Stories on social development

Laura Díaz is one of 105 women park rangers in Costa Rica’s conservation areas. Women are still outnumbered as rangers. Yet Costa Rica is employing more and more women rangers in biodiversity protection and climate action.

GIZ is working on developing and using fair artificial intelligence with partner countries. Petra Zimmermann-Steinhart and Bernd Lakemeier explain what that looks like and how it is helping hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia.

Hildegard Bentele, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development, talks about learning from crises, the EU’s place in the current geopolitical rivalry and what GIZ offers in international cooperation.

How a blind lawyer from Ethiopia ended up at GIZ in Bonn and why he feels very much at home there.

Germany will be hosting the third Global Disability Summit on the inclusion of persons with disabilities. akzente answers the most important questions on the summit.

Sara Nuru rose to fame as a winner of Germany’s Next Top Model. She is now a successful entrepreneur, supporting women in Ethiopia. In 2018, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) appointed Sara Nuru as an ambassador for fair trade. In this interview for akzente, she reports on how her own association, nuruWomen, is supporting economic independence for women.

Albania will take centre stage as the official host country at the ITB 2025 travel trade show in Berlin. Located in the Western Balkans, Albania has so much to offer visitors. GIZ is supporting a number of local partners to ensure that the upsurge in tourism also benefits rural areas. A visit to the cultural and architectural heart of northern Albania.

How a barracks in Kosovo became an attractive centre for business and training: we visit the Innovation and Training Park (ITP) Prizren. With GIZ support, it has become one of the most important hubs for innovation in the Western Balkans.

Kosovo’s Government is focusing on innovation and digitalisation in government and the economy. In the interview, Lulëzon Jagxhiu, advisor to Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, discusses the role played by the Innovation and Training Park in Prizren. The transformation of the former Bundeswehr military camp into a civilian economic and educational centre is a German-Kosovar initiative.

Daher Zedan, Country Director of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), explains how the healthcare organisation is establishing reliable healthcare in Syria despite the difficult conditions.

My name is Matthias Militzer. I returned to Germany at the end of last year, having spent many exciting years working as a GIZ risk manager in Afghanistan and South Sudan.

Three questions for the ophthalmologist Dr Meena Kunwar Joshi, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Deputy Director of the Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) Hospital, which also treats civilians. With the support of GIZ, Dr Kunwar Joshi expanded the hos