Sustainable economic development is the key to employment. Digitalisation can be a catalyst for fair, sustainable and inclusive economic growth. We are committed to fair and positive working conditions online as well as offline worldwide. We help our partner countries take advantage of the possibilities for increased trade and new job opportunities afforded by digitalisation, particularly for young people and women.
We want to create new jobs in agriculture, industry and the growing digital sector through targeted economic cooperation between European and African companies. Digitalisation offers opportunities for the better integration of disadvantaged groups and small and medium-sized companies into economic cycles.
We want to give developing countries the opportunity to exploit the potential of digital technologies along the entire value chain and develop new digital solutions together with our partners. Modern production processes can create well-paid jobs with social protection and protect the environment.
Of particular importance is encouraging fair and sustainable trade via online platforms – for goods as well as digital services. A particular focus will be on helping to ensure the long-term digital success of small and medium-sized companies on the global market. A primary aim is to disseminate knowledge about online trading and search for solutions as to how online platforms can contribute to fairer, more formalised and more secure work. The flagship project is the Fairwork Foundation, established together with the Oxford Institute, which enables fair platforms to be certified and the work standards and social security of the platform operators to be ranked.
Digital applications can help give farmers access to more and better information and services. This will enable them to prosper on global markets. Information on commodity prices in real time increases transparency and fairness in the sale of agricultural goods. Digital transformation is impacting the entire value chain: from educational opportunities and information to help with the cultivation of agricultural commodities through to price transparency on local markets and the production for end consumers. IT-based traceability systems, such as blockchain, provide seamless transparency across global agricultural supply chains and enable direct contact between producers and end consumers. This transparency can also improve the purchase decision of business enterprises and end consumers for sustainable and fair-trade products.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, megatrends such as globalisation, digitalisation, climate change and demographic development have accelerated the transformation of global economic structures. Digitalisation plays a particularly important role in this. It is fundamentally changing the world of work in the partner countries of German development cooperation. The individual measure Future of Work addresses the opportunities and challenges of this development.
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