Role of Non-Governmental Organizations

Development cooperation in countries is primarily supported by voluntary and municipal actors, but also by businesses.

On February 16, 2021, the Saxon State Chancellery published the study »Non-Governmental Organizations as Carriers of Voluntary Development Cooperation in Saxony.« The study was prepared by the United Nations University – Institute for Integrated Material Flow and Resource Management (UNU-FLORES), Dresden. The study highlights the significant role of NGOs active in Saxony in the field of development cooperation.

Non-governmental organizations that take up this topic are the carriers of voluntary commitment. In Saxony, actors from this group founded the umbrella association »Entwicklungspolitisches Netzwerk Sachsen e. V.« (ENS) on June 10, 1995.

ENS has 62 members. It pools and coordinates the interests of NGOs. Furthermore, ENS implements independent projects. For example, the ENS office coordinates work in the field of »Education for Sustainable Development.« ENS oversees the work of seven »One World« promoters, who make the idea of sustainable development better known in schools and among the general public. There are also associations and actors who are not affiliated with ENS.

Education for sustainable development and global learning are the means to bring the United Nations' sustainability goals closer to people. These 17 main goals and 169 sub-goals were adopted by the General Assembly on September 25, 2015, and are valid until 2030.

The Saxon State Ministry of Education, with support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, maintains a network of »One World« promoters. They carry out educational work, visit schools, provide teaching materials, or participate in activities organized by NGOs, churches, and municipalities. Coordination is carried out by the Development Policy Network Saxony.

The association »Arche noVa e. V.« plays a prominent role in Saxony. Founded in 1992 as an emergency relief organization, it currently employs about 30 people domestically and several hundred abroad. Initially, »Arche noVa« focused on emergency aid. One of its key competencies is to quickly restore water supply in the event of natural disasters.

Today, »Arche noVa« is also active in classical development cooperation abroad and in educational work domestically. The organization's specialty is the field of »WASH« (WAter Sanitation and Hygiene).