With the launch of the new South-North Commission at #HSC26, Germany is attempting to reopen the conversation on global development beyond 2030. Co-chaired by Olaf Scholz and Laura Chinchilla, the independent Commission explicitly evokes the legacy of the Brandt Commission of 1980. Its success will depend not on the prestige of its members, but on its … Read more
I’m heading to the Hamburg Sustainability Conference 2026 — and I’m not going there to nod along. Hamburg, 29 June 2026. Around 1,600 participants from 115 countries are descending on the Hanseatic city this weekend for the third Hamburg Sustainability Conference. German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will open proceedings, flanked by 22 ministers, 13 heads … Read more
(tl;dr) EU–Kenya Digital Partnership boosts connectivity, skills and innovation, linking youth, schools and SMEs to affordable high-speed internet, AI collaboration and new digital jobs for sustainable, shared growth. Kenya has become the first African country to establish a formal Digital Dialogue with the European Union, a milestone reached in March 2026 that positions this East … Read more
Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming ReACT4UA / EU4Business — Central Project Evaluation GIZ, Commissioned by BMZ | Co-financed by the EU and Norad | Ukraine | 2020–2025 Context Ukraine’s path toward EU accession has unfolded against the backdrop of one of the most severe crises in contemporary European history. The ReACT4UA / EU4Business … Read more
Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming Evaluation Report: Program Evaluation of the KVP of the Deutsche Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation (DSIK) Evaluator: Madiba Consult GmbH, Bonn Commissioned by: Deutsche Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation (DSIK) Funded by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Overall Rating: 86/100 — Successful (Level 2, OECD-DAC Scale) … Read more
(TL;DR) Germany has invested heavily in decentralization in Africa and achieved real improvements at the local level, but national power structures remain largely centralized, so a strategic reset is needed to align future support with political realities, focus on fewer but stronger programs, and embed decentralization more smartly in democracy, service delivery, and sector reforms. … Read more
Climate protection and sustainable development are two sides of the same coin. Karsten Weitzenegger Consulting is a registered supporter of the Stiftung Allianz für Entwicklung und Klima (Foundation Alliance for Development and Climate), Germany’s leading platform connecting voluntary climate action with measurable development impact in the Global South. What is the Alliance for Development and … Read more
SCALED is emerging as one of the most ambitious attempts yet to fix a stubborn problem in development finance: how to move from promising blended finance pilots to repeatable, large scale investment in sustainable projects across emerging markets and developing economies.Why SCALED matters now Despite a decade of rhetoric about mobilising trillions for the Sustainable … Read more
(TL:DR) Germany’s upcoming North South Commission sits at the intersection of two agendas: repositioning relations with the Global South and shaping a post‑2030 framework to succeed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It can become a strategic platform for rethinking partnerships and global rules, but it also risks ending up as a narrowly framed, low‑impact … Read more
Key Takeaways from the 4th DC dVET BarCamp On 24 February 2026, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and development partners gathered at the 4th BarCamp co-hosted by DC dVET and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to address a pressing question: how can we build resilient and sustainable financing models for dual vocational education and training (VET) in … Read more
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has unveiled a new action plan, “Strong Partnerships for a Successful Economy Worldwide”, marking a major shift in the country’s development cooperation strategy. This plan, introduced by Federal Minister Alabali Radovan, aims to forge deeper ties between German businesses and development policy, blending commercial opportunities with … Read more
The 2025 Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) emerged as a pivotal forum for advancing global sustainability agendas amid escalating geopolitical fragmentation and economic uncertainty. With 1,600 participants from 110 countries, the conference prioritized actionable outcomes, producing landmark agreements such as the Hamburg Declaration on Responsible AI for the SDGs and the Global Alliance against Inequality[1][2][3]. This … Read more
