For the interests of the south

Development policy commitment: The campaign "Justice now"

“In addition to preaching the Word of God, the priority work of the churches must also be to stand shoulder to shoulder with the weak and marginalised and to support them. Church work must therefore be more political,” the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany demanded in 2000 with respect to globalisation. In Germany and Europe, EED lobbies and advocates that the concerns of partners in developing countries are heard – by political decision-makers, in churches and by a broader public. In addition, EED works in three thematic fields:

Trade and Economy

EED asks how hunger can be combated. Many areas of policy have an impact on world food issues: international agricultural trade (key phrase: meat export to developing countries), European agricultural policy (key phrase: agricultural export subsidies) and the development of agricultural technology (key phrase: green gene technology).

EED and its partners are committed to ensuring that the impact on small farmers in other continents also come into the picture.

Worldwide trade flows have grown rapidly. For many years, the poorer countries have beend emanding a development round in the Organisation negotiations, where their urgent problems are solved. EED attends the World Trade Organisation (WTO) conferences with its local partners and conveys their concerns to political decision-makers.

Fair Trade shows how trade relations can be shaped in the interest of producers in developing countries. Long-haul tourism attracts millions of people to the “Third World” every year. It is important to make it socially and ecologically compatible. EED is working hard to ensure that the tourism industry implements its Code of Conduct.

Millennium Development Goals and Combating Poverty

At the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000 no fewer than 189 countries agreed to drastically reduce extreme poverty by 2015. EED is persistent: What has to be done in North and South to achieve the Millennium Development Goals? EED and its partners take specific action to overcome poverty. Churches in many developing countries make key contributions to ensure that people receive healthcare and an education. Every year, EED takes part in projects that critically accompany Germany’s commitment to combating poverty worldwide and global development partnership.

The goals remain illusory without fundamental debt relief for poorer countries. What is our task in Germany to ensure that combating poverty and development can be paid for? Together with partners from Africa, Asia and Latin America, EED creates platforms at the World Bank or German ministries so that they can draw attention to problems that their countries have because of the excessive debt burdens. If the states took their human rights obligations seriously, extreme poverty would have long been overcome. Economic, social and cultural human rights supplement political and civic human rights. EED demonstrates that German foreign and economic policy also has to ensure that people in other countries can exercise their rights.

Peace promotion and conflict solution

Violent conflicts destroy development and propel people into poverty. Church cooperation is seeking strategies as to how peace can be promoted. EED is working hard to ensure that the peace-promoting potentials of grassroots organisations are recognised and strengthened.

What roles do religions play in this? Are they the cause of conflicts or do they help people to respect each other and aim to live together in peace? EED seeks out the precise causes of conflicts.