Indo-German development cooperation is well integrated in the foreign policy framework of relations between India and Germany. Both countries are equally committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); further, they want to tackle global challenges in the fields of climate and environment. India is viewed by Germany as one of the Global Development Partners that have a key role to play in solving global development issues.

Background

The year 2008 marked 50 years of Indo-German development cooperation. Begun in the 1950s, development cooperation with India grew so rapidly that in a short time it became the largest recipient of German development assistance.

The construction of the Rourkela Steel Plant in Orissa was a hallmark of this intensive cooperation in the early 1960s. Later, both countries set up one of India's premiere educational institutions - the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. In the 1990’s, development cooperation dealt with the issues of poverty reduction and social infrastructure.

Programme focus

Today, the Indo-German development cooperation programme focuses on the following mutually agreed priority areas:

• Energy (Energie)
• Environment and Management of Natural Resources (Umwelt und Management natürlicher Ressourcen)
• Sustainable Urban Development (Nachhaltige Stadtentwicklung)

The proposals for implementation of development cooperation projects are forwarded to the German Government, through the German Embassy, by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the Indian Ministry of Finance. The DEA is the central coordinating authority of the Indian Government responsible for development cooperation.

The cooperation projects are carried out on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development as well as the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety - each with the concurrence of the German Foreign Office - by Germany's International Cooperation Agency GIZ and the German Development Bank KfW. GIZ is charged with implementation of technical cooperation and KfW with implementation of financial cooperation projects respectively.

Development cooperation of the German Federal States

Global responsibility is perceived locally: This is a key understanding that marks the Federal States' efforts to maintain partnerships, to undertake development policy-related information and educational work, and to support citizens' commitment to our “One-World”. Read more