The underlying economic conditions for growth that is inclusive, environmentally sustainable and conducive to employment creation are a basic prerequisite for generating income and bringing about a permanent reduction in poverty. Issues such as how best to promote growth that is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable are increasingly at the centre of the international debate. Examples of this include the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The sector project advises the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to explore specific topics related to economic policy, in particular structural and industrial policy, green economic growth (green growth) and economic development in resource-rich countries. In addition, the sector project supports BMZ with developing strategies, instruments and positions on sustainability issues in the field of economic policy and positioning German development cooperation in national and international bodies and processes. The sector project’s advisory work to BMZ includes developing or reforming sectoral guidelines for the priority area of ‘sustainable economic development’ in the German development cooperation portfolio and mainstreaming innovative approaches to project implementation and funding within the priority area.
In addition, the project seeks to introduce innovative strategies and approaches related to the three priority focus areas of structural and industrial policy, green growth, and sustainable economic development in resource-rich countries, into BMZ implementation strategies and position papers, regional and country plans, as well as into policy advice for country and regional departments within GIZ and BMZ. Based on this work, the sector project supports GIZ projects working in partner countries with developing and implementing trainings for their partners.
In the field of Green Growth, the Sector Project has recently supported the following publications:
- Bridging Costa Rica’s green growth gap / Cerrando la brecha del crecimiento verde en Costa Rica (GIZ 2015);
- Synergies and trade-offs between Green Growth policies and inclusiveness (GIZ 2015);
- Benefits of a Green Economy transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa (GIZ 2015).