Enhancing Science Partnerships for Innovation and Sustainable Development

The German Society for International Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)

As a German federal enterprise, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German federal government in reaching its goals in international cooperation for sustainable development. It operates in more than 130 countries around the world. GIZ has been committed to supporting political change in South Africa since 1992. It operates on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and other international organisations and institutions, such as the European Union.

Within the framework of German development cooperation, GIZ supports the country in its efforts to strengthen the public sector at the national, province and local levels, to integrate civil society more intensively into setting up a democratic society and to foster the activities of the private sector. GIZ is also helping South Africa to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, use energy more efficiently and increase the percentage of renewable energies. It is also committed to the fight against HIV and AIDS. In addition, GIZ carries out ambitious education programmes in the country that focus on, in addition to basic and advanced training, supporting young people and the "weltwärts" volunteer programme of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Development cooperation between South Africa and Germany focuses on the following issues:

• Governance and administration
• Energy and climate
• HIV/AIDS

Today, around 300 people work for the GIZ in South Africa, of which more than 60 percent are local staff.

www.giz.de/en

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