working environment.’ photo: deutsche post dhl group akzente 1/1625
in focus akzente 1/16 26 something for everyone – a world of choice in a western supermarket. the meaning of diversity: a two-minute film by an automotive technology company from the usa. www.youtube.com/ watch?v=g19s2h037zg address through education, researchers say. it seems we have deep-rooted biological mechanisms in our brain which inform our view of diversity. the brain stores our experiences and automatically recalls them when we make decisions. this may be one reason why it takes so long to correct distortions. it takes time, for example, for women managers to be viewed as the norm after so many years of male dominance. it also helps to explain why people tend to favour others from the same cultural background. it seems our mental images are all-pervasive, and no matter how liberal we are, no one can simply delete every- thing from their internal hard drive. jessica gedamu and albert kehrer, whose diversity slams – modelled on the poetry equivalent – turn the spotlight on prejudice, call our brain’s instinctive reactions ‘the homer simpson re- sponse’. and alongside our more rational ‘mr spock re- sponse’, it’s something we should be aware of so that it doesn’t start causing trouble. diversity needs dialogue. familiarity helps by creating new experiences to overlay the old ones. this is the only way to promote acceptance. but diversity also needs compro- mises. anyone expecting tolerance from others must be tol- erant themselves. this takes effort in everyday life and can impose seemingly unreasonable demands – on everyone. becoming accustomed to one another takes time – more than some diversity enthusiasts would like or would person- ally need. tolerance means pushing the boundaries – but it means setting boundaries as well. living together within so- ciety needs clear rules which everyone must abide by so that we can all enjoy our rights without impinging on others. europe is currently in the throes of an experiment. finding a way to accept and integrate so many refugees is a challenge for host societies and new arrivals alike. but there is much more at stake: the world is watching and waiting to see how our cultures find the right balance. a major new paradigm may well be the result. www.giz.de/gender-equality www.giz.de/inclusive-social-protection www.giz.de/company-report
in focus akzente 1/16 27 tolerance – the jordanian way guest article by minister of culture lana mamkegh profile lana mamkegh is jordan’s minister of culture. a qualified journalist and author, she is a vocal supporter of cultural diversity in her own and other countries. h uman culture bears the marking im- print of diversity, since it is represent- ing a plurality of beliefs, conducts, languages, religions, laws, arts, technology, mores, traditions, customs, and economic and political systems. therefore, adherence to one group does not at all imply the ab- sence of others. neither does it imply their disparagement. to better represent our own group, we should respect other identities if we seek to make our own the focus of their respect. in view of this, the state should, when there are different cultural groups within its framework, make each of those groups feel that it is part of the system, and that it is represented by the state. this should be done through the fair distribution of gains, in addition to guaranteeing the freedom of belief and thought. in jordan, we find the social fabric to be culturally diverse whether that is in religious or ethnic aspects. there is a religious and an ethnic majority, yet we have never heard of the existence of minorities in jordan in the usual sense. and that is the primary indica- tor of this existing diversity, formulating a collective identity, the arab islamic human identity of the state. this would not be the case if laws had not been open to the wider horizon of this identity. thus, the freedom to express cultural identi- ties is available and in fact supported by laws and acceptance. and we find jordani- ans providing an exemplary model of such acceptance. no incident of disapproval of special cultural practices was ever recorded. on the contrary, idealistic cases of apprecia- tion of such diversity are steadily witnessed. the ministry of culture provides all pos- sible support to many teams, clubs and civil society institutions affiliated with religious groups, racial ethnicities, or special cultural components. any researcher can refer to the ministry’s website to see the cultural bodies coalescing within that framework. from the culture of the subtropical steppe and the de- sert, to the culture of the city passing through all forms comprising the jordanian social fab- ric – these cultural bodies are guaranteed the right to express the specificities they represent, with the only restraint of respecting the priva- cies of others as guaranteed by the law. hence, the protection of all forms of cul- tural expression means providing a suitable atmosphere for human interaction and for unleashing the energies of individuals, groups and nations in human development. otherwise, we are led into reclusive shells, in pursuit of racial, social, and cultural pu- rity. consequently, the forces of human de- velopment are disabled and sidetracked by forces of evil and backwardness. sustainable development has many def- initions, all of them, however, converge on two points: inclusiveness, and the pervasion that follows necessarily from the word ‘de- velopment’; and the right of future genera- tions that follows necessarily from the word ‘sustainable’. development is to be perva- sive in the sense of achieving conformity be- tween economic, social, and cultural devel- opment: expanding cultural horizons to be able to create a true partnership across gen- erations in managing the gifts of nature, and a true partnership between humans despite differences in culture. subsequently, sus- tainable development and cultural diversity consolidate or frustrate each other. thus, disabling any part of society is bound to cause a defect in development. develop- ment is only genuinely sustainable when everyone is able to contribute. photo: getty images/chuck keeler (page 26), illustration: elliot beaumont (page 27) akzente 1/1627
through the lens
intriguing art: this installation, made from plastic bottles, was commissioned by the museum for national identity in tegucigalpa, honduras. the project is designed to sharpen the focus on the value of waste as a raw material and encourage recycling. sustainable waste management and a circular economy are increasingly recognised as making an important contribution to solving problems such as resource scarcity and pollution. photo: jorge cabrera a new take on old products
akzente 1/16 30 background lutz zimmermann heads giz’s human resources department. working with people from diverse backgrounds is a given at giz – but it doesn’t happen of its own accord. how important is diversity to giz, and how does it feature in a typical day at work? lutz zimmermann explains. diversity: a success factor f or giz, diversity is not just a buzz word. without diversity within our workforce, we would not be able to do our job. diversity is one of the defining features of our clients, our partners and our target groups all over the world, so by our very nature, we are diverse as well. this diversity is reflected in the large number of employees who work for us in their home countries. they account for around 70 per cent of giz’s 16,000-strong global workforce, and the figure is rising. our local employees play a vital role in en suring the quality of our activities. we have to respond to the specific conditions in place in the countries in which we oper ate, and for that, we rely on the country- specific knowledge and experience of our local colleagues. they open the door for us, and they are also the face of our organisation for the ministries, partner organisations and other institutions in the countries con cerned. but another reason why giz’s work force is so diverse is that we are increasingly recruiting european and international experts. this is particularly apparent in countries where we operate mainly on behalf of other governments, international organisations or companies. and of course, our brussels office is notable for the diversity of its staff, with 12 countries rep resented here. giz also has many faces in africa: we have 10 nationalities in our office in ghana, for example, and 9 in botswana. our employees come from the country it self, from the region and from other places around the world. however, a high level of diversity is not possible in all of our offices: in countries with ethnic or religious ten sions, this type of cooperation would be much more difficult to achieve. it’s true to say that diversity doesn’t happen of its own accord. whenever peo ple from different backgrounds work to around the world, there is much more blur ring of the boundaries between work and leisure; the two tend to overlap. in such cases, you can’t simply impose the german model – culturally appro priate responses are needed. so diversity requires management and guidelines. but it would be a mistake to think that this can be done from eschborn or bonn for the en tire world. we have a policy in place, which provides an important frame of reference, but otherwise, working relations are man aged at the local level. there are no uni form rules or system of management – on the contrary, here too, our approach is quite diverse. adjusting to different work cultures is even more important because our local em ployees and international staff are likely to play an even more significant role in fu ture. the projects commissioned by our various clients require increasingly special ised knowledge, which we cannot always find in germany. and our local employees are already the backbone of our operations in many places. the educational and skills levels of our workforce in the partner coun tries are increasing: they offer considerable technical expertise and management skills. today, we have around 900 local employ ees in management positions around the world. this is a development that we fully support – and it is helping us to achieve even greater success in our work. previous ‘background’ articles on giz’s work can be found on: akzente.giz.de/en gether, there is often a clash between their different work cultures, customs and ex pectations. things that one person takes for granted may be difficult for another person to accept. for example, we ger mans tend to make a very clear distinction between work and leisure. we are accus tomed to having saturday and sunday as days off and closing the office. in south asia, on the other hand, sunday is a nor mal working day, and in other countries illustration: elliot beaumont
work at last pakistan how the country is improving its training system – and helping misbah naz to get her career going. page 32 rich harvest ethiopia how an exchange of experience is proving mutually beneficial for berhanu hiluf and other farmers. page 36 a new life iraq how the iljaz family has found a haven from war and terror in dohuk – as well as new optimism. page 40 commitment where giz is active, how it approaches new challenges, what its projects achieve: three examples of giz’s current work in iraq, ethiopia and pakistan.
32 akzente 1/16 32
commitment 33 akzente 1/16 b y the time misbah naz reaches her of- fice in the centre of lahore at 9 am, an ancient power generator is already rat- tling away at the street entrance, where three- wheeler rickshaws throw up clouds of dust that hit the back of the throat. inside the of- fice building, which is co-occupied by a num- ber of international companies, the upper floors are accessed via a black spiral staircase. here, behind a glass door marked with the logo of deutsche bahn, visitors are greeted by a receptionist with a bushy beard and multi-coloured prayer cap. this is the home of cei supply chain, the pakistani partner of logistics company db schenker. for the last 20 years, cei’s employees have been co- ordinating transportation and shipments to the four corners of pakistan. naz is the newest member of the team. the 25-year-old is dressed in the richly orna- mented tunic traditionally worn by pakistani women. from her desk in the department for development, naz analyses the market, deter- mines prices for services provided and scours the web for potential customers. ‘i always like to do the best i can. it’s a great feeling when i manage to land a promising contract for my company,’ she says. work satisfaction is the key. in addition, it’s a chance for her to dem- onstrate her communication skills. naz laughs: ‘i’ve always been a good talker, and this job gives me ample opportunity to talk.’ inspired by the german system misbah naz is one of the first graduates from the dual training programme in la- hore, which was developed by giz on be- half of the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development in cooperation with the government of pa- kistan. other financial contributors to the large-scale reform programme are the euro- pean union and the governments of norway and the netherlands. in the past, vocational schools in pakistan taught only dull, grey the- ory; but now trainees will learn the realities of ev eryday professional life from the outset. the inspiration for this approach is the ger- man dual system of education and training, in which theoretical classroom-based teach- ing is closely integrated with on-the-job training. the overarching objective of ger- man-pakistani cooperation is a fundamental reform of vocational education and training in the country. like most university graduates, naz had gained little practical experience after her four years of studying for a degree in eco- nomics. and like most of her friends, her search for a job turned up no results. so she applied for a one-year course in customer ser- vices. after six months at the vocational training college, she took up a trainee post in the logistics department at cei supply chain. the decision was an easy one for her boss amir munir. during the course of her first pioneer: misbah naz is one of the first students to graduate from the new training programme. she found suitable employment straight away. theory alone can be dull. that’s why in pakistan technical and vocational education and training (tvet) increasingly includes a practical element. nationwide reform of tvet is already showing clear signs of success, as misbah naz’s story shows. work at last text marian brehmer photos abdul majeed goraya shazia kanwal, giz liaison officer in the region of gilgit-baltistan ‘my role in the programme to support tvet reform makes me feel i’m working for a good cause. it is my contribution to the development of my region – gilgit- baltistan is my home. giz provides me with an environment in which i can par- ticipate. i implement my ideas and receive valuable feedback.’
34 akzente 1/16 stan’s 3,500 vocational training colleges – no easy task in a country where cooperation be- tween administrations at central and provin- cial level is virtually non-existent. naz’s theoretical training consisted of courses in customer service, social skills, it and english. at the start of her practical phase with cei supply chain she learned all about db schenker products. she became familiar with previously alien terms such as ‘freight forwarding’. after that, she gained an insight into the work of the various de- partments. ‘now i can do any of the jobs here. that means if someone is absent, i can stand in for them.’ part of the credit for this goes to the mentor who looks after the trainees at cei supply chain during the practical phase. to prepare for their role, mentors attend teach- ing seminars organised by giz in germany. training is still accorded little prestige until a few months ago, naz belonged to the largest age group in her country: over half the population of 185 million is currently below the age of 25. pakistan therefore not only has one of the world’s youngest popula- tions, it also has a high number of school leavers. ‘that’s an enormous potential work- force, yet up to now little has been done to tap this potential to boost the country’s eco- nomic development,’ says hans-ludwig bruns from giz. less than 10 per cent of young people opt for vocational training, which is consid- ered to have little prestige. instead, most flock to the universities, often ending up un- employed because they lack the necessary practical experience. in addition, non-for- mal trades and crafts account for a large part of the pakistani economy. between the of- fices of cei supply chain and lahore’s big- gest vocational college is a busy street bazaar, full of traders, butchers and florists. the in- formal sector is thriving here. fathers pass their professions on to their sons and daugh- ters without any formal qualifications – and therefore without recognition by the state. also available on the akzente app and on the website: sanita (18) talks about her it training. akzente.giz.de /en top: electrical engineering trainees learn everyday professional skills at the government technical training institute in lahore. below: hands-on approach – a trainee at a work- bench (left). logistics expert misbah naz is never far from her maps, which help her coordinate transport routes throughout pakistan (right). interview for the job, he sensed that naz had a lot to offer his company. ‘she’s very ambi- tious and she knows how to conduct herself in a business environment,’ the manager enthuses. his company is one of around 80 businesses in lahore and karachi that have adopted the new dual approach to train- ing staff. has he noticed any difference with his trainees since introducing the dual system? ‘self-confidence,’ munir replies immediately. they are also better prepared. ‘what the trainees learn in class is now much more rel- evant to the on-the-job experience they get with the company.’ munir developed the curriculum for the logistics training in col- laboration with giz. standardising training courses has proved a major challenge at paki-
commitment 35 akzente 1/16 > contact hans-ludwig bruns > hans-ludwig.bruns@giz.de so giz is supporting pakistan with the nationwide introduction of standardised cer- tification. ‘ask me!’ – teachers boost self-confidence at the government technical training insti- tute, trainees undergo systematic preparation for their chosen professions. zishan qureshi has been training electrical engineers here since 1993. the 45-year-old recently adopted the curriculum prescribed by the german- pakistani training programme. one of the programme’s objectives was to encourage stu- dents to interact and be more inquisitive. now, qureshi says, his students are no longer so inhibited in his classes. in the classroom for advanced electrical engineering, 13 students wearing neatly pressed school uniforms are fully focused on their model circuit boards with coloured light bulbs. faded sketches of complex cir- cuitry are pinned to a board on the wall. in just a few months, the young men will be applying for places at one of the training companies. during this on-the-job train- ing they will receive an average stipend of 8,500 rupees, equivalent to around eur 75. ‘by the end of the course, the students have a feeling for the bigger picture,’ qureshi says. ‘what’s more, people are gradually beginning to change their views about the value of man- ual work.’ misbah naz earns 18,000 rupees per month, around eur 160 and approximately one third more than the statutory minimum wage. it is enough to enable her to contribute to her family’s income – and to repay some of the support given to her by her parents. they are proud of what their daughter has achieved, for she is the first woman in the family to have a career of her own. capital: islamabad population: 185 million1 gross domestic product: usd 246.9 billion1 economic growth: 5.4 per cent1 human development index ranking: 146 (out of 187) source: 1 world bank 2014 fit for the job project: supporting technical and vocational education and training reform in pakistan commissioned by: german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development lead executing agency: national vocational & technical training commission term: 2011 to 2016 pakistan’s labour market is flooded with young people lacking the qualifications to find a job. therefore, giz has been supporting the government in its efforts to reform technical and vocational education and training. the project, cofinanced by the eu, the netherlands and norway, involves an initiative, which – in keeping with the ger- man dual model – combines learning in the classroom with on-the-job training. it cooperates with 80 companies in lahore and karachi, which provide training for over 500 men and women in many fields, including electronics, mechatronics and logis- tics. in addition, 1,500 people with a disability have been given the opportunity to lead independent lives thanks to vocational training courses. the project also pro- vides training for 10,000 teachers and new vocational teachers. over 50,000 workers and jobseekers, one third of them women, have already benefited from the reforms. pakistan www.giz.de/training-pakistan pakistan india china iran afghanistan
36 akzente 1/16 farmers systematically share their experience with new farming methods. berhanu hiluf and aberehech tesfay are two of them. rich harvest in ethiopia text marthe van der wolf photos thomas imo
commitment 37 akzente 1/16 i n the highlands of tigray, ethiopia’s north- ernmost region, the roads through the mountains are steep and the landscapes breathtaking. but something is amiss. the vast fields of dry and deforested land in the valleys provide a stark contrast to the green, fertile mountain slopes. as we leave the as- phalt behind and drive into the heart of the woreda (district) of raya azebo, the clouds of dust flung up by our vehicle linger in the air. trees and farmlands are clearly in need of rainfall, the cattle are visibly malnourished and farmers worry about the meagre harvest they can expect from their parched fields. about 1.5 kilometres off the main road we come across a lush oasis. the trees here abound with fruits, the fields are full of cereals and vegetables. one of those working on the land and proudly inspecting his healthy crops is berhanu hiluf, a 38-year-old priest from the ethiopian orthodox church. on his quarter of a hectare of farmland, he grows pa- payas, mangos, bananas, oranges, coffee and teff, an ethiopian variety of grain. this part of raya azebo was not always the cornucopia it is now. until seven years ago it was as barren a landscape as the one we drove through on our way here. but things changed dramatically for berhanu hiluf and his village in 2008, when a programme geared to sustainable land management was introduced. the programme focuses primarily on the rehabilitation of land for agricultural pur- poses. this is a difficult task, with direct con- sequences for livelihoods, since over 30,000 hectares of land are lost each year in ethiopia as a result of land degradation. the pro- gramme additionally addresses food security challenges and implements measures to com- bat the consequences of climate change. it has been introduced in 177 districts across ethio- pia, and is managed and implemented by the ethiopian government and its army of 70,000 agricultural extension workers – ethi- opian staff dispatched to communities to dis- seminate information and train people in ru- ral areas. the government receives support from giz, working on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development in collaboration with kfw development bank. the budget is cofinanced by the world bank, the european union, norway and canada. initial scepticism gives way to acceptance like berhanu hiluf, most people in raya azebo live off the land. for generations, knowledge of rearing livestock and farming the land has been handed down from father to son, from mother to daughter. however, traditional approaches to farming are no longer adequate – even in years with good rainfall. and this is a consequence of a rela- tively new phenomenon in ethiopia: over- population. whereas the country counted approximately 40 million people in 1985, ethiopia is now africa’s second most popu- lous nation, with over 97 million. and popu- lation numbers continue to rise. less fertile land for a growing population means lower per capita agricultural production. for a country such as ethiopia – where 80 per cent of the population are smallholder farmers, and agriculture accounts for 41 per cent of gross national product – this can have disas- trous consequences. previously, if land had become overused and in need of rest, farmers would gather their belongings and move to new fields to continue farming. there was also ample land for cattle to graze. population growth has constrained farmer mobility and finding pastureland has become a challenge. increasing deforestation and soil degradation are the result. for 15 years, hiluf tried different ways to get a respectable harvest from land that was overgrazed and suffered from soil erosion. he remembers well the day seven years ago when the new soil management programme was introduced at a village meeting. the farmers’ reactions ranged from scepticism to outright rejection. changing farming methods that had been passed down for generations would be a challenge, to say the least. in particular, a proposed ban on free grazing for cattle faced stiff opposition. farmers were concerned about the additional cost and work involved in having to grow feed for the herds. once the confidence of the farmers had been won, however, improvements came thick and fast. these included the construc- tion of retaining dams. hiluf helped build dams along a gorge, which gave rise to new arable land. one of those plots is now his. this has been a life-changer for him, he says. he explains how previously they had used only small, makeshift dams made of wood. during the rainy season, the floods would usually destroy them. ‘the project supplied the materials and knowledge to close off the upper catchment area. the flooding stopped immediately.’ this enabled the farmers to progress through knowledge: berhanu hiluf is de lighted at how the new farming methods are bearing fruit. for 15 years his efforts were in vain. tewodros gebreegziabher, programme manager sustainable land management, tigray region ‘if we don’t stop soil degradation, it will be difficult for the farmers in our country to survive. that’s why i find my work for giz so rewarding: as an expert in soil and water conservation, i can really do something for my people. i also think it’s great that we involve the communities in developing solutions.’
38 akzente 1/16 ethiopia has a highly diverse geography. each region faces different individual chal- lenges. in some places, the need is for water storage systems and terracing, while in oth- ers, the planting of specific varieties of trees may bring about the required changes. for this reason, the programme offers farmers a whole range of possibilities to improve their farming methods and increase yields and in- come. broad impact across a huge country ‘the effectiveness of the programme can be measured by its broad-scale implementa- tion,’ says johannes schoeneberger from giz, summarising the programme’s success. over 194,000 households – that is to say around one million people – have success- on the akzente app and on the website: a village elder describes the changes to his community. akzente.giz.de /en left: planning for the future – aberehech tesfay once had three chickens; today she keeps 50 and has plans to expand her farm even further. right: green farmland – the hillside at tigray, where the soils have been restored to full health (top). the fruits of his labour: berhanu hiluf harvests his lemons (left). small herds: cattle are an important source of income (right). conserve soil and water on the slopes and begin work straight away to reclaim and re- habilitate the land. the region’s fruit trees provide another success story. once a week, the villagers would take their harvest to the marketplace six kilometres away. but news of the valley’s improved crop yields travelled fast. today, the buyers come in trucks to purchase fruit straight from the fields. in some regions, these changes have led to an increase in yield of up to 85 per cent and a significant rise in income for farmers. the farmers received comprehensive in- struction prior to planting the fruit trees. the proposal to place a ban on free grazing – at first considered so controversial – is now making a major contribution to the success of the measure, since cattle can no longer destroy the young saplings.
commitment 39 akzente 1/16 > contact johannes schoeneberger > hans.schoeneberger@giz.de fully implemented the programme’s im- proved methods on their land. as a result, 180,000 hectares have been rehabilitated and stabilised. aberehech tesfay was one of the first from the village of alage in the tigray region to participate in the sustainable land manage- ment programme. people in the villages around alage have been suffering the effects of a severe drought. but thanks to the pro- gramme, the 35-year-old has felt little of the impact. on the half a hectare of land she owns with her husband, they have been able to grow adequate supplies of wheat and teff. an end to day-to-day survival tesfay and her husband, who together have eight children, struggled for years to cultivate the land. the training course offered by the programme took her to another village 150 kilometres away, where the successes of other farmers were already tangible. tesfay remem- bers seeing the photos and being reduced al- most to tears: ‘when i saw their fields, i wanted my village to be as green as theirs.’ exchanges of experience like these have proved the best way of encouraging farmers. dialogue increases the readiness to try out new techniques. at the training centre near alage, which is also run by the programme, the courses cover a wide range of topics. tesfay says that the most useful one for her was a course on keeping chickens and laying hens. ‘i used to have just two or three chickens,’ tesfay explains. ‘today i have 50 chickens and three dairy cows.’ she has also bought two goats and says her life has changed dramatically. ‘before we were surviving on a day-to-day basis.’ aberehech tesfay cannot wait to take her farmland and livestock production to the next level. capital: addis ababa population: 97 million1 gross domestic product: usd 54.8 billion1 economic growth: 9.9 per cent1 human development index ranking: 173 (out of 187) source: 1 world bank 2014 for better soils project: sustainable land management commissioned by: german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development lead executing agency: ethiopian ministry of agriculture term: 2015 to 2017 the six regions participating in the programme are home to over 85 per cent of ethiopians. each year tens of thousands of hectares of land used for farming in ethiopia are lost, for example as a result of erosion. launched in 2012 and expanded in 2015, the programme is part of an initiative of the ethiopian government to combat this development. it is cofinanced by kfw development bank, the world bank, the european union, norway and canada. giz strengthens the knowledge of its ethiopian partners by providing advisory services and advanced training. over 500 small farmer associations now use sustainable methods to manage their fields. on around 180,000 hectares of land previously in poor condition, farmers today apply techniques such as terracing. not only does this make for improved soils, it also yields higher incomes for farmers. ethiopia www.giz.de/en/worldwide/18912.html ethiopia somalia south sudan eritrea sudan kenya
40 akzente 1/16 40 they escaped with little more than their lives: like hundreds of thousands of other refugees, nazrin iljaz and her children found refuge from war and terror in northern iraq. a new life text gabriele rzepka photo markus kirchgessner
commitment 41 akzente1/16 n azrin iljaz’s world fell apart during the night of 3 august 2014. troops from the terrorist group islamic state (is) in- vaded the district of sinjar in northern iraq, murdered the yazidi menfolk, abducted the women and children, and committed acts of rape. those who were able to, fled the area. iljaz stuck it out, hoping until the last that the terrorists would not get to her. but her hopes were quickly extinguished. the farmer and single mother took her seven children and escaped to the mountains. ‘from up there, i could see my friends and neighbours dying,’ she recalls, almost without emotion. suddenly there is anger in her eyes: ‘some of my non-yazidi neighbours joined up with the is troops and looted my farm and house.’ then in a softer voice: ‘they were once my neighbours.’ when iljaz hurriedly fled her home, all she could take with her was a little food, some gold jewellery and the clothes she and her children were wearing. after several days’ walking through the mountains, the family came across kurdish peshmerga fighters, who escorted them – along with hundreds of thousands of other refugees – to the iraqi border. here, volunteers from the province of dohuk came to meet the exhausted refugees with their own cars, buses, taxis and trucks. iljaz and her children found shelter in a school for the first few weeks. the kurdish government and local population provided food, clothing, bedding and toys. since late september 2014, the family of eight has been living in the shariya refugee camp, where they occupy two tents. shariya is one of eleven refugee camps in dohuk, where giz assists the provincial gov- ernment in its efforts to alleviate the plight of people like nazrin iljaz. on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic co- operation and development and in collabo- ration with deutsche welthungerhilfe e.v. and unicef, giz is building 14 commu- nity centres, 10 schools, seven health centres and a hospital. in addition, approximately 4,000 concrete baseplates for refugee tents have been put in place, roads have been built, and systems for water supply and wastewater disposal created. giz organises training courses to prepare administrators of the refu- gee camps for their duties and provides in- struction in conflict resolution. around 20,000 people live in the shariya refugee camp. in the twelve months from summer 2014, approximately 550,000 refu- gees arrived in dohuk province, most of them from syria and iraq. to provide refu- gees with some form of activity and some- thing to take their mind off their plight, unicef organises football tournaments and readings on behalf of giz. hundreds of the children take part in theatre groups, and each camp has its own newspaper run by a group of youngsters. three mobile cinemas tour the camps. ‘when we arrived, our tent was already provided with water and electricity. waste is collected every day and if something doesn’t work, the authorities come immediately to fix it.’ with a roof over their heads, water, food, clothing and even a little entertain- ment, the family is provided with the basics. but they cannot forget the horrors they have witnessed. iljaz suffers from panic attacks, problems sleeping and anxiety. her children wake up in the night screaming. the mother seeks help from the social worker khoshi zubeir, whose office is in the camp’s com- munity centre. zubeir listens patiently to il- jaz and persuades her to take advantage of the many activities offered by the commu- nity centre. ‘it is important for the women and children to keep themselves occupied, to give their day structure and get back to some kind of routine.’ a daily routine for the time being. many activities on offer for iljaz, who never went to school and led an isolated life in the mountains, something like a new world is gradually taking shape: ‘i participate in group activities and enjoy tak- ing advantage of all the things on offer. i can now plan my life independently.’ she attends literacy classes, a sewing course and informa- tion events. other refugees are involved in developing the camp’s infrastructure and re- ceive a wage for their efforts. there is even a lawyer on hand for visitors to the community centre. she is able to assist with obtaining new passports and marriage or birth certifi- cates – important documents often left be- hind in the hurry to get away. is there hope of return? according to of- ficial sources, 38,000 yazidis have returned home since the city of sinjar was liberated from the terror organisation is in november 2015. but mines are everywhere and the re- gion has been devastated. for nazrin iljaz and her children, who knows what the future holds. nevertheless, they are looking forward with renewed optimism. optimistic: nazrin iljaz with six of her seven children. all eight are well provided for in dohuk. they even receive support to ensure their psycho- logical wellbeing. > contact sandra albers > sandra.albers@giz.de ayuob mohammed ali, chief engineer for giz in dohuk ‘i come from dohuk and studied here. giz has a lot of experience with refugee camps. what impressed me was the way the project manager persuaded the refu- gees when we wanted to lay 4,000 con- crete baseplates under the tents. at first they were sceptical and unwilling to move their tents. the project manager said: give us just 100 tents and we’ll show you how quick we will be. giz completed the work on schedule and everyone was happy.’
42 akzente 1/16 1 sharon nangoyi simwanza-mulelnga, botswana her job with giz involves advising the development community in southern africa on issues including reform of management structures. she says, ‘i love my job: it makes me feel i’m helping the region i’m a part of to move forward.’ eventually, she would like to return to her home country, zambia, and to work for change there. 2 max fernandez mora, costa rica in his spare time, he’s an enthusiastic organic gar- dener, but his job is to provide advice on re- newable energy and energy efficiency in costa rica and panama. he would like to see better networking of the countries in the region to help solve the problems they all face: ‘if we could cooperate more closely, it would be easier to overcome those problems.’ 3 cut sri rozanna, indonesia the deputy head of the social protection programme says that the best part of her job is meeting peo- ple, learning together, and collaborating to achieve something that will benefit everyone: ‘i believe that my three-year-old daughter and her generation will have a better future. and i’m helping to bring that about.’ 4 oyun-erdene bat-erdene, mongolia ‘my job allows me to be creative, innovative and proactive,’ says the pr advisor – and it also brings her into contact with many different people. oyun-erdene bat-erdene and her col- leagues are helping to protect mongolia’s natural diversity and to promote adaptation of developing our own regions: working for giz around the world they include midwives, it experts and mechanical engineers and come from countries as diverse as costa rica, nigeria and mongolia. nine giz employees across three continents tell us what motivates them to do their job. special
43 akzente 1/16 forested areas to climate change: ‘sometimes, it’s hard to convince people how important it is to use our forests sustainably and protect them and how this will benefit us.’ 5 ikenna agbai, nigeria ikenna agbai is the it officer for a sustainable economic develop- ment programme that supports small busi- nesses. ‘i love computers,’ he says, ‘and it’s great to get paid for doing something i love.’ he admits, though, that it can be difficult to do his job to his own high standards and keep his colleagues happy at the same time: ‘most people think any computer problem can be solved in just five minutes.’ 6 ntaba francis, grenada the programme on which ntaba francis works focuses on cli- mate change and its impact, finding solutions to help countries protect themselves. ‘it’s a vital issue for a small island like grenada,’ she says, adding that she enjoys working in a small team because everyone is so commit- ted: ‘that’s why i love my job. i feel i’m doing something for my country and enjoying myself at the same time.’ 7 héctor ribera, el salvador mechanical engineer héctor ribera works in el salvador as an advisor on energy issues. he’s enthusi- astic about the potential that renewable sources of energy represent and says, ‘i’d like to develop my expertise so that i can make a difference at the highest level in the region.’ 8 samera taher, yemen as a midwife, samera taher is helping to strengthen the health system, with a special focus on women and children. she trains trainers who work with women in rural areas, providing information about contraception and health. ‘i’m really proud of what i do, even though we face many problems here in yemen,’ she says. 9 moses kunyarimwe, zimbabwe moses ku- nyarimwe has been working for giz as a driver for almost 30 years. in his spare time, he loves sport – he goes jogging and plays squash and tennis. what does he like most about his job, though? he doesn’t have to think for long: ‘the recognition and the com- pliments from fellow zimbabweans on the good work giz is doing in our country.’ photo of ntaba francis: andre joseph-witzig also available on the akzente app: in a series of videos, the nine giz employees tell us what happiness means to them and about their hopes for the future. akzente.giz.de /en
44 akzente 1/16 truth and reality film brazil’s 20th international documen tary film festival opens with eduardo coutinho’s film ‘last conversations’. the film shows young brazilians talking about their dreams and difficulties, creating a picture of what is important to the young generation in brazil. after the competition, many of the films, including the prize- winners, will be touring to other parts of the country, including belo horizonte and brasilia. é tudo verdade – it’s all true international documentary film festival and tour 7 april to 27 june 2016 www.etudoverdade.com.br/en local and global art throughout may and early june, the senegalese capital dakar will become a centre for contemporary art from africa as it hosts dak’art 2016, the 12th biennale of contemporary african art. the organisers intend to take art to every corner of the city and have selected 66 artists from 24 countries across africa and beyond. nigeria and qatar feature as guest countries. dak’art 2016 the biennale of contemporary african art 3 may to 3 june 2016 www.dakart.net editor’s picks
guidelines for value chain selection available in english jochem schneemann, trude vredeveld this publication provides guidelines for the devel- opment of value chains. the holistic and structured approach is aimed at practitioners and is particularly suited to the early phase of new projects. the publication draws on in- terviews conducted in 20 countries in 2015 by giz and its co-publisher, the international labour organization. synergies and trade-offs between green growth policies and inclusiveness available in english anna pegels this discussion paper fo- cuses on a dilemma facing development policy: reducing poverty is a key objective, yet economic growth must not be at the cost of the environment. the publication illustrates ways of analysing the social impact of envi- ronmentally sustainable growth strategies. giz publications germany in the eyes of the world available in english and german jochen köhler, sabine tonscheidt this qualitative study illustrates how people around the world see germany. researchers conducted interviews in 26 countries with 179 individuals, ranging from students to prime min- isters. the findings offer in-depth insights that will add a new dimension to political debate. litprom recommends these publications can be downloaded or ordered free of charge from www.giz.de/publications. photos: driss ouadahi/frac centre (page 44 top), chico albuquerque (page 44 below) 45 akzente 1/16 info tomorrow i’ll be twenty literature drawing on his own experienc es, mabanckou’s novel is seen from the naive perspective of 10-year-old michel as he wanders the streets of pointe-noire. the novel turns the environment of the republic of the congo and the political history of the 1970s on their heads and gives them an african twist. this book is witty, odd and full of wry stories. ruthard stäblein, literary critic and editor alain mabanckou, republic of the congo novel translated from french by helen stevenson serpent’s tail, 320 pages man tiger literature a young man attacks a neighbour, ripping open his throat. he later explains his actions by claiming that he has a tiger inside him. kurniawan presents an astute and perceptive fusion of west javanese tiger mythology and modern psychology. ‘man tiger’ is a novel of enormous anger. it circles around the burning issue at its core but saves the big reveal until the very last page. this book will leave readers shocked. katharina borchardt, literary critic and editor eka kurniawan, indonesia novel translated from indonesian by labodalih sembiring verso books, 192 pages litprom – the society for the promotion of african, asian and latin american literature – regularly publishes a list of the best new novels. the jury members explain their choices in akzente. www.litprom.de
‘i’m interested in all aspects of communication,’ says mbissine diouf, who has been working for giz in senegal for 11 years. as assistant to the director of the country office in this west african state, she works across all the areas in which giz operates. diouf is based primarily in the office in the capital, dakar, where she studied communications and german. as often as she can, though, she takes the opportunity to visit the projects being financed by the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development in the interior of senegal. these include a project on energy efficiency and another focusing on decentralisation and local development. diouf also runs the event management division, where her role has included organising the recent economic community of west african states (ecowas) conference, attended by 600 delegates. another part of her job involves delivering in-service training in com- munication for her colleagues. pr expert giz is always looking for experts for its projects. interested? why not visit our ‘jobs and careers’ page: www.giz.de/careers. mbissine diouf, introducing also available on the akzente app and on the website: in a video, mbissine diouf talks about her day-to-day work in senegal. akzente.giz.de/en
work it earns us a living, but it’s far more impor- tant than that. work structures our lives, gives them meaning and determines our social status. yet even though work is so important, it’s a scarce commodity in many places around the world, where decent and well-paid jobs are hard to come preview akzente issue 2 /16 by. what does that mean for individuals and for society? and what can we do to change the situa- tion? answers to these and other questions will be provided in akzente 2 /16. some of the articles will be available as a preview from early september on the akzente website: akzente.giz.de/en. publisher: deutsche gesellschaft für internationale zusammenarbeit (giz) gmbh registered offices: bonn and eschborn, germany • friedrich-ebert-allee 36 + 40, 53113 bonn, germany tel.: +49 228 44 60-0, fax: +49 228 44 60-17 66 • dag-hammarskjöld-weg 1-5, 65760 eschborn, germany tel.: +49 61 96 79-0, fax: +49 61 96 79-11 15 sabine tonscheidt, director of corporate communications email: akzente@giz.de internet: akzente.giz.de /en responsible: anja tomic, deputy director of corporate communications (giz) content concept and editing: giz: miriam droller (editor), kerstin nauth, kerstin stotz frankfurter societäts-medien gmbh: helen sibum (project management), friederike bauer, judith reker, oliver hick-schulz (layout), corinna potthoff (photo editing) english translation: hillary crowe, janet fraser, gill lester, jodie mcgilvary, alan seaton; karl stellrecht (giz language services) proofreading: textschrittmacher, lübeck, germany graphic design/lithography: frankfurter societäts- medien gmbh, frankfurt, germany printed by: druckerei lokay e. k., reinheim, germany printed on: arctic volume, certified to fsc standards maps: giz/ira olaleye the maps are for information purposes only and do not constitute recognition under international law of boundaries and territories. giz does not guarantee in any way the current status, accuracy or completeness of the maps. all liability for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly out of their use is excluded. cover: getty images/flickr rf/junaid rashid all images: giz unless otherwise stated copy deadline: march 2016 published: quarterly current issue: april 2016 issn: 0945-4497 articles by individual authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. akzente has received several awards for its high-quality journalism and design. in 2015 it won a silver medal at the best of corporate publishing award. akzente project: promoting the health system in togo commissioned by: german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development term: 1994 to 2007 then: as one of the world’s poorest countries, togo had a poor health system. specialist medical knowledge and professional training were lacking, and there was no cooperation between those in charge of the health system. women and children were particularly affected: half of all births were not attended by medically trained staff, and around one woman in 150 died during or shortly after childbirth, while one child in 20 did not live beyond the age of five. togo also had high rates of hiv infection and malarial diseases, and cholera was a constant threat. now: increasing numbers of people are attending health centres, for example for prenatal check-ups. in the capital lomé and the central region, which were the focus of the project implemented in partnership with the european union, the incidence of hiv infection has fallen, as has child mortality. across the country, maternal deaths are also down, with around one woman in 220 now dying during or shortly after childbirth. over recent years, there have been no new cases of cholera in the central region: many families are now disinfecting their drinking water with chlorine from newly built production facilities. the structures within the health system have also improved, and three quarters of patients are very satisfied with the new provision. combating malaria remains a major challenge. www.giz.de/en/downloads/giz2011-de-togo-health-ex-post- evaluierung.pdf (only in german) s ustainability a look back at a project and its r e s u l t s 47 akzente 1/16 photos: sylvain cherkaoui/cosmos (page 46), getty images/billy hustace (page 47) tel.: +492284460-0, fax: +492284460-1766 tel.: +49619679-0, fax: +49619679-1115
in our diverse world, the fabric of our lives can be woven in many different ways. but this can also lead to misunderstandings. to achieve harmony, we need clear rules to guide our social relations. akzente.giz.de /en