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issue 1/17 akzente the giz magazine agenda 2030 – a compass even in times of crisis other topics: diplomacy revisited in montreal a passion to teach in afghanistan

editorial a compass for development – agenda 2030 why holding onto the sustainable development goals is worthwhile – even in times of crisis precisely for that reason, it is vital to have a compass to point the way forward, even in times of crisis. for dagmar dehmer, an editor for the politics section of berlin newspaper tagesspiegel, this means the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, the topic of our in focus section in this issue of akzente. in september 2015, 193 nations made a commitment to pursue sustainable economic growth that will increase prosperi- ty without destroying the environment. they agreed on 17 goals to improve living condi- tions on our planet over the next 15 years – with a scope that encompasses making cities more resilient, promoting equality for wom- en and strengthening state institutions, among other aims. dagmar dehmer’s con- clusion: in these unstable times, the 2030 agenda is more than just fine words. the same is true of giz’s work. our arti- cles about a young vocational school teacher in afghanistan, cashew cultivation in ghana and a reconciliation project in colombia show how we too are guided by the agenda 2030 goals. dear readers, in 1990, 47 per cent of people in developing countries were living in extreme poverty, in other words on less than usd 1.25 per day. today, the figure quoted by the united nations is down to 14 per cent. the number of children dying before their sixth birthday has more than halved in the same period, falling from 12.7 million to six million. the use of renewable energy has tripled in that time. these are positive trends – even if not all countries have developed at the same positive rate. much of this has its origins in the united nations’ millennium goals. adopted in sep- tember 2000 by the general assembly, the goals included halving the number of people living in extreme poverty and combating hunger. and yet there is still a tendency to view the current state of the world in a criti- cal light. german economist max roser, a lecturer at oxford, talks of distorted perceptions and offers an explanation: people tend to over- state the negatives. we interviewed him for this issue. based on the long data series he analysed, roser concludes that most people are better off today than in the past. but the number of armed conflicts is on the increase, almost tripling between 2007 and 2014 – this must, and should, give cause for alarm. conflicts not only hurt people in the short term, they also damage a country’s develop- ment in the long term. ) 3 e g a p ( l e g o v a i r a m / n e f a r g o t o f f o h e i d , ) 2 e g a p ( l u k a s a u k g n o p i t t i k : s o t o h p akzente 1/17 3 sabine tonscheidt, director of corporate communications sabine.tonscheidt@giz.de for a free subscription to akzente magazine, simply send an email to akzente-vertrieb@giz.de, subject: subscribe.

commitment authors and phot ographers 4 1 5 2 6 3 7 manuela imre (1) spoke to participants of the global diplomacy lab in montreal about this initiative on new approaches to diplomacy. photographer adrienne surprenant (2) accompanied her. dagmar dehmer (3) is an editor for the politics section of berlin newspaper tagesspiegel. in her article, she assesses the potential and limita­ tions of the 2030 agenda. author marian brehmer (4) and pho­ tographer mustafa najafizada (5) draw portraits of enthusiastic teachers and highly motivated young people in afghanistan. philipp hedemann (6) describes the impressive impacts that cashew nuts are having on many farmers’ lives in ghana. in colombia, thomas wagner (7) met displaced people who are building new lives in this country scarred by decades of conflict. at a glance 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 17,000 staff members and operates in over 130 countries worldwide. www.giz.de/en ) t f e l p o t 5 e g a p ( a d a z i f a j a n a f a t s u m , ) t h g i r p o t 4 e g a p ( d r o w s n w o r b n a d / f r a r u t l u c / s e g a m i y t t e g , ) t f e l p o t 4 e g a p ( t n a n e r p r u s e n n e i r d a : s o t o h p 34 a passion to teach educational reform in afghanistan is promoting vocational schools and producing well­trained teachers like haroon halimi. 40 solution in a nutshell in ghana, the cultivation and processing of cashew nuts has raised profits for farmers and generated new jobs. 44 making a fresh start supporting people displaced by violence remains one of the most pressing tasks in colombia. introduction 50 natalija el hage giz’s country director in zambia takes unexpected situations in her stride as part of her job. akzente 1/17 5

for us europeans, africa as a neighbouring continent is of prime importance. the development of african countries is in our very own vested interest. federal chancellor angela merkel at a press conference in berlin in november 2016 climate fund global commitment giz has been accredited by the green climate fund, meaning it can now apply for financing from the fund for projects with a total volume of up to usd 250 million. ‘giz’s accreditation is recognition of the experience we have gathered over many years around the world in our work on climate change mitigation,’ said tanja gönner, chair of giz’s management board. the green cli- mate fund was established by the 194 countries attending the 2010 un cli- mate change conference in cancún, ) 7 e g a p ( t n o m u a e b t o i l l e : n o i t a r t s u l l i mexico. it provides funding for climate projects in developing countries. the main aims are to reduce emissions and help people in affected countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. the german government is one of the big- gest contributors to the fund and is rep- resented on its board. giz will now submit proposals for suitable projects in, for instance, asia, latin america and africa. www.greenclimate.fund www.giz.de/climate akzente 1/17 7 three questions f or tarik azizi director of solaire marocain, a moroccan company that sells parts for solar systems and advises their users. he is supported by the centre for international migration and development (cim). you lived in germany for more than seven years. when did you decide to return to morocco? i knew when i was studying for my master’s degree in wismar that i wanted to return to morocco. that’s why i started contacting moroccan firms while i was still studying. i built up a network. what are the biggest challenges you face in your job? my company is in the development and growth phase. moroccan customers still need a lot of convincing when it comes to renewable energy. i sell german products and try to convince cus­ tomers by focusing on quality and sustainability. what role does cim play for you? people like me who are familiar with two countries can serve as a bridge. when german entrepreneurs come to morocco, cim often contacts me so that i can share my knowledge with them. in return, i receive support for further training in solar tech­ nology and for trips with moroccan companies to specialist trade fairs in germany.

citizen­oriented administration strong towns most people in ukraine live in small towns or in rural areas. yet many of the political decisions that affect them are made in the country’s capital, kiev. ukraine is currently working on decentralising decisions and services for citizens. on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development, giz and the swedish international development cooperation agency (sida) are design­ ing projects for regional self­government. in the regions of chernivtsi and poltava, for example, they are implementing the best ideas from a competition for better services. throughout the country, administrative staff are receiving training on citizen­oriented working methods. plans are also afoot to enable citizens to submit applications online in future. the project is financed chiefly by the european union, with support from po­ land, denmark and sweden. new projects ukraine wiki official language ukrainian / capital kiev / form of government semi-presidential republic / head of state president petro poroshenko / head of government prime minister volodymyr groysman / size 603,700 km2 / population 45.6 million / population density 77 inhabitants per km2 [1] / gross domestic product usd 90.6 billion [2] / currency ukrainian hryvnia sources: [1] un data 2016 [2] world bank 2015 ) t h g i r o t t f e l m o r f , 9 e g a p ( a r i e r o m o a i t s a b e s / a p d / e c n a i l l a e r u t c i p , k a m i d , a p d / e c n a i l l a e r u t c i p : s o t o h p young skilled workers new information point clean cities germany/morocco in germany, trainees for hotels and restaurants are in short sup­ ply, while in morocco, many young people cannot find jobs. on behalf of the moroccan employment agency and the world bank, giz is helping 100 young people to find training opportunities in the hospitality sector in germany. it selects applicants and finds businesses and mentors. it also advises the moroccan employment agency on legal migration channels and other oc­ cupations where skilled workers are lack­ ing. the agency can then improve the range of information it provides. albania the german information point for migration, vocational training and career (dimak) in the albanian capital of tirana plugs an information gap. staff there pro­ vide advice on employment opportunities in albania and conditions for legal migration to germany. they organise job fairs and ap­ plication training, and also train staff at the albanian employment agency. similar in­ formation points have already been set up in kosovo and serbia on behalf of the ger­ man federal ministry for economic coop­ eration and development. latin america many cities in latin america have high levels of air pollution and congested roads. the european union has now commissioned giz international services to organise an exchange of experience between various cities in the region. this will also draw on the findings of european urban development pro­ grammes. the project, which is scheduled to run until the end of 2019, is based in brazil. key issues are the use of renew­ able energy, transport planning and sus­ tainable urban development. akzente 1/17 9

in the spotlight " i’m looking for ways to use modern technology to tackle problems and crises. " it is day two of the meeting and, all around suárez-buitrón, the room is a hive of activ- ity. the 35 participants from almost as many countries worldwide – from afghani- stan to uganda – are huddled in small groups in the foyer of the société des arts technologiques, an organisation commit- ted to the development of new technolo- gies such as virtual reality. the high- ceilinged, grey concrete room is bathed in a warm light thanks to its colourful light installations and impressive windows. subtle lounge music is piped through the loudspeakers. prominent experts and lively discussions today’s topics include ‘digital diplomacy as a new tool’ and ‘the crossroads of the digi- tal economy.’ suárez-buitrón surveys the room: ‘i’m no expert in either of these fields.’ she does, however, bring other skills to the table: until 2009, she was the under- secretary to the minister of economic affairs in ecuador, whom she advised on financial, environmental and energy issues. today, she works as a programme director at the president’s office in the world bank. her team develops strategies to facilitate the fast and effective implementation of the world bank’s objectives. a mother of two daughters, she has also lived in france and germany. suárez-buitrón is in montreal as a member of giz’s global leadership acad- emy network. this platform, which is fi- nanced by the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development, brings together prominent leaders from the fields of politics, business, academia and civil society. they discuss innovative work- ing methods and share their experiences as decision-makers. ‘i often turn to this net- work for inspiration,’ says suárez-buitrón. for example, when she has become bogged down in a topic at work and needs a » p aula suárez-buitrón looks a little worried. ‘i imagine it’s going to be very emotional.’ she eventually pulls the over- sized virtual reality glasses over her head, adjusts them and takes a deep breath. the interactive film she is about to see, which is just under four minutes long, describes the situation of people in refugee camps around the world in ultra-realistic 3d. every now and then, the 40-year-old econ- omist moves her hands, shakes her head or nods – and smiles as she takes off the glass- es. ‘it’s very powerful,’ she says. this is exactly the type of experience of new technologies suárez-buitrón, who was born in ecuador and now lives in washington, had hoped for at the fifth global diplomacy lab, which took place in montreal, canada, in november 2016. the lab is a platform that brings together diplomats, politicians, representatives of non-governmental organisations, entrepre- neurs and creative professionals on a regu- lar basis in various locations. together they consider new approaches to diplomacy. the initiative was launched by the german federal foreign office in 2014 in partner- ship with the bmw foundation herbert quandt, the robert bosch stiftung, stif- tung mercator and giz. from afghanistan to uganda: international participants the theme of the event in montreal is ‘decoding global diplomacy: balancing power through information technology.’ suárez-buitrón is interested in a number of aspects of this: ‘i’m looking for ways to use modern technology to tackle problems and crises – or to make them more tangible.’ she is hoping to find answers to questions such as: ‘can technology help us under- stand the world better? and where do the boundaries lie?’ akzente 1/17 11

in the spotlight

attentive listener: jános kóka used to be a government minister in hungary and is now an entrepreneur. one thing that hasn’t changed is his zest for good solutions. at round tables, participants design, dis- cuss and elaborate. and most important of all: the result will not be confined to a fil- ing cabinet; the final concept will be sent to global affairs canada, the canadian department of foreign affairs. during a ‘digital break’ between two events, paula suárez-buitrón lies on a grey cushion, mesmerised by a futuristic short film. she is in the ‘satosphère’, a high, domed room with a 360-degree cinema screen. the screen draws viewers into the images, allowing them to immerse them- selves in films or games. new opportunities for artificial intelligence ‘you feel like you’re right in the thick of it. this technology could also be used for communication with crisis areas,’ suárez- buitrón says to her neighbour jános kóka. he points out that, ‘just because a technol- ogy works in the entertainment industry doesn’t mean it can be used in exactly the same way in a political context.’ this leads to a discussion about how the new technol- ogy could be used in each of their respec- tive fields. kóka, a former hungarian minister of economy and transport, has been chair- man and ceo of cellum global corpora- " you feel like you’re right in the thick of it. this technology could also be used for communication with crisis areas. " tion, an international group of technology companies, since 2011. ‘tech companies have to realise that advances in the field of artificial intelligence and robots can also be used at other levels with completely differ- ent structures, such as diplomacy,’ says the 44-year-old entrepreneur. ‘the satosphère is just one example of this. we have to use these tools.’ app to counteract water shortages in india kóka has been impressed by an idea present- ed by an indian participant in montreal: a water marketplace app to combat the major problem of drought in india. ‘connecting suppliers directly with consumers could eliminate the need for many middlemen,’ says kóka. ‘they often delay processes through corruption. the price of drinking water could fall by 90%.’ day four: before she even sits down to breakfast, paula suárez-buitrón has sent her colleagues at the world bank in washington a long list of project ideas. > contact wiebke koenig > wiebke.koenig@giz.de akzente 1/17 15

agenda 2030 themes a compass – even in times of crisis: despite many crises in the world, the sustainable development goals (sdgs) aim to give every person a life in dignity – without putting pressure on the planet. overview: examples of giz’s work ‘we overstate the negative’: our interview with oxford economist max roser shows how living conditions are improving. infographics: some progress – but more work ahead ‘stop saying nothing has changed!’: guest article by amel karboul from tunisia

in focus a compass – even in times of crisis agenda 2030 is a plan of action to ensure that all the world’s people can live in dignity, freedom and in a healthy environment. this ‘pact on the world’s future’ requires every country to take on shared responsibility for our planet according to its capacities. but can the agenda hold firm when the going gets tough? text dagmar dehmer once upon a time, marcell shewaro was a dentist. today, she is an opposition activist who has set up seven schools in her home city of aleppo. they are ‘underground schools’ – banned by the gov- ernment – in the rebel-held districts of the city. with the official schools destroyed in bombardments and the teachers gone, the underground schools set up by shewaro’s organisation kesh malek (checkmate) hold classes for around 3,000 children in the relative pro- tection of the city’s basements. for the pupils, it is a little piece of normality in the madness of war – for life goes on, even for people living with the constant fear of death. an activist since 2011, shewaro is working for a better, more democratic syria. she has already been arrested twice – once by the government and the second time by islamists. in 2014, she fled to turkey while her organisation continued its work. but in compass in hand, map in pocket, destination in sight – how to find one’s way in unknown territory ) 8 1 e g a p ( d r o w s n w o r b n a d / f r a r u t l u c / s e g a m i y t t e g , ) 6 1 e g a p ( d l i h c n i t r a m / n o i s i v l a t i g i d / s e g a m i y t t e g : s o t o h p september 2016, all the underground schools were forced to close, at least for now. in a letter to the middle east institute, one of the organisation’s founders, basel aljunaidy, explained why: ‘the rus- sian air attacks make it impossible for us to work in aleppo. they are targeting civilians and killing our hope.’ the story of marcell shewaro and basel aljunaidy, their courage and commitment, is a good example of how keeping faith with the 17 sustainable develop- ment goals (sdgs) is always worthwhile, even in times of crisis. quality education is listed fourth in the sdgs, right after the goals on eradicating poverty, ending hunger and ensuring a healthy life. the work of the syr- ian underground activists shows that the sdgs are never obsolete, even in difficult times. the opposite is true: that is when it is especially important for people to uphold the goals in order to prevent any worsening of the situation. so these are not fair weather targets that the 193 signatory states can focus on when they have nothing else to do. on the contrary, the sdgs provide a compass in times of crisis; put simply, they are in some ways a blueprint for a better world. » akzente 1/17 19

the sustainable development goals were adopted by the united nations general assembly in september 2015. the 2030 agenda for sustainable development is a 15-year roadmap and follows on from the millen- nium development goals (mdgs), which were adopt ed in 2000 and expired in 2015. the mdgs were the first global consensus for joint action on peace and se- curity, poverty reduction, education, equality, envi- ronmental protection, democracy and good gov- ernance. the new set of goals is more evenly balanced: for example, like all the other signatories, saudi arabia has committed to gender equality, germany has un- dertaken to pursue a properly regulated migration policy and china has accepted that the overfishing of the oceans must end. and zimbabwe, where robert mugabe has been in power since 1987, has endorsed the goal of democratic governance. however, it is a matter for each country to decide how it wishes to achieve these universal goals. critics complain that with 17 sdgs and 169 tar- gets, there is no longer one stand-out goal. poverty reduction, they say, is fading into the background. but that’s not the case: poverty reduction is still goal number one. ending poverty without putting life on earth at risk is still the key priority. however, greater prosperity should no longer be achieved through destructive economic growth. the fact is that along the coasts, on the pacific islands and in the african savannas, the impacts of unregulated growth are already making themselves felt in the form of cli- mate change. poverty has decreased – but nature often pays the price major progress on poverty reduction has been made in the past 15 years – but nature has often paid the price. figures from the world bank reveal that in 1981, more than 1.9 billion people were living below the poverty line. today, the figure is a little less than one billion. progress is particularly marked in east asia, which has recently experienced rapid economic in focus ‘we can and must be the first generation in human history to end extreme poverty in the world.’ jim yong kim, president of the world bank growth. in latin america, north africa and the middle east, too, large numbers of people have been lifted out of poverty. and the world bank’s projections point to a further decrease in future that would bring the international community close to its goal of end- ing extreme poverty worldwide by 2030. by balancing the environmental and economic dimensions, the 17 sdgs are now intended to estab- lish the basis for a model of growth which protects the planet’s resources and facilitates peaceful and equitable relations among nations – at least, that’s the theory. however, crises and conflicts are obstructing the attainment of the goals to an unprecedented degree. after the end of the cold war, we initially seemed to be moving towards a more peaceful world. accord- ing to figures from the uppsala conflict data program in sweden, however, 2015 had the highest number of armed conflicts since the fall of the iron curtain: the number of conflicts involving a state increased to 50, and there were a staggering 70 conflicts in the non-state category, compared with 41 and 61, respec- tively, in 2014. faced with these facts, what use is a ‘pact on the world’s future’ like agenda 2030? what can it achieve in a world which has ‘come loose from its moorings’, in the words of german foreign minis- ter frank-walter steinmeier? but it is now that agenda 2030 has a vital role to play as a roadmap for interna- tional cohesion, providing guidelines for sustainable, forward-looking action to build a more peaceful world. minister steinmeier calls it ‘an ambitious global trans- formation programme’, which, if taken seriously, creates opportunities for progress and development – all over the world. 193 is the total number of united nations members. the new sdgs are the first set of goals to apply to all countries, not just the developing world. schools in the midst of conflict: for many children like this young boy in cizre on the turkish­syrian border, war is, sadly, part of daily life. without this compass to guide the international community, entire countries would be at risk of being left behind – due to the outbreak of epidemics, as recently occurred in west africa, due to the underem- ployment of millions of young people, as in the » akzente 1/17 21 ) 0 2 e g a p ( f i a l / x u d e r x u d e r / o s s o r g o i n e g u e : o t o h p

digitalisation offers many development opportunities – computers are far from being a luxury. middle east, or due to the pressure to adapt to climate change, which is already affecting some regions of africa. all this creates inequality and increases the risk of new conflicts. at present, some 65 million people are displaced from their homes – more than at any time since the end of the second world war. domestic and foreign policy, development and environmental policy are in- creasingly intermeshed. global events can have major repercussions at domestic level – not only in germany. conversely, domestic developments can radiate out into the wider world, as the crisis in greece, the atti- tude towards migration and displacement in hungary and the us elections show. while many national gov- ernments, not least in the european union, have now switched to full-scale crisis management mode since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, which was fol- lowed by the euro crisis and latterly the refugee crisis, agenda 2030 offers long-term guidance for future-ori- ented action that promotes security, welfare and peace. crises bring out the worst but also the best in people – and unlock their creativity. somalia is a good example. amidst the general chaos of an ungoverned state, resourceful companies have set up a modern and reliable mobile phone network. in 1993, two somali emigrants living in the us, working with two ameri- cans, founded the somali telecom group, which operated until 2013. at the same time, a subsidiary, netco, was established in the autonomous region of puntland. its operations focused mainly on north-east somalia. in 2002, two other leading telecoms providers – hormuud telecom and golis telecom somalia – entered the market. hormuud is owned by around 4,000 somali businesspersons who have shares in the company. standing together against militias in eastern congo in eastern congo, too, it was the business community which promoted social and community cohesion, at least in some areas. the city of butembo in north kivu province is a good example. the conflict never reached the city because some local businessmen » ) 3 2 e g a p ( a b m u r a k y n o t / s e g a m i y t t e g / p f a : o t o h p akzente 1/17 23

‘we overstate the negative’ max roser studies living conditions worldwide. he sees a clear upward trend: conditions are improving – if we take the long view. you look at trends in living conditions around the world. what is the situation today? are things getting better or worse? it depends which time frame you look at. right now, i get the impression that things are getting worse. but these are just snapshots. the long­term trend looks very different – it’s important to remember that. here, the curve is clearly rising. take issues such as health, poverty, violence and food – it’s astonishing how much has changed for the better over recent decades. are there any other positive trends? yes, and they can be observed across a range of areas – including some that you wouldn’t expect. for example, the murder rate in europe has steadily declined over the centuries. most european countries now have an annual murder rate of around one per 100,000 inhabitants. but in earlier centuries, it was more like 30 or 40. anyone who thinks that the past was a peaceful idyll is mistaken. why do you think people nowadays have the sense that the world has lost its moorings? it’s all about perceptions. i don’t think there was ever a time in history when people didn’t think the world was spinning out of control. we are too quick to look at the negatives and ignore all the progress. that’s not to deny the real problems that we face. climate change, for example: it’s real and we have to respond. but we tend to overstate the negatives and think that obstacles are insurmountable. we often get it wrong, i’m happy to say! again, it’s all about time frame. the number of armed conflicts has increased over the past five years, but it hasn’t reached the level of the cold war or the preceding period. the number of fragile states is rising, but in many regions, such as south­ east asia and latin america, con­ flicts have de­escalated. that’s another positive development which we tend to overlook. what are the most important factors for better living conditions? politics is very important. for a while, we underestimated the significance of politics and overstated the importance of market forces and technological solutions. but the general conditions existing in individual countries and at the international level are the decisive factor. a functioning democracy has a hugely positive impact on living conditions. what about violence – how much influence does that have? violence is undoubtedly a limiting factor, but even in conflict settings, life goes on: people continue to develop new ideas and attempt to improve their lives. even in these situations, it is possible to make breakthroughs which help to stabilise the situation. there are some interesting research findings available on this subject: they show how inventive people become in order to survive crises. and inevitably, the violence ends sooner or later, so we should never give up. to do that would be a big mistake! what about armed conflicts around the world – what’s happening there? are they on the increase or not? you always take the long view, but agenda 2030 is time-limited to 15 years. will we have seen any improvements by then? ) 5 2 e g a p ( d r o f x o f o y t i s r e v i n u : o t o h p akzente 1/17 25 max roser is an economist and researcher at the university of oxford. find out about his work here: www.ourworldindata.org. yes, i think so. that has to do with the following effect: countries which pioneer a breakthrough often take a very long time about it. take the birth rate: great britain took 95 years to reduce the number of births per woman from six to less than three. south korea managed it in 18 years and iran did it in 10. that’s a very positive trend because population growth needs to fall if we are to achieve sustainable, resource­efficient economic growth. it’s the same in other areas: more rapid progress is achieved once pioneers have done the groundwork. renewable energy use is a good example. devising a solution the first time round is always the most difficult part. so i think we will see progress over the next 13 years even if the goals as a whole probably won’t be reached. interview: friederike bauer

in focus progress more education worldwide, more than 90 per cent of children are now enrolled in school – up from just 83 per cent in 2000. needed most. trade unionist houcine abassi and in- dustry leader ouided bouchamaoui, together with ab- dessattar ben moussa, head of the human rights league (ltdh), and mohamed fadhel mahfoudh, president of the tunisian order of lawyers, guided tunisia’s conflict- ing political movements towards a compromise which contributed to the country’s democratisation. the sustainable development goals are intended to link the fight against hunger and poverty with sustainable economic development. this can be achieved with the use of renewable energies, for example. energy therefore features in the list of goals for the first time (sdg 7). mo- rocco is pursuing a large-scale solution: at ouarzazate in the south of the country, it is building the world’s largest solar energy plant. phase i of the project involves the in- stallation of 150 mw of capacity. upon completion, the project will provide 1.3 million people with clean energy. ouarzazate is part of the country’s comprehensive strategy to expand its renewable energy sector: renewables are to provide almost half the country’s electricity by 2020. this large-scale solar power plant will be the first of sev- eral. the kingdom of morocco is also promoting wind power on a massive scale. more than 170 countries – including china and brazil, but also saudi arabia, ghana, costa rica and mexico – have now set them- selves national renewable energy targets, compared with only 55 a decade ago. mexico – one of latin america’s oil-producing countries – aims to generate around 35 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and, like morocco, is focusing on solar and wind energy, of which it has an abundant supply. a solar panel for lighting, cooling and mobile phone charging many companies and individuals are investing in renewable energies as well. one example is berlin-based mobisol, which supplies solar panels to ghana, tanzania and other african countries. mobisol trains technicians to sell, install and maintain the modules, thus creating jobs. the users pay for the panels in instalments; most own them outright within two years. after that, they simply pay a maintenance fee. the money is transferred via a digital payments system. one panel is enough to charge a battery for lighting, mobile phone charging and a tv or fridge. smaller-scale projects like this one can therefore improve conditions too. studies have shown that around 60 per cent of the sdgs can only be achieved with the involvement of local stakeholders. in november » lower child mortality in 1990, 90 children per 1,000 live births died before the age of five. the global figure was 12.7 million. today, that figure has halved. 1990 12.7 million 2015 6 million more clean water the number of people with access to safe water has almost doubled in just 25 years. 1990 2015 2.3 billion 4.2 billion less poverty the share of the world’s people living in extreme poverty has fallen dramatically since 1990. 47% 14% sources: international energy agency, world bank, ren21, freedom house, fund for peace, united nations university, united nations 27 economist daron acemoglu and harvard­based political scientist james a. robinson show that state failure is not inevitable but partly a consequence of efforts by elites to aggrandize power.

in focus ‘stop saying nothing has changed!’ guest article by amel karboul i had the reputation of being the most poised person in the family, not taking criticism personally and keeping my cool in the midst of storms. but lately i often get angry. because in many parts of tunisia i hear: nothing has changed! when tunisians talk about tunisia, modesty and humility are not the first char- acteristics. we are extremely proud since we believe we have the best food, the finest weather, outstanding art, design and histor- ical heritage etc. our coliseum at el djem is better preserved than the one in rome, our mosaic collections are the greatest in the world. we were the first muslim country to abolish slavery in 1846 and the first arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956, and women in tunisia enjoy some of the greatest freedoms in the arab world. but when it comes to one of the most remarkable achievements of our recent his- tory, our democratic revolution in 2011 and its success thereafter, then suddenly our pride fades away. let’s not forget that tunisia today is a full-fledged democracy. yes, we are all learn- ing what it really means and the implemen- tation of democratic routines is still in the making. but if anyone had told you just a decade ago that there will be an arab coun- try that is 100 per cent democratic, you would have answered: impossible. ) 9 2 e g a p ( t n o m u a e b t o i l l e : n o i t a r t s u l l i , ) 8 2 e g a p ( f i a l / r o o n / a l o z i z o c s e c n a r f : o t o h p profile amel karboul is secretary general of the maghreb economic forum. she served as minis­ ter of tourism in tunisia’s interim government after the arab spring. secondly, we have one of the most modern constitutions in the world. it includes famil- iar rights such as freedom of speech but also innovative ones like the right to a clean en- vironment or the protection of women against violence. and in 2014 we had demo- cratic, free and accepted parliamentary and presidential elections. i vividly remember the day in february 2015 when my col- leagues and i handed over the leadership of the country. we were moved to tears to be part of such a historic moment, a peaceful change of government. finally the 2015 nobel peace prize was awarded to the tunisian ‘national dialogue quartet’, recognising its unique journey in dialogue and conflict resolution. the term ‘tunisian way’ has been coined and is in use today in political science, and our neigh- bour libya, for example, is struggling to find a similar way out of the crisis. unfortunately, we do and did not cel- ebrate these achievements enough. and some radical groups are using and abusing the ‘nothing has changed’ image to attract youth into extremist endeavours. extrem- ism and the sense that the future has noth- ing to offer are threatening our free world – regardless of the nationality of the extrem- ists. attacks like the one in berlin in december 2016 must not happen again. at the beginning, tunisian civil society was motivated, engaged and proactive in its fight for rights. it was involved at the highest level in co-creating the new constitution. however, in recent months, one can feel a tiredness, maybe even a helplessness among the citizens. true: youth unemployment and cor- ruption, which were among the root causes of the jasmine revolution, are still chal- lenging us. but are we aware that political, social and economic change cannot happen overnight? that other countries needed centuries to achieve what we have achieved in five years? that today after the revolution a new task is awaiting tunisia: the long, perilous and rewarding work of an evolu- tion. an evolution in culture, education, a new social contract and the building of strong institutions are the areas of focus. we are in the midst of that process and sometimes overlook the progress we have made. but we are well on our way. so let’s stop saying nothing has changed. akzente 1/17 29

space for sport one of thailand’s largest informal settlements is located in the densely populated district of khlong toei in the country’s capital bangkok. here, even basic necessities such as water and sanitary facilities are in short supply. and spaces for recreation are rare. but they do exist, as demonstrated by this sports ground, squeezed into the narrow gap between two rows of high­ rise buildings. giz works to improve life in informal settlements in many countries, for exam­ ple by providing advisory services on waste avoidance and recycling. photo: dpa/pa

commitment where giz is active, how it approaches new challenges, what its projects achieve: three examples of giz’s current work in afghanistan, ghana and colombia. making a fresh st art colombia how maría leíver urrego and other internally displaced persons are shaping a peaceful future. page 44 a passion to teach afghanistan how haroon halimi gets his students excited about electronics and where he finds his inspiration. page 34 solution in a nutshell ghana how victoria ataa became a cashew pioneer and convinced others that nuts are a valuable commodity. page 40

commitment a passion to teach in afghanistan there is a shortage of well­qualified vocational school teachers like haroon halimi. an educational reform is now improving prospects for the country’s highly motivated youth. text marian brehmer photos mustafa najafizada sparks are flying in the electrical engi- neering lab. the air is heavy with the smell of molten metal. three young men in white shirts are busy trying to solder electrical cables. opposite them on the bench, some of their colleagues are tinker- ing with screwdrivers on an electrical testing wall. their task is to get to grips with and re- configure a life-like circuit board. haroon halimi keeps a careful eye on what his young students are doing. he is a teacher of practical and theoretical electrical engineering at the technical school of ka- bul, the kabul mechanical institute. today the 27-year-old is wearing a shirt and black jacket. with a shock of dark hair gelled into position, his smart appearance underlines the professionalism with which halimi has been doing his job at the school for the last two and a half years. turning a childhood passion into a career: haroon halimi is ranked among the top ten teachers of electrical engineering in afghanistan. ‘for me, being a teacher means having the freedom to pass all my knowledge on to my students,’ says halimi, himself a former student at the institute. one of his own teachers was his father, who has been a lec- turer at the technical school for 45 years. as a teenager, halimi was allowed to watch his father doing rewiring jobs at houses in kabul. that is where he developed the pas- sion for circuitry and electronics that he passes on to his students today. he acquired the skills for the job by completing a two-year course at a training academy, funded by giz on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development (bmz). in short supply: modern vocational schools with a practical bias high-quality vocational training in afghan- istan is in short supply. dissatisfaction with teaching staff results in over half of all voca- tional students abandoning their training early. moreover, many families cannot af- ford to send their sons and daughters to a vocational school in the first place. children in afghanistan are often required to contribute to the family income or care for relatives at an early age. although many new vocational schools have been established in afghanistan in the last five years, their reach currently remains limited. compared with traditional appren- ticeships in small family-run businesses, vocational school training courses still play only a minor role. out of the 1.4 million afghan youths not in mainstream school- ing, just five per cent are enrolled at a voca- tional school. over three quarters however receive training in the informal economy, typically from their fathers. since 2010, giz has been committed to developing a nationwide vocational edu- cation system in afghanistan on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development. the ap- proach builds on existing structures: mod- ernising conventional apprentice training and improving the quality of classroom- based vocational training. but it is about much more than im- proving employment opportunities for young people. in a land as fragmented as afghanistan, ‘vocational training is a key to improving social integration,’ explains gus- tav reier from giz. but to achieve that, there has to be effective governance, which recognises the value of vocational education and responds accordingly. ‘afghanistan has a highly motivated youth,’ the expert contin- ues, ‘but in the country’s vocational schools, these young people often encounter poorly qualified and uncommitted vocational school teachers, as well as school manage- ment teams that are failing in their duties.’ giz hopes to change this. german involvement in the afghan tvet system goes back a long way: the akzente 1/17 35

commitment vocational school concept was founded with german aid over half a century ago as the first technical school in afghanistan. today, german experts are collaborating with afghan vocational school teachers to de- velop up-to-date course content and equip vocational schools with new teaching and learning materials. this one institute alone benefits 1,300 students – predominantly boys, but also 70 girls. in particular, modern machines and ap- paratus are required for practical teaching. aspiring technical students must learn as much as possible about everyday profes- sional life while at school. part-time study models are also being introduced to enable young people from poorer families to attend school. these models ensure there is enough time for a traditional apprenticeship or tem- porary job alongside the course. a new generation of teachers for rural regions haroon halimi knows all too well the chal- lenges facing his country. ‘as a child i always wondered why we had no electricity at home in the evenings,’ he recalls. he and his family spent eight years as refugees in neigh- bouring pakistan during the afghan civil war. electricity was a luxury commodity – which is why it is all the more important, he adds, that afghanistan today has good teachers to train a new generation of capable electrical engineers. ‘afghanistan needs electrical engineers who are committed to providing a better electricity supply.’ as a graduate of the first year’s intake at the technical teacher training academy (ttta) in kabul, halimi not only added to his knowledge of the subject. in addition to technical training, his course also included modules on aspects such as teaching theo- ries and methods as well as psychology. ‘i now feel i’m able to read my students’ faces better and respond to their individual needs,’ says halimi. he attaches particular importance to establishing a friendly class- room environment. developed jointly with the afghan deputy ministry of tvet, the academy is akzente 1/17 37

commitment at the training academy have all the qualities i missed in the teachers back home,’ safi says, before going on to explain what makes a good teacher. ‘just like the students, a teacher should never stop learning. and they shouldn’t make snap judgements about their students,’ safi says. like him, most of the students come from rural areas. ‘only 20 per cent of our students are from kabul, the rest come from the other 33 provinces,’ explains dena azizi, the ttta principal. with a policy that targets recruitment of young people from the provinces, her aim is to counteract the shortage of teachers in rural regions. 800 graduates have already successfully completed the training course since the school opened in 2011. using one’s talents to help others in addition to electrical engineering, the academy provides specialist rooms for technical subjects such as woodwork, met- alwork, sanitary engineering and motor mechanics. together with its sister school, the technical teacher training academy in mazar-e sharif, the teacher training pro- gramme is currently providing training for around 600 aspiring vocational school teachers. as multipliers, their role is to promote modern, high-quality vocational education and training in rural regions also. for haroon halimi from the techni- cal school in kabul, training to become a vocational school teacher has been well worth the effort: in a test for 100 afghan teachers of electrical engineering he ranked in the top ten. he is determined to use his skills to encourage other young people: ‘after two years’ experience in the job, i feel i’m well equipped to assess the poten- tial of my students.’ afghanistan uzbekistan turkmenistan tajikistan afghanistan iran capital: kabul population: 30.6 million gross domestic product per capita: usd 5901 economic growth: 1.5 per cent1 pakistan human development index ranking: 171 (out of 188) source: 1 world bank 2015 fit for the job supporting technical and vocational education project: and training in afghanistan commissioned by: german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development (bmz) lead executing agency: afghan deputy ministry of technical and vocational education and training, afghan ministry of education overall term: 2010 to 2017 there are currently around 1.7 million young people in afghanistan of an appropriate age for vocational training. but traditional informal training and courses at the country’s existing 250 vocational schools are failing to meet the demands the economy is placing on young employees. for this reason, giz is helping afghanistan to develop a network of modern vocational schools. giz provides initial and further training courses for teachers and is developing curricula for vocations in future­oriented industries. around 19,000 young people, a quarter of them women, are currently undertaking training in these occupations at one of 35 vocational schools. experts have developed special courses for the large number of illiterate young people in afghanistan. around 1,500 young people have already taken part in these special training courses. > contact gustav reier > gustav.reier@giz.de www.giz.de/en/worldwide/14616.html akzente 1/17 39

commitment solution in a nutshell the cultivation of cashew nuts has improved the lives of many farmers in ghana. but for a long time the potential of these mildly sweet, kidney­shaped kernels remained unexploited. text philipp hedemann photos thomas imo these trees have changed my life, they have made me a happy woman,’ says victoria ataa, lovingly patting the bark of the tree that provides her with shade from the midday sun. the ghanaian farmer is seated under a cashew tree in the village of congo. its fruits have not only freed the 66-year-old from abject poverty, they have also made her a role model for thousands of other farmers across africa. fourteen years ago, ataa used to sit by the roadside selling water in plastic bags. it was, the proud woman explains, an undig- nified job for a farmer, but her fields were just not productive enough to make a living from. as the dry periods became more frequent, the harvests dwindled. only the trees with the strange, kidney-shaped ker- nels seemed unaffected by the drought. but in the same fields where ataa’s grandfather had once planted yams, manioc and corn, nobody knew what to do with this peculiar, unfamiliar fruit. a few ‘strange indians’ used to buy the nuts from the children at a knockdown price, ataa recalls. then one day, while the farmer was wondering how she would feed her five children and send them to school, a man came over and spoke to her. ‘a woman like ‘exotic fruits’: for a long time nobody in ghana knew what to do with cashews. now farmers have recognised the tree’s potential. you should not be sitting here on the road- side. a woman like you should be growing cashew nuts,’ said the customer. he was chair of the cashew industry association of ghana. he told her that global demand for the sweet, buttery nuts was growing by around ten per cent each year, with prices rising even more quickly. moreover, he went on, there were no signs of the trend slowing and ghana was one of the best areas for growing cashews anywhere in the world. a rarely used ingredient in ghanaian cuisine ataa tried to find out everything there was to know about cashew nuts in ghana. it did not amount to much. most farmers at the time had no idea how to increase yields from the trees, nor how to store and process the nuts. at the same time, they had little idea who might buy the nuts and at what price, so few farmers showed much interest in the kernels – even today they remain a rarely used ingredient in ghanaian cuisine. but ghana was not the only country mak- ing little use of its cashew trees. in many other african countries, the nuts were left rotting in the fields, while worldwide de- mand and prices continued to rise. the african cashew initiative (aci) was launched in 2009 with the aim of har- nessing this enormous untapped potential. on behalf of the german federal ministry for economic cooperation and develop- ment and in cooperation with the bill & melinda gates foundation and over 30 pri- vate sector partners, giz implemented the programme in benin, burkina faso, côte d’ivoire, ghana and mozambique. the african cashew initiative, which in 2016 was awarded the dac innovation prize of the organisation for economic co-operation and development (oecd), targets the entire process: from production and processing to sales and export. ‘experts give farmers advice on how they can increase their yields – and therefore their income – through improved growing, harvesting and storage techniques,’ explains rita weidinger from giz. ‘this approach has so far bene- fited more than 430,000 farmers in partici- pating countries. many of them have been able to double their income from cashews in this way.’ victoria ataa has taken part in several of these training courses. and the success is tangible: ‘i used to harvest five to eight sacks of cashews, this year it was 16,’ she says with pride. and not only has she more nuts, she also sells them at a higher price. ‘before we took part in the training courses, the dealers often used to cheat us. now we know what our nuts are worth, so we no longer allow ourselves to get ripped off,’ the widow explains with self-confidence. today she can get the equivalent of 90 euro cents for a kilo of unshelled nuts; ten years ago it was just nine euro cents. akzente 1/17 41

commitment ghana burkina faso côte d'ivoire ghana togo capital: accra population: approx. 27 million gross domestic product per capita: usd 1,3811 economic growth: 3.9 per cent1 human development index ranking: 140 (out of 188) source: 1 world bank 2015 ready to face the competition project: african cashew initiative (aci) commissioned by: bill & melinda gates foundation, 30 other partners from the private sector, german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development lead executing agency: ghanaian ministry of food and agriculture overall term: 2009 to 2018 430,000 farmers in five countries have so far benefited from the african cashew initiative: in benin, burkina faso, côte d’ivoire, ghana and mozambique. it has created around 6,000 new jobs in processing, three quarters of them for women. in ghana alone, over 60,000 farmers have taken part in training courses organised by the african cashew initiative to improve the quality of nuts. almost nine out of ten farmers now apply their new knowledge on a daily basis. yields have risen from 530 kilograms per hectare in 2010 to as much as 958 kilograms in 2015. almost 2,500 jobs were created in ghana, the majority of them for women. the african cashew initiative is also supported by companies such as intersnack, kraft heinz, olam and sap. these companies bear the majority of the costs. height of the season, there are as many as 1,200 people working for the company based at mim in western ghana, which was advised by the african cashew initiative. with a lot of the processes involving manual work, they free the sweet kernels from their hard shells, remove the thin skin from around the nuts and pack them ready for export. when yeung took over management of the facility in 2010, his workers produced around 800 tonnes per year; today the figure is nearer 5,000 tonnes. ‘we could easily process 7,500 tonnes here, but unfortunately sometimes nuts are in short supply.’ the factory as a staging post on the way to other training many of the company’s workforce are in steady employment for the first time. around three quarters of them are women. ernestina adu-gayanfuah is busy sorting cashew kernels by size, quality and colour on a brightly lit table. she will process close to a hundredweight in her eight-hour shift. ‘the pay is okay and our free lunch is very good. we also get 15 days paid holi- days per year and receive our wages even when we’re sick. but i don’t want to spend my entire life here sorting nuts,’ says the young woman who spent twelve years at school. the 22-year-old has plans to become a nurse. but for the training she needs money – and the cashew factory is the best way to earn enough to pay the fees. soon, perhaps, the young factory worker will be sorting nuts from victoria ataa’s new field. the single-minded farmer is determined to continue increasing her production. ‘in the past i never wanted my now grown-up children to become farmers. but since we started farming cashews, i’ve nothing against my grandchildren follow- ing in my footsteps.’ > contact rita weidinger > rita.weidinger@giz.de www.africancashewinitiative.org akzente 1/17 43

commitment the distant summits of the andes are shrouded in mist. the dirt track that runs in front of the brightly painted houses in la ilusión, a neighbourhood in the colombian departmental capital florencia, has been turned into a quagmire by the inces- sant rain. maría leíver urrego and her neigh- bours are unfazed. the 30 women, men and children have put up their umbrellas and are standing in a circle. aromatic steam is rising from the three large pots in front of them and mingling with the raindrops. earlier to- day, they all helped to peel potatoes and pluck chickens. now it is lunchtime, and one after the other they offer words of grati- tude. ‘together we are strong,’ says urrego, when it is her turn to speak. then they share out the stew. the 400 inhabitants of la ilusión are putting into practice something which in many places remains a remote prospect in this south american country torn apart by violence. former fighters and those they drove out of the village now live side by side. ‘we look after one another,’ says urrego with conviction. this is thanks in part to the fundación para la reconciliación (‘foundation for recon- ciliation’), which has a centre just a few streets away. giz has been supporting the work of the centre since 2015 on behalf of the german fed- eral ministry for economic cooperation and development. during the centre’s two-week training courses, urrego and her neighbours – both victims and perpetrators – would sit to- gether in a room, talking and getting to know and understand one another better. social workers were on hand to support the difficult process of rapprochement between the two sides. ‘i haven’t forgotten, but i have forgiven,’ says 54-year-old urrego reflectively. indefatigable: maría leíver urrego, herself a victim of the conflict, works on behalf of idps. she spends her evenings sewing clothes for a small income. there are more idps living in colombia than in any country in the world – more than in syria and its neighbouring countries. it is the sad legacy of a conflict that has continued for over 50 years between the government, the left-wing rebel ‘guerrillas’ and the right-wing paramilitary. members of the guerrilla move- ment were originally fighting for social justice in this south american country, where the divide between rich and poor is deeper than almost anywhere else on the continent. but many guerrilla fighters themselves became perpetrators of violence. official sources put at over eight million the number of victims of violence and displacement, including more than 200,000 dead and thousands disap- peared. but the largest group is formed of 6.8 million idps. there are tears as she describes the day she was forced to flee urrego radiates kindness, with not a hint of bitterness. she comes from a village four hours’ drive south of florencia. there, where the eastern end of the andes chain turns to fertile savannah, her family used to lease a small farm. her eldest son was in the armed forces, the second son a policeman. they earned a living from their 120 hens and modest pig farm. then, one sunny day in august 2010, their rural idyll was shat- tered by rebels from the largest guerrilla group, heavily armed members of the revo- lutionary armed forces of colombia, or farc for short. ‘they accused my sons of being inform- ants and wanted to take them away,’ urrego explains. her voice cracks for a few seconds. she wipes the tears from her face. that same night, the family set off on a forced march, with two young infants in their arms. a friendly truck driver took them to the cap ital bogotá, where they lived for six months – seven people, three generations, all in the same room. eventually they could stand it no longer and moved to florencia, where they initially received support from relatives. florencia is the capital of the department of caquetá, historically a farc stronghold. fighting was particularly intense here. three out of four of the population live in florencia for one reason only: they sought refuge in the big city, where anonymity and the number of neighbours offers greater security. colombia’s future remains uncertain. in august 2016, the government and the farc guerrillas reached a historic peace settlement. but in early october the population rejected the peace agreement in a referendum. oppo- nents of the agreement criticised the fact that its treatment of the rebels was too lenient. the farc was to have become a political organi- sation, for example, with seats in parliament reserved in the years ahead. the agreement was revised and finally passed by parliament in late november. the government of juan manuel santos still faces enormous challenges, however. in 2011 he initiated a victims’ law, which was widely celebrated as the dawn of a new era. but it has only partially fulfilled expectations. progress with compensation and reintegra- tion for those affected by the conflict has been slow. many are not even aware that they have a right to compensation or are deterred by the bureaucracy. nevertheless, there is clear hope that after five decades, the war between the government and the rebels will finally be over. this fact was honoured by the nobel committee, which in december awarded santos the nobel peace prize in oslo for his services. from powerlessness to self-determination but now what has been decided at the politi- cal level must be accepted by society as a whole. for this reason, giz is providing sup- port to state and non-state institutions in florencia with coordinating more closely their work on behalf of victims, explains her- mán bernal. he and his colleagues brought to the same table representatives of the victims, the city administration, victims’ agencies, non-governmental organisations and interna- akzente 1/17 45

commitment colombia panama colombia ecuador venezuela brazil capital: bogotá population: 49 million gross domestic product per capita: usd 7,1301 economic growth: 3.1 per cent1 human development index ranking: 97 (out of 188) peru source: 1 world bank 2015 back to life project: fortes: structural strengthening of support services and the integration of internally displaced persons in caquetá, colombia commissioned by: german federal ministry for economic cooperation and development lead executing agency: government of caquetá department overall term: 2014 to 2017 internally displaced persons (idps) in colombia have the right to state support if they are registered as victims. but even many of those included in the idp registry – 200,000 people in the department of caquetá – are not aware of the benefits on offer. giz is providing support to state and non­state agencies in caquetá to improve coordination of the registration process as well as support and information services for victims. a central victim support service point has been set up in the capital florencia. cooperatives and farmers’ organisations also receive support from the service point with their applications for government funding. in addition, those affected can gain access to vocational training and learn how to facilitate contact with employers. more than 3,500 people, predominantly women, have increased their income. www.giz.de/en/worldwide/29077.html is her domain. she keeps around 40 cackling hens. grafe picks up an egg. ‘that’s the four- teenth today.’ in december 2015, giz gave her around 20 chickens and materials with which to build the coop; at the same time, it provided the couple with advice on keeping hens. grafe is now able to sell her eggs to neighbours. full-time job: standing up for the rights of idps a similar start-up grant enabled 16 other farmers from the settlement to develop small hen or fish farms. and even more families fol- lowed in 2016, selected by urrego’s round ta- ble. ‘there can be no peace on an empty stomach,’ she says. urrego’s diary is absolutely full. today she is expected at a gathering at san francisco square in the centre of florencia. the occa- sion is the national day of remembrance and solidarity with victims of armed con- flict. everyone is there – her neighbours from la ilusión, the city’s employees. urrego is nervous, she has to deliver a speech. she goes over the keywords jotted down on her slip of paper one last time. then she gets up onto the stage and speaks. the people applaud. twelve months ago she was just a simple woman from the countryside; now she is a lobbyist for people who have lost their homes. ‘i get my strength from helping others,’ says urrego. and she needs strength, for her volun- tary work amounts to a full-time job. she gets up at four o’clock in the morning. rarely does she go to bed before midnight. in the evenings she sits at her sewing machine and makes clothes to order. it is her only income. ‘even my granddaughters say to me: “grandma, you should make more time for yourself.”’ but for urrego there is little op- portunity to relax. she wants to earn her school leaving certificate and then study law, so she will be even better at defending the rights of idps. > contact sabine kittel > sabine.kittel@giz.de akzente 1/17 47

info litprom recommends litprom – the society for the promotion of african, asian and latin american literature – provided these reviews for akzente. the titles were selected from litprom’s list of best new novels. www.litprom.de ministry of moral panic short stories 14 stories that don’t hold back. amanda lee koe is just 29, but in these stories, she describes wasted lives and unrequited love, as well as colonial heritage in the multiracial state of singapore. these melancholy tales are close to the bone – but still sound utterly cool. katharina borchardt, literary critic and editor amanda lee koe, singapore epigram books, 216 pages selection day novel manju, a young boy from the slums, is a talented cricketer. suddenly, he is a golden boy. cricket in india is like football elsewhere: it is both religion and obsession, a chance for the underdog to make good and an investment opportunity for million- aires. but adiga’s magical characters defy definition: they are unforgettable as they seek their fortune in the sprawl that is the city of mumbai. cornelia zetzsche, literary editor, critic and presenter aravind adiga, india picador, 352 pages akzente 1/17 49 giz publications grow – scale – impact available in english andrea a. pérez castro, krisztina tora this guide explains how inclusive businesses – those that include people on particularly low incomes in value creation – can grow. inclu­ sive businesses play an important part in achieving the sustainable development goals. ict4refugees available in english ben mason, dennis buchmann how can information and communications technol­ ogy (ict) help to support refugees and the host communities in which they now live? this question is the focus of a report that gives an overview of the actors involved, pre­ sents case studies, and analyses the findings of surveys carried out in greece, jordan and turkey. a new deal for energy efficiency available in german friederike bauer, marcel seyppel, florian ziegler this publication, from the ‘materials on development financing’ series, demonstrates why we need to manage energy better. the publication also explores how, through the work of giz and kfw entwick­ lungsbank, german development cooperation promotes energy efficiency around the world. these publications can be downloaded or ordered free of charge from www.giz.de/publications

b a sust a i n i l i ty a look back at a project and its re repatriation and project: vocational reintegration of bosnian war refugees s u lt s commissioned by: town of düren term: 1998 to 2003 then: in the late 1990s, large numbers of refugees were living in the town of düren in the german federal state of north rhine­westphalia after fleeing their homes in bosnia as a result of the war. many were from modriča. once the war was over, they were keen to return home, but modriča was now in the republika srpska, where serbs made up the majority of the population. the municipal authorities in düren therefore commissioned giz – at that time, still the deutsche gesellschaft für technische zusammenarbeit (gtz) gmbh – to create a temporary settlement in nearby gradačac to give the people a new start. the project also included support with re­entering the local labour market. now: around 220 refugees accepted the offer and returned to bosnia and herzegovina. in the düren settlement in gradačac, they moved into 50 small houses. the german town provided an initial grant of dm 1,200, and the government of the state of north rhine­westphalia added a further dm 650. the international organization for migration also supported the project. the german town of düren funded the set­up of a carpentry workshop, where two returnees and two existing inhabitants of gradačac found work. other returnees found employment in agriculture or with local construction companies. the returnees were able to use the settlement as a base for reorientation for five years before making way for further refugees. the initiative spawned a close town partnership between düren and gradačac, and there is still a lively exchange programme between schools, women’s groups, and municipal councillors and officials. akzente 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: uta rasche (editor), kerstin nauth frankfurter societäts­medien gmbh: helen sibum (project management), friederike bauer, judith reker, oliver hick­schulz (layout), corinna potthoff (photo editing) english translation: judith steinau clark, hillary crowe, janet fraser, jodie mcgilvary, alan seaton; karl stellrecht (giz language services) graphic design/lithography: frankfurter societäts­medien gmbh 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/the image bank/pete starman all images: giz unless otherwise stated copy deadline: february 2017 published: quarterly current issue: march 2017 issn: 0945­4497 articles by individual authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. akzente has received several awards for its high-quality journal- ism and design. in 2016 it won the fox award in gold and the fox visual award in silver. ) 1 5 e g a p ( c i r i m n e v e t s / s e g a m i y t t e g : o t o h p preview akzente issue 2 /17 africa is a continent of contrasts. there is more poverty and hardship in africa than anywhere else in the world, and many african countries face enormous challenges in tackling crisis and conflict. yet africa is transforming itself: eco- nomic growth is increasing, and the continent has fertile soils, a wealth of natural resources and a young, flexible population. can these two ex- tremes be reconciled? and how can africa’s pop- ulation of more than a billion catch up with the rest of the world? answers to these and other questions will be provided in akzente 2/17. akzente 1/17 51