As a bulwark of concrete and barrier fences the Wall cut through Berlin for a length of over 43 kilometres – dividing the city and the whole of Germany. Now, 20 years after the fall of the wall on 9 November 1989, the symbol of almost three decades of German division will fall again on the same date, but this time it will be purely symbolic.
“Festival of Freedom”
Germany’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the period 2011/2012
As a globally engaged country, as an important actor in the United Nations and as the organization’s third-largest contributor, Germany belongs on the United Nations Security Council. Because the Security Council is the centrepiece of the international peace order. Our candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the period 2011/2012 is the logical consequence of our global engagement.
Energy Efficiency Award
Pioneers wanted
Companies can apply for the Energy Efficiency Award 2010 with their energy efficiency projects
That is the motto of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in Nuremberg. The BAMF has now presented a study on Muslim life in Germany, demonstrating once again its considerable competence in the area of migration and integration research. The survey was conducted among 6,004 persons over the age of 16 (counting other members of the households interviewed, the survey actually covers some 17,000 people). The BAMF study, commissioned by the German Islam Conference (DIK), is the first nationally representative collection of data on the subject. It confirms that Muslims form an integral part of German society.
“Concentrating on People”
In August, archaeologists from the German Archaeological Institute made a sensational find: in Waldgirmes, a small town north of Frankfurt am Main, they discovered a more than 2,000-year-old horse’s head from a gold-plated bronze equestrian statue that is believed to have depicted the Emperor Augustus himself.
Horse Seeks Rider
CeBIT attracts African interest
Ugandan State Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Alintuma Nsambu, attended the opening ceremony of the CeBIT trade fair in Hannover. His visit is part of the Ugandan government's plans to promote information technology in Ugandan schools and the public sector, as well as strengthen the link in the IT sector between Germany and Uganda.
Read more : www.germanyandafrica.diplo.de
Global Green Recovery: Recommendations for Immediate G20 Action
The world is facing its worst economic crisis in many decades, caused by
massive strains in the global financial system, falling asset prices and a sharp
drop in wealth and aggregate demand. To re-start growth, ambitious fiscal
stimulus measures have been announced in most G20 member countries and
further measures are under consideration.
The need for a substantial fiscal
boost in the short term provides a great opportunity to undertake projects
with a high social return, at a time when inputs are relatively cheap and underutilised
resources and workers are available. But additional measures should be
timely, well targeted, and taken within a clear long-term framework if they are
to help lay the foundations of sustainable growth in the medium and long term
without threatening fiscal sustainability when recovery comes.
http://www.pik-potsdam.de/globalgreenrecovery
"Aktion Afrika" sets new standards
"Aktion Afrika" is the name of a programme with which Germany intends to further develop its partnership with Africa, starting this year. Germany will be investing a total of 20 million euros in cultural exchange projects and programmes in 2008 to ensure even closer cooperation with African countries in the future. With this initiative Germany is consolidating its political commitment to its neighbouring continent and demonstrating that Africa has a special role to play for Germany.
Germany's policy towards Africa
Partnership with Africa - an initiative of the Federal President in cooperation with the Zeit-foundation
“What I want to do is raise awareness that we are all part of the human family, that we inhabit one and the same world and are all dependent upon one another. And yes, there is a moral dimension, too, I want to highlight the need for a global ethic. I believe we need to discuss issues of social justice more and more in a global and not merely a national context."
Interview given by Federal President Köhler
