The IB is calling for education spending in international development cooperation to be addressed in the coalition talks for a new German government. Specifically, significantly more funds must be made available to improve the opportunities of children, young people and adults worldwide.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recommends that member states earmark three percent of their total development cooperation spending specifically for education. In Germany, the rate is only 0.74 percent, according to the OECD.
Education for sustainable development (ESD) must be the basis
The current occasion for the IB's demand is the United Nations' (UN) proclaimed Day of Information on Development Issues on Sunday, October 24. From the point of view of the IB, the "Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD) adopted by the world organization must always be the basis for action for all activities in this area.
In this context, the IB expressly welcomes the fact that the potential coalition parties in Germany have announced their intention to align their development policy actions with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
"The IB is itself heavily involved in development cooperation, currently with projects in Turkey, Somalia, Morocco, Albania, Macedonia and eastern Ukraine, among others. As an education service provider, this issue is always of particular concern to us. Giving people opportunities worldwide also helps to combat the causes of flight. That's why we expect the new German government to spend more on education in development cooperation," explains Thiemo Fojkar, CEO of the IB.
The latest development policy report of the current federal government is available here (German).
