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Contributions from
the Column
InWEnt News
Kobe: UN conference on disaster management
Partnership with tsunami-hit municipalities
Promoting decentralisation of education
03/2005 |
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Local Aid Agency helps building partnerships
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) set up the “Kommunale Servicestelle – Partnerschaftsinitiative” (Local Aid Agency – Partnership Initiative) at InWEnt Capacity Building International in Bonn at the beginning of January to help with the reconstruction needed in Asia after the tsunami disaster. The agency’s purpose is to handle the numerous offers of help and partnership made by local authorities and the private sector in Germany and to establish relevant contacts. The Servicestelle is part of the “Interministerial Working Group Partnership Initiative”, in which the German Foreign Office and the BMZ are both involved.
German embassies in the crisis region will identify suitable projects in conjunction with aid and development organisations. The principal forms of engagement are rebuilding schools and educational establishments, hospitals and decimated fishing villages as well as providing aid for children and helping reconstruct local infrastructures that were severly affected by the calamity.
The Servicestelle was up and running very quickly. Its staff of twelve furnishes information about existing projects of German non-governmental organisations and advises German groups on cooperation with experienced partners. As quality is considered to be more important than quantity and speed, the agency holds detailed consultative talks and closely scrutinises all offers of help. (slz)
Further information:
Kommunale Servicestelle – Partnerschaftsinitiative
Hotline: +49-228/24 34–600, Fax:+49-228/24 34–601
partnerschaften@inwent.org
http://www.inwent.org/partnerschaften
Country-specific enquiries can be addressed to the Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), Partnership Initiative Working Group:
Phone: +49-30/5000-1581 or -3288
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de
The InWEnt Training Centre for Development Cooperation in Bad Honnef offers courses for training relief and reconstruction workers for Southeast Asia. Information can be found on the InWEnt website. The groups targeted are experts and workers planning to spend up to a year in the flood-damaged areas of Indonesia (Aceh), Sri Lanka, Southern India and Thailand.
Phone: +49-2224/926-225>
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