Germany in the United Nations
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Germany
in the United Nations
Germany
in the United Nations
Contents » Germany – a reliable partner 2
Germany’s candidacy for a seat on the
Security Council in 2011/12 4
Germany’s contribution to peace and
security in the world 6
Civilian measures for peace and security 8
Our engagement for peace and security in Africa 10
Human rights – the prerequisite
for peace and development 12
Poverty and sustainable development:
the Millennium Development Goals 14
Climate protection – our special concern 16
Distributing water fairly 18
Humanitarian aid: solidarity
throughout the world 20
Education gives people prospects 22
Building confidence through disarmament 24
Germany – the UN location for sustainability 26
Germany at a glance 28
www.diplo.de
2 Germany in the United Nations Partner for peace 3
Germany – a reliable partner
T he United Nations is more important than ever be-
fore. No country, no matter how large, can manage
alone in today’s interdependent world. We need a
policy for many decades. Security and development are
inextricably linked. In both 2007 and 2008, with 12.3 and
13.9 billion US dollars respectively – i.e. a total of 26.2 bil-
strong world organization to provide a binding frame- lion dollars – Germany was the world’s second-largest
work for international cooperation and conflict man- development-aid donor. In all major challenges facing
agement. As the third largest financial contributor to humankind, for example crisis prevention and manage-
the UN, Germany supports the organization’s work in ment, the protection of human rights, disarmament,
all fields – in 2009 with over 700 million US dollars. climate protection and the realization of the Millenni-
um Development Goals, the international community
The central mandate of the United Nations, safeguard- can count on us. For we are convinced that conflicts can
ing peace and security, has been the focus of our foreign only be resolved through dialogue.
Providing assistance in the Congo
» As a global citizen and member
of the United Nations,
Germany sets an admirable example. «
Kofi Annan
Nobel Peace Prize winner, UN Secretary-General 1997–2006
4 Partner für den Frieden Deutschland in den Vereinten Nationen Germany in the United Nations Candidacy for a seat on the Security Council 2011/12 5
Germany’s candidacy for a seat
on the Security Council in 2011/12
T he Security Council is the centrepiece of the inter-
national peace order. Germany has had a seat in this
forum four times. We always strove to make the work
In 2011/12 we would like to continue our past commit-
ment. We would again be a reliable partner accessible
to all, who would live up to its own demands for greater
there as effective and transparent as possible, most re- transparency. We would support initiatives which seek
cently in 2003/4, when the Iraq conflict triggered off lasting solutions with a view to fostering peace and
difficult discussions in the Security Council. During security. As we are convinced that only a fair world is a
Germany’s Presidency, the Security Council adopted safe world, we would do everything we can to promote
Resolution 1540 with a view to preventing non-state ac- economic and social equality. This includes mastering
tors from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Fur- global challenges such as climate change, the scarcity of
thermore, we initiated a debate on how a responsible resources and food crises, tasks to which we are whole-
private sector can play a key role in preventing conflicts heartedly dedicated.
and consolidating peace.
United Nations Security Council in New York
6 Germany in the United Nations Peace and security 7
Germany’s contribution to peace and
security in the world
G ermany has been engaged in United Nations peace
missions for the last 20 years. Following our success-
ful first mission in Namibia in 1989 (UNTAG) we quickly
UNMIL and UNMIS to build the police forces in Liberia
and southern Sudan; within the framework of UNIFIL
we have combined our maritime presence with equip-
became a sought-after and competent partner. Some ment and training aid.
6800 German soldiers and about 270 police officers are
currently engaged in peace missions around the world. The greatest risks today are posed by failing states. In
With approximately 600 million US dollars in 2010, we a legal vacuum, there is ever greater rivalry between
are making an important contribution towards the suc- communities, and organized crime as well as terrorism
cess of “blue helmet” missions. We are participating in can thrive. Global warming and the inequitable distri-
six of the current eighteen UN missions, on three con- bution of resources can also heighten tensions in many
tinents. In addition to making available funding and places. We are convinced that today’s complex prob-
personnel, we provide targeted support for UN missions lems cannot be resolved by military means alone. That
through projects, thus putting into practice a compre- is why Germany favours a strategy which grants civilian
hensive approach. For example, Germany is helping measures a major role.
UN mission UNIFIL, two female soldiers on guard duty, Lebanese coast
» Germany has achieved an extraordinary amount
during its 20 years of participation
in peacekeeping missions. «
Martti Ahtisaari
Nobel Peace Prize winner, President of Finland 1994–2000
8 Partner für den Frieden Deutschland in den Vereinten Nationen Germany in the United Nations Peace and security 9
Civilian measures for peace and security
C ivilian measures must be carried out soon after a
conflict in order to establish peace and lasting stabil-
ity. We want to contribute to this, also in our role as Chair
für Internationale Friedenseinsätze (Center for Inter
national Peace Operations – ZIF) established in Berlin in
2002 is to provide national and international specialists
of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC). with practical and psychological training in prepara-
tion for their deployment in peace missions. During the
We are promoting the development of rule-of-law last few years, 1100 experts have been prepared for the
structures, for example in the police, justice and penal changing demands of international crisis management
sectors, and providing advice on overcoming poten- in 60 courses. Here, too, the emphasis is on bolstering
tial conflicts caused by poverty, scarce resources or the preventative capacities. For identifying and defusing
consequences of climate change. And we know that the conflicts before they flare up and before military inter-
success of any mission depends first and foremost on vention becomes necessary is one of the central aims of
the people involved. Therefore, the aim of the Zentrum our security policy.
Germany’s engagement for education and schools in Afghanistan
10 Germany in the United Nations Engagement in Africa 11
Our engagement for peace
and security in Africa
M oving from reaction to prevention – the German
Government has adopted this demand originally
made by Kofi Annan: we are cultivating contacts based
the African Union Border Programme as well as in the
preparation of African police officers for their deploy-
ment in peace missions.
on trust with the African Union (AU), founded in 2002,
which we do not only support with know-how. Germany is erecting a building in the Ethiopian capital
Addis Ababa, the seat of the African Union, which will
In the longer term, we want to enable our partners in make it possible to house the entire AU Peace and Secu-
Africa to assume full responsibility for security on the rity Department under one roof in future. This will offer
continent. We are thus supporting the development of more than just a headquarters which works quickly and
a functioning police force and fostering civil society in effectively. The new building will also provide the Afri-
many African countries through the development of in- can Union with a highly visible symbol of the independ-
dependent media. We are also playing a major role in ence and viability of its policies.
German soldiers as UN observers in the Sudan
» It feels good and it is good
when there’s a country like Germany right at the front,
helping the developing world. «
Wangari Maathai
Model of the building for the AU Peace and Nobel Peace Prize winner
Security Department in Addis Ababa
12 Partner für den Frieden Deutschland in den Vereinten Nationen Germany in the United Nations Human rights policy 13
Human rights – the prerequisite
for peace and development
A rticle 1 of the Basic Law, Germany’s constitution,
states that, “Human dignity shall be inviolable”.
Our commitment to human rights around the world is
aimed at strengthening the rights of women and pro-
tecting the interests of children, of disabled people and
of refugees. We are particularly committed to the pro-
therefore a cornerstone of Germany’s foreign policy. motion of the human right to safe drinking water and
sanitation.
We are working to protect and promote economic, so-
cial and cultural rights worldwide, as well as political Human rights policy always begins at home: that is the
and civil rights. During our EU Presidency in 2007, we prerequisite for international credibility. We have ac-
succeeded in advancing the establishment of the new ceded to numerous international conventions which
UN Human Rights Council. We are pursuing joint ini- allow the United Nations to examine the observance of
tiatives with partners from every part of the world and human rights in Germany. And we have submitted to
every culture. The German Government favours ongoing the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court out
dialogue in order to foster the implementation of inter- of conviction.
national human rights standards. We support projects
Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle at the United Nations in Geneva
14 Germany in the United Nations Millennium Goals 15
Poverty and sustainable development:
the Millennium Development Goals
T he German Government fully supports the Millenni-
um Declaration adopted in New York in 2000, as well
as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals
tion sector. Our contribution to the Global Fund to Fight
Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) already totals
roughly one billion US dollars; we have pledged an addi-
developed on the basis of that document. 2010 marks tional 280 million US dollars for 2010. The aim of Germa-
an important milestone: Heads of State and Govern- ny’s development cooperation is always to help people
ment must make an honest assessment of what has been to help themselves: we want to create an environment
achieved to date at the Millennium Development Goals which allows intellectual potential and entrepreneurial
Review Summit in September. We will do everything we energy to develop on the ground. We are promoting
can to mobilize the necessary resources to achieve our self-employment and entrepreneurship through micro-
common goals. In order to halve world poverty by 2015 finance programmes to the tune of 180 million US dol-
and to make globalization more fair, we have almost lars in 63 countries which are among the poorest in the
doubled our development cooperation budget during world. In the sphere of environment policy, too, we have
the last ten years. With 13.9 billion US dollars, Germany opted for innovative financing instruments: since 2008,
was again the world’s second largest donor in the field for example, revenue from emissions trading has gone
of development cooperation in 2008. Of that, around towards enhancing climate protection in developing
1.6 billion US dollars were channelled into the educa- countries.
International day of action “Stand Up Against Poverty”, UN organizations staff in Bonn
» Germany contributes a great deal towards
humanitarian aid, the implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals and environment protection. «
Ban Ki-Moon
UN Secretary-General
16 Germany in the United Nations Climate protection 17
Climate protection – our special concern
C limate change affects each and every one of us.
When stretches of land sink into the sea, when oth-
ers fall barren, glaciers melt, fields become infertile and
house gases worldwide in the long term. Germany has
passed legislation setting far-reaching national emis-
sions reductions. With its international climate protec-
sources dry up, then the international community has tion initiative, the German Government has embarked
an obligation to act. The countries affected, especially on an innovative course to provide financial assistance
island and desert states, deserve our support. We will to poor countries for climate protection. We are thus
only be able to get to grips with the ecological, social and pioneers of an ambitious multilateral climate policy and
political consequences of climate change if we cooperate. will continue along this path despite the disappointing
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Germany is a founding member of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP). Achim Steiner is the Germany is one of the first signatories of the treaty
second German to head UNEP. We are aware of the special establishing the International Renewable Energy Agency
situation of emerging economies and developing coun- (IRENA). We also made a valuable contribution towards
tries. That is why we have stressed time and again that lending new momentum to the international efforts
climate protection is a core element in our security policy. to protect endangered species. Within the framework
of the Life Web Initiative, we are providing 663 million
Back in 2007, Chancellor Merkel was the first Head of US dollars to protect rainforests and other ecosystems at
Government of an industrialized country to state her risk whose loss would make our world uninhabitable.
commitment to aligning per-capita output of green-
Chancellor Merkel visits Greenland
» It’s a brilliant, indeed a revolutionary idea,
which should lead to a tectonic shift in climate policy. «
Rajendra K. Pachauri
Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
on the proposal to align per-capita output of greenhouse gases worldwide18 Partner für den Frieden Deutschland in den Vereinten Nationen Germany in the United Nations Water supply 19
Distributing water fairly
W ater is a basic necessity, but 900 million peo-
ple are without access to clean drinking water,
while 2.5 billion do not have adequate sanitation. The
security policy, too, we are committed to fair access to
water. Thanks to Germany’s initiative, water is a key
issue in Europe’s Central Asia Strategy.
resulting diseases kill more children than malaria, mea-
sles and AIDS put together. Life is not possible without UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon can always count on
water, while a shortage of water creates a potential for our staunch support for his efforts to recognize access
conflict. Effective water management, on the other to clean water as a human right. Back in 2006, we joined
hand, boosts prosperity and peace. forces with Spain to launch an initiative on this. In 2008,
the Human Rights Council in Geneva issued a mandate
The German Government has therefore placed water for the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights
at the top of its political agenda. Germany is one of the obligations related to access to safe drinking water and
three largest bilateral donors to water-related projects. sanitation and appointed Catarina de Albuquerque.
It is the number one donor in Africa. In our foreign and
Boy in the Gaza Strip20 Germany in the United Nations Humanitarian aid 21
Humanitarian aid: solidarity
throughout the world
G ermany’s humanitarian aid is quick, unbureaucratic
and impartial. That means it is directed at people in
need as a result of natural disasters, epidemics or wars
personnel mines and cluster munitions and played a
prominent role in the implementation of the Ottawa
Convention (1997) and the Oslo Convention (2009). Since
and not at governments. It is not a political instrument the early nineties, we have provided 256 million US dol-
but, rather, an expression of our global solidarity. Ger- lars for extensive mine and unexploded ordnance clear-
many has increased its contribution to the UN Central ance activities in 42 countries. Furthermore, within the
Emergency Response Fund to more than 20 million framework of a resettlement agreement with the UN
US dollars so that the international community can re- High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Germany
act quickly, especially to those crises which receive lit- has taken in 2500 refugees in need of particular protec-
tle attention from the international donor community. tion who cannot return to their home countries. Within
We have made available a total of almost 400 million the framework of the Albert Einstein German Academic
US dollars for emergency measures, stop-gap aid and Refugee Initiative, Germany is funding higher educa-
reconstruction in 2010. tion scholarships for refugees. One focus of Germany’s
humanitarian aid is disaster reduction: in this sphere, we
Mine and ordnance clearance is a special priority. We are concentrating on regions where there is a high risk
are doing all we can to bring about a global ban on anti- of disaster, in particular endangered coastal regions.
Haiti following the earthquake: seven German mobile water treatment plants provide water for more than 75,000 people per day
» Germany doesn’t make promises
it can’t keep. «
Bono
Singer (U2)22 Partner für den Frieden Deutschland in den Vereinten Nationen Germany in the United Nations Education 23
Education gives people prospects
E ducation is a key 21st century issue – we see the
promotion of education as a sustainable contribu-
tion towards peace, security and development. With
for Lifelong Learning in Hamburg, two UNESCO edu-
cation institutions are based in Germany. 190 project
schools in Germany form part of the UNESCO Associated
1.64 billion US dollars, Germany is the world’s second- Schools Project network, and around 15,000 pupils take
largest donor in the field of education. We have tripled part each year in partnerships and exchange projects
our ODA funds for basic education since 2001, and we with schools in 60 countries across the world.
are expressly committed to the Education for All Global
Action Plan. Germany is one of the few donors active in The sooner we realize we are an international learning
not only basic education, but also vocational training community, the more successful we will be in tackling
and the promotion of higher education. the joint challenges that lie ahead. This applies to our
Aktion Afrika initiative and it is the core idea behind our
In March 2009 Germany hosted the World Conference Schools: Partners for the Future initiative with a total
on Education for Sustainable Development – Moving volume of over 130 million US dollars for 2009/10. This
into the Second Half of the UN Decade (2005–2014). also benefits over 1300 schools in the national education
With the International Centre for Technical and Voca- systems in more than 100 countries, in the form of equip-
tional Education and Training in Bonn and the Institute ment aid, teacher training and youth programmes.
School lesson in Senegal24 Germany in the United Nations Disarmament 25
Building confidence through disarmament
D isarmament and arms control are about more than
reducing the world’s stockpiles of weapons. Dis-
armament is a multilateral process which builds confi-
which we introduced to the General Assembly in 2009,
were adopted by consensus. Whether it be negotiations
on the control of small arms or the management and
dence between states – and it is one of the UN’s key tasks. securing of the states’ weapon and ammunition stocks:
Germany, which has committed itself to far-reaching we remind the international community time and
arms control measures beyond the United Nations, is a again that an effective prevention policy must also ad-
particularly active member of the international com- dress paramilitary and terrorist groups. Universal and
munity in this field, too. effective implementation of Resolution 1540, adopted
in 2004 during Germany’s Presidency of the UN Security
We are pressing for existing arms control agreements Council, which is intended to prevent non-state actors
– the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Comprehensive from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction, is
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Biological Weapons particularly important to us.
Convention (BWC) and the Chemical Weapons Conven-
tion (CWC) – to be strengthened and extended. In the Our commitment to the Oslo Convention on Cluster
field of conventional arms control we have also made Munitions and our early unilateral renunciation of this
our voice heard. The resolutions on conventional am- kind of weapon have made us a credible champion of
munition and on transparency in military expenditure, international humanitarian law.
United Nations, New York
» Germany is an exemplary world citizen. «
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
UN Secretary-General 1992–199626 Partner für den Frieden Deutschland in den Vereinten Nationen Germany in the United Nations UN basis Germany 27
Germany – the UN location for sustainability
T he UN’s decision to base many of its UN institutions
in Germany is a demonstration of how our steadily
growing commitment to the world organization is
tariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Secretariat of the
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
appreciated. We regard the fact that most of the offices (UNCCD).
and secretariats based in Germany deal with sustain-
ability and climate protection as recognition of our de- In order to provide an attractive working environ-
termined commitment to these crucial issues. ment for the 800 UN staff now based in Bonn, the Ger-
man Government decided to establish a UN Campus
Alongside Berlin and Hamburg, Germany’s former cap- with modern offices on the former site of the German
ital Bonn, home to 19 UN agencies, is of special impor- Bundestag. Next door, a conference centre with rooms
tance. After the then Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- for up to 5000 delegates is being developed. The area,
Ghali inaugurated the headquarters of United Nations which once witnessed the rebirth of German democ
Volunteers (UNV) there in 1996, further agencies soon racy, will thus attain an international flair in keeping
followed, including the two Rio Secretariats, the Secre- with our new role in the world.
The UN Campus in Bonn28 Germany in the United Nations Facts about Germany 29
Germany at a glance
State structure and political system Internet-TLD: .de
»» Democratic, parliamentary federal state »» One of the ten most frequent top-level domains
»» Federal structure: consists of 16 states (Länder) in the world
»» Capital city: Berlin, 3.4 million inhabitants
»» National holiday: 3 October Geography
»» Area: 357,021 km2
German »» Location: Central Europe, 9 neighbours
»» German is the mother tongue of 100 million people.
It is the language with the largest number of native Population
speakers in the European Union. »» 82 million inhabitants of which 7.2 million come from
other countries in the world
20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall, celebration at the Brandenburg Gate30 Partner für den Frieden Deutschland in den Vereinten Nationen Germany in the United Nations Facts about Germany 31
Economy Education and study
»» Fourth largest economy in the world, »» 383 institutes of higher education,
largest in Europe 103 of them universities
»» Export of goods: 1360.95 billion US dollars (2009) »» 2 million students
»» Import of goods: 1180 billion US dollars (2009) »» Alongside USA and the UK, one of the world’s three
»» GDP: 3356 billion US dollars (2009) most attractive countries for foreign students
»» Per capita GDP: 40,928 US dollars (2009)
»» GNI: 3415 billion US dollars (2009) Culture
»» Foreign direct investment in Germany: »» Over 5000 museums (of which 500 museums of art)
630 billion US dollars (2008) »» Over 300 theatres, more than 100 opera houses and
musical theatres
Science and research »» 130 professional orchestras
»» 81 Nobel Prizes, 17 of which have been awarded »» 7500 libraries
to Max Planck Society scientists since 1949
»» Other leading research organizations: For further information go to
Fraunhofer Society, Leibniz Association, www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en
Helmholtz Association
»» Alongside USA and Japan, one of the world’s
three most innovative countries:
over 11,000 patent applications per year
Innovation and climate protection in Germany: renewable energies account for more than 10% of energy generation« Imprint
© Auswärtiges Amt 2010
Published by
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in addition:
© German National Tourism Board: Page 28
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© photothek: Page 12 (Thomas Trutschel), page 14 (Thomas Imo) climate-neutral
Thanks to Alysa Selene and Wolfgang Blau, “German Dream – This brochure was produced in accordance with the latest environmental guidelines on climate neutrality.
Climate neutrality requires the offset of emissions released into the atmosphere. In this particular case, that
Träumen für Deutschland”, for permitting us to print the quo- meant identifying any unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production of this brochure
tation by Wangari Maathai on page 11. and offsetting them by investment in a recognized climate protection project.You can also read
