Digitalisation can help us to better manage global crises: Pandemics can be tracked and contained using digital systems. Digital identities and electronic money transfers enable countries to provide financial support for their populations – and to react quickly in emergencies. In the fight against climate change, artificial intelligence can help to recognise impending droughts or extreme weather in good time and develop new solutions.
Digital technologies are also changing the way we live, do business and communicate with each other – and they are a powerful lever for realising the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The United Nations estimates that data and digital technologies play a crucial role in achieving at least 70 per cent of the 169 SDG goals. We must also face up to the risks of digitalisation: Unequal access to digital technologies has a negative impact on the economic development of entire countries, regions and social groups. And digitalisation is already causing as much CO2 emissions as all air traffic worldwide, and the trend is rising – partly due to energy-hungry artificial intelligence. AI has the potential for ground-breaking changes as well as risks and dangers that are still hard to foresee: in the wrong hands, AI can shake democracies to their foundations and give autocrats a free hand for disinformation and manipulation. As the BMZ, we therefore have a duty to help shape a technology now in the interests of our partner countries that is perhaps more disruptive than anything we have seen before.
We can only do this by further strengthening and supporting our partner countries on their path to digital transformation and making them offers that build on our European values. As German development policy makers, we are committed to an international digital politics that enables a fair balance of interests based on European standards and universal human rights. We involve our partner countries in a globally open, secure and inclusive internet and fair data markets and consciously distance ourselves from both a purely state-centred model as well as a purely market-centred model.
Anyone who wants to shape the digital transformation must live it themselves. That is why we at the BMZ are leading by example: we are strengthening data expertise at the BMZ and expanding our database to enable us to make evidence-based policy decisions. We are also modernising the flow of information with implementing organisations, funding recipients and partner organisations.
In order to achieve the greatest impact, we have clearly defined the digital policy areas of action in which German development policy wants to set priorities. The BMZ implements political initiatives in these fields of action that support partner countries in achieving their digital development goals:
The BMZ supports international regulations and capacity building in partner countries that exploit the potential of digital technologies for the benefit of all – while minimizing potential risks. An important step is the development of appropriate regulatory provisions for the digital space.
The BMZ is paying particular attention to improving digital skills along the entire education chain and access to IT infrastructure as a prerequisite for exploiting the opportunities of digitalization.
In order to promote the digital sovereignty of states, economy and society, the BMZ is strengthening open source solutions, uniform standards and digital solutions that are compatible with each other. In this way, we contribute to the development of a secure and sustainable digital infrastructure in countries of the Global South.
To ensure a uniform approach with our national and international partners, we are joining forces in the European multi-stakeholder platform D4D-Hub and in our [digital.global] network.
We have created a physical venue for networking – the digilab. We regularly bring stakeholders and partners together for a cooperative exchange in these modern premises.
Together with our partners, we want to exploit the enormous opportunities of digitalisation and prevent the risks. In doing so, we are primarily guided by the sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. At the same time, the Strategy for an International Digital Policy of the Federal Government serves as a compass for shaping digitalisation worldwide.
In our concrete planning and implementation of effective digital approaches, we are guided by the Principles for Digital Development, which are based on the broad experience of international development partners. The aim is to design digital solutions that are sustainable and people-oriented.
On our dialog platform digital.global, we present the digital policy measures of the BMZ and the broad digital policy partner network – in articles, success stories and current news. We want to pool our strengths, present our joint work for the global digital transformation and invite you to get involved. Find out more about our polical initiatives here:
Find out more about the BMZ's digital engagement in development cooperation.
BMZGIZ defines digital transformation as the global and dynamic structural change triggered by digitalisation.
GIZBy 2025, KfW Development Bank aims to be a leading national and international partner in the development and financing of digital solutions in order to contribute to achieving the SDGs.
KfW