Annual Report 2007 - Hanns Seidel Foundation€¦ · Heinrich Oberreuter(2nd from left),Paula...
Transcript of Annual Report 2007 - Hanns Seidel Foundation€¦ · Heinrich Oberreuter(2nd from left),Paula...
Annual Report 2007
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short version english
Dr. h.c. mult. Hans Zehetmair
Chairman
Hanns Seidel Foundation, Munich, Germany
Minister of State (ret.)
Hanns Seidel Foundation · Lazarettstr. 33 · D-80636 Munich · GermanyPhone: ++49 (89) 12 58-0 · Fax: ++49 (89) 12 58-356Internet: www.hss.de · E-Mail: [email protected].: H. Klingsbögl · Translation: Karin Weidlich · Layout: Adacon GmbH
Office for Foreign Relations
Academy for Politics andCurrent Affairs
Institute for Adult CivicEducation
Scholarship Organization Institute for internationalContact and Cooperation
General Manager
Dr. Peter Witterauf
Chairman
Dr.h.c.mult. Hans Zehetmair,
Liaison Bureaus
Hanns Seidel Foundation
Simplified organigram
Minister of State (ret.)
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Dr. Peter Witterauf
General Manager
Hanns Seidel Foundation, Munich, Germany
MISSION ANDM I S S I O N A N D S C O P E
O F A C T I V I T I E S
SCOPE OFACTIVITIES
M I S S I O N A N D S C O P E O F A C T I V I T I E S 3
The Hanns Seidel Foundation currently fulfils its mission in a
true Christian spirit in no less than 58 countries the world over.
In all, 269 employees work for the Hanns Seidel Foundation in
Germany and abroad. They are spread out among the
Headquarters in Munich, 90 joint development projects, the
Banz Monastery and Wildbad Kreuth Training Centres, the
Munich Conference Centre, Berlin Office, and our Liaison
Bureaus in Brussels, Moscow, and Washington.
We have been committed to our fundamental philosophy of
“Serving Democracy, Peace and Development” since 1967.
The various activities of the Foundation are split up into four
Departments.
The Academy for Politics and Current Affairs conducts and
offers practice-oriented political advisory services. Fundamen-
tal data and information for political decisions are compiled on
a scientific basis, just as the Academy organises conferences
and publishes various studies, reports and other publications.
The Institute for Adult Civic Education promotes democratic
and civic education among broad groups of the population.
The primary objective is to increase and promote the political
involvement of citizens.
The Scholarship Organization promotes the development of
scholars. Further activities pursued by this Department are
media politics and the promotion of young journalists.The pri-
mary mission is to offer young, up-and-coming university and
college graduates specific support and promotion.
The Institute for International Contact and Cooperation pro-
motes international cooperation in development projects, con-
centrating on vocational training, the promotion of adminis-
trative systems, consultation and advice for parties and govern-
ments, activities for the improvement of the infrastructure, etc.
The Hanns Seidel Foundation is a registered association dedi-
cated exclusively and directly to public interests. The mission
and commitment of the Association is
➧ to promote the democratic and civic education of the German
population on the basis of Christian values,
➧ to promote education, popular and vocational training in-
cluding the support of students, in particular by giving indi-
viduals with appropriate talents and character values access
to scientific and research training,
➧ to promote science, in particular by conducting scientific
studies and research,
➧ to promote an international spirit and communication
among nations as well as the unification of Europe, in par-
ticular by inviting foreign groups and supporting travel
abroad,
➧ to promote cultural causes, in particular by supporting the
upkeep and maintenance of works of culture and support-
ing the care and preservation of monuments,
➧ to promote foreign aid and development.
For the complete text of the foundation’s statutes, please
see the internet at www.hss.de/downloads/statutes.pdf,
where further details may be downloaded.
The Hanns Seidel Foundation was founded in 1967 and is named
after Dr. Hanns Seidel (October 12th, 1901– August 5th, 1961),
Minister President of Bavaria from 1957 to 1960. For further
information please see the internet at www.hss.de/4343.shtml
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4 A C A D E M Y F O R P O L I T I C S A N D C U R R E N T A F F A I R S
ACADEMY F0R POLITICS AND
CURRENTAFFAIRS
A C A D E M Y F O R P O L I T I C S A N D C U R R E N T A F FA I R S
MISSION OF THE ACADEMY FOR POLITICS
AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
The Academy for Politics and Current Affairs identifies and
analyses trends, focuses on new problems, and presents vari-
ous options for action based on different scenarios.We see our
mission in developing medium- and longterm problem
solution strategies in the most significant areas of political,
social, and economic life.
In its activities, the Academy focuses not only on the heuristic
values of scientific analysis, but also on the political and social
relevance of academic work. Providing practice-oriented polit-
ical advice, the results of such activities should provide the ba-
sis for political decisions.
In all, the Academy has conducted no less than 87 events
(expert meetings, workshop talks, and round tables) with a
total of 7,200 participants.
Academy for Politics andCurrent Affairs
Events and meetings have been held at the Munich
Conference Centre, the Wildbad Kreuth and Kloster Banz
Training Centres in Bavaria, and in Berlin.
The POLITICAL STUDIES have been published as six bi-month-
ly periodicals. The Academy has also published the series
“Statements and Materials on Contemporary History“, of
“Current Analyses“, and of “Reports & Studies“.
The winners of the Young Talent in Political Journalism Award 2006/07:Johann Osel, Matthias Bauer, Timm Betz and Maxim Garskov, withHeinrich Oberreuter (2nd from left), Paula Bockensteiner (3rd from left)and Hans Zehetmair (right)
Retired German President Roman Herzog was a guest at the speaking event“Europe – Vision and Reality” on 11 May 2007
“German reunification – Decisions and Failures” was the topic of theevent on 29 November 2007, at which Theo Waigel, WilfriedScharnagl and Richard Schröder gave speeches and participated indiscussions
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I N S T I T U T E F O R A D U L T C I V I C E D U C A T I O N 5
INSTITUTE FORI N S T I T U T E F O R
A D U LT C I V I C E D U C AT I O N
ADULT CIVICEDUCATION
➧ Democracy and democratic reform
➧ Renewable energies
➧ Youth crime – causes and effects
➧ Is Islam a world power?
➧ Children and consumption
➧ The German Army and its deployment worldwide
➧ Training and education in Bavaria
➧ Demographic change in rural areas
➧ Climate change
➧ The professional future of Europe
➧ Private nursing insurance reform
➧ Protecting young people on the internet
➧ Business locations in rural areas –
future perspectives for communities
ACTIVITIES OF THE INSTITUTE FOR
ADULT CIVIC EDUCATION
The Training Institute offers seminars for political training
based on the values of Christianity. With each democracy
being required to rely on the active participation of democrat-
ically minded citizens, we seek to encourage participants to
show such a significant commitment and give them the neces-
sary skills.
Factual information, opportunities to discuss matters of inter-
est and exchange experience, as well as a close focus on the
subject matter involved all serve this cause in a particular
manner.
Seminars are conducted at the Kloster Banz and Wildbad
Kreuth Training Centres. Further events are held at the Munich
Conference Centre and in various parts of Bavaria.
In all, some 53,987 participants attended the 1,520 seminars.
Some examples of the seminars held in 2007:
➧ University research as part of the Bavarian cluster initiative
➧ Religion and politics
➧ Uni plus – qualification strategies for global competition
➧ Freedom in the era of scientific progress
➧ Market, might and morals
➧ Foundations of economic theory and economic policy
➧ Freedom and justice
➧ The People’s Republic of China
➧ Municipal politics seminar: Hospitals
➧ Municipal voting rights
➧ Seminar for farmers and forestry workers: communication
and conflict resolution
➧ Basic seminar for regional staff councils
➧ Regional history: Franconia’s federal jewels –
the history of the Imperial Cities
➧ Seminar for police officers
➧ Career coaching for women
➧ Workshops for team players
➧ Turkey – soon to be a new member of the EU7
➧ Seminar on association practices
➧ Preventing violence and addiction amongst young people
➧ Stabilising problem States
➧ Basic ecological problems of industrial societies
Institute for Adult Civic Education
Educational Centre Wildbad Kreuth
Educational Centre Kloster Banz
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SCHOLARSHIPS C H O L A R S H I P
O R G A N I Z AT I O N
ORGANIZATIONPROMOTION OF SCHOLARSHIPS ABROAD
A total of 1,565 foreign scholarships in 62 countries have
been promoted ever since the start of foreign scholarship pro-
motion in 1981. Currently 96 scholars from 29 countries
receive scholarship funds.
The course-related measures that were carried out for foreign
scholarship holders included monthly meetings for the schol-
arship holders from Munich and the surrounding area and a
range of day-, weekend- and week-long seminars.
Follow-up contact conferences for scholarship holders who re-
turned to their home country after their scholarship holders
ended were organised in Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Thailand,
the People’s Republic of China, Mongolia and Indonesia.
The Final Evening of the Annual Conference of Foreign
Scholarship Holders held for 120 scholars from 32 countries at
the Banz Monastery Educational Centre, was organised and
conceived in its programme by the scholars themselves pre-
senting their local folklore. ◆
S C H O L A R S H I P O R G A N I Z A T I O N6
ScholarshipOrganization
Conference for former scholarship holders of the Hanns SeidelFoundation from the People’s Republic of China in Beijing
Participants in the follow-up contact conference for former scholarshipholders from Africa in Lomé, Togo
Foreign scholarship holders during a visit to the Bundestag, togetherwith the Vice-President of the Bundestag, Gerda Hasselfeldt MP
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LIAISONL I A I S O N B U R E A U S
BUREAUSLIAISON BUREAUS
The L ia i son Bureaus in Wash ing ton , B russe l s,
Moscow/International Conferences have the task, reflecting
the Statutes of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, to promote the
understanding of nations and European unification through
international debates and conferences. Overview and particu-
lar highlights in 2007:
➧ Discussion on the ongoing development of the European
Union, inter alia on the following issues: political priorities
of the German EU-presidency, shaping the economic, social
and ecological future of Europe, perspectives in ratifying the
EU Constitution Treaty, ongoing development of a European
security and defence policy, securing the future supply of
energy in Europe, containment of illegal immigration
➧ Discussion on the perspectives of transatlantic cooperation
in the context of foreign, security and defence policies
➧ Promotion of a common understanding of domestic discus-
sion and decision-making processes in Germany and the USA
➧ Supporting the development of parliamentarism, political
pluralism, the principle of civic rights, the rule of law and a so-
cial market economy in the Russian Federation
➧ Development of perspectives in German – Russian relations
in the areas of foreign, security and economic policy
➧ Establishment of contacts and networks among young
German politicians and up-and-coming government officials
with their US and Russian colleagues
In cooperation with the three Liaison Bureaus in Washington,
Brussels and Moscow, a total of 72 events was held in
Germany and abroad in 2007, with 7,837 participants from
107 countries.
European political dialogue
– “The political and military role of the EU in preventing
conflict on the international stage”
– “50 years of European cooperation: opportunities and
requirements for the future”
– Brussels Interview 2007 with the Croatian Foreign
Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
– “Report on the German Presidency of the EU-Council”
– “Climate protection: A Driving Force for Innovation?”
– “New Atheism – A Threat to Western Civilisation?”
– “Applying Lessons from Afghanistan: Actions and out-
comes”
Development policy dialogue:
– “Hungary’s economic policy between European integra-
tion and Russian influence”
– “Euroregions in South-East Europe: A Successful Instru-
ment for Regional Development?”
– “Social Standards for China – Learning from the
European Union?”
– Bulgaria’s new Members of the European Parliament in
Brussels
– “Migration and development: challenges in Europe and
Africa”
– “Rural development and trade as key factors for deve-
lopmental cooperation in India”
Washington Liaison Bureau:
➧ Exchange of views and information with leading US-gov-
ernment officials, the US Congress, multilateral organisa-
tions (e.g. the World Bank, the UN), think tanks, universities,
the economy and the media
➧ Background analyses on relevant topics from American pol-
itics, commentaries and articles in renowned German,
American and Canadian media
➧ Discussion events and symposia, e.g. “Perspectives on a
deeper economic and political transatlantic cooperation”,
“22nd German-American Symposium for Congressional
Staff Aides”
L I A I S O N B U R E A U S 7
Liaison Bureaus
Peter Witterauf, Henry Kissinger and Hans Zehetmair
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L I A I S O N B U R E A U S O F F I C E F O R F O R E I G NR E L AT I O N S
Moscow Liaison Bureau:
➧ Conferences, discussion programmes and symposia on
deepening German-Russian relations
➧ Youth politics dialogue: information programme for young
German politicians in Moscow and prospective Russian
government officials in Munich and Brussels
➧ Information and discussion programme on Russian parlia-
mentary voting
Foundation, and particularly for the Office for Foreign
Relations, whose chief responsibility is maintaining contact
and exchanging information with foreign partners from poli-
tics, the economy and society, this offers a new and interest-
ing link with the networks of the European People’s Party
(EPP).
Over the past year the Office for Foreign Relation has extend-
ed the international contacts of the Hanns Seidel Foundation
in Europe and world-wide: with member parties of the EPP, the
EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, member parties of
the International Democrat Union (IDU) and all connected
political foundations and think tanks. A great advantage was
the fact that the IDU, the world-wide association of over
eighty Christian-Democratic and conservative parties from all
over the world, chose Dubrovnik in Croatia as the location to
hold its “Executive Meeting”. Following an invitation from
Prime Minister Dr. Ivo Sanader, Party Chairman of the HDZ,
party and foundation representatives gathered to participate
in an intensive exchange.
The work of the Office for Foreign Relations concentrates
mainly upon the analysis of European and extra-European
political party landscapes, in particular upon Christian-Demo-
cratic and Conservative parties. A series of Fact Finding Mis-
sions were carried out for this purpose, e.g. to the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moscow
and Ukraine.
At the Munich Headquarters the work of the Office for Foreign
Relations has centred upon the co-ordination of information
visits from high-profile guests. Politicians, diplomats and rep-
resentatives from national foundations, for instance from
Hungary, Romania, Croatia and Slovakia, visited the Hanns
Seidel Foundation and took the opportunity to engage in in-
formation exchange with the Chairman of the Foundation,
Dr. h.c.mult. Hans Zehetmair or with the General Manager
Dr. Peter Witterauf. The Office for Foreign Relations also
brought foreign government or opposition politicians into
contact with politicians at all the levels of Bavarian politics as
well as with representatives of the Bavarian economy.
8 L I A I S O N B U R E A U S / O F F I C E F O R F O R E I G N R E L A T I O N S
The “Centre for European Studies”, the new think tank of
the European People’s Party (EPP), was founded in
Brussels on September 13, 2007.The Hanns Seidel Foundation
is one of a total of eight founding members of this new
European think tank, which is intended to promote political di-
alogue between national foundations, politicians and econo-
mists from the Christian-Democratic camp in Europe.
Other founding members are the Konrad Adenauer
Foundation, the Spanish Fundación para el análisis y los estu-
dios sociales (FAES), the Political Academy of the Austrian
People’s Party, the Constantinos Karamanlis Institute for
Democracy from Greece, the CDA Research Institute from the
Netherlands, the Swedish Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation and the
Foundation for a Civil Hungary. For the whole Hanns Seidel
Office for ForeignRelations
Representatives of the founding Members of the Centre for EuropeanStudies gather around EPP Chairman Wilfried Martens following thesigning ceremony
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INSTITUTE FOR I N S T I T U T E F O R
I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O N TA C T A N D C O O P E R AT I O N
INTERNATIONALCONTACT ANDCOOPERATION
Institute forInternational Contactand Cooperation
HIGHLIGHTS OF COOPERATION IN
DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
➧ Activities in Socio-Political and Job-Oriented Adult Education
(NEPAD)
➧ Vocational and Management Training
Special focus on women in our initial and further training activities
➧ Support in Establishing Organizational Structures
Focus in particular on associations, federations, guilds, and cooperatives
➧ Promotion of Administrative Activities and Support in the
Establishment of State Institutes
Particular focus on the establishment of administrative systems oriented to the
citizen and individual performance, and on advisory services on legal and
administrative matters
➧ Consultation of Governments and Political Parties
Focus on political, economic and social reform
➧ Activities in Rural Development and the Improvement of
Infrastructure
OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:
UKRAINE
Support with the transformation process in politics, the economy and society towards a
social market economy and democracy ; promotion of internal security
WEST AFRICA (REGIONAL PROJECT)
Promotion of civil society in order to strengthen the notion of individual responsibility
(NEPAD)
JORDAN
Promotion of sociopolitical and vocational training for adults in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon
AFGHANISTAN
Management training and aid for institutions
NAMIBIA
Reinforcement of democratic and constitutional structures; conflict prevention; reinforce-
ment of civil society; combating poverty
ARGENTINA
Strengthening devolved government; decentralisation
PHILIPPINES
Promotion of rural development; dual vocational training for young people from low-in-
come families; programmes for public administration with regard to security; preparatory
measures for the ASEAN-EU cooperation programme
CHINA
Aid with the process of reforming education, in a corporate and social context; rural
development
9I N S T I T U T E F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N T A C T A N D C O O P E R A T I O N
PROJECTS 2007
Number, including transregional
projects and project measures 90
Number of project countries 58
SEMINARS, WORLDWIDE 2007
Number of seminars 7,850
Number of participants 178,500
DISTRIBUTION OF
PROJECTS BY REGION
as a percentage 2007
Central, Eastern and
South Eastern Europe 13
Asia/China 38
North Africa, Near East 13
Sub-Saharan Africa 19
Latin America 12
Brussels/EU 5
DIVISION OF FUNDS BY
REGION as a percentage 2007
Central, Eastern and
South-East Europe 15
Asia/China 26
North Africa, Near East 12
Sub-Saharan Africa 20
Latin America 12
Brussels/EU 15
OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY THE
INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL
CONTACT AND COOPERATION IN 2007
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P R O J E C T S I N D E V E L O P M E N T – C O O P E R AT I O N
DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIALOGUE IN BRUSSELS
“Democracy enables people to live in freedom responsibly and
humanely. Democracy also means that citizens can take an in-
volvement in power and keep the State’s power in check.”This
was the motto for the opening event of the new “Develop-
ment Policy Round Table” series of development policy events,
held on 8 November 2007 in Brussels. The MEP Dr Gabriele
Stauner (CSU) spoke on the theme of “Young Democracies
and EU Promotion of Democracy as an Instrument for Deve-
lopmental Cooperation”, saying that the European Union had
no raw materials to use against other States as a means of
exerting pressure, and must instead rely on its Christian social
values and traditions to reach people in ‘political life’.
Dr. Andreas Schwab, MEP, Chairman of the Youth Group of the
EPP-ED fraction and himself a member of the Youth Union of
Germany for many years, praised the commitment made by
young democrats in Eastern Europe who are playing their part
in achieving more democracy for their homelands through
their involvement in membership associations like Yepp (Youth
of the European People’s Party).
Prof Ursula Männle, MdL, deputy Chairwoman of the Hanns
Seidel Foundation, underlined the transnational role of the re-
gions in her opening speech to the panel discussion on
“Euroregions in South-East Europe: A Successful Instrument
for Regional Development?” on 28 March 2007 in Brussels.
During the discussion, panel members Gerhard Stahl, the gen-
eral secretary of the Committee of the Regions, and Bernd
Posselt, MEP, together with representatives from selected
Euroregions, spoke of the experiences, problems, current chal-
lenges and future prospects for regional cooperation.
START OF A NEW ERA
Tourists and even many Israelis associate the word ‘Bedouin’
with the romanticised concept of life in tents, just as in the
time of Abraham. However, most of the approximately
170,000 Bedouin in Israel live no longer in tents but in one of
50 villages, located mostly in the south and north of the coun-
try, that are unrecognised as such. These villages have no con-
ventional infrastructure and no supply or waste disposal facil-
ities. Although the settlements are illegal, no-one has the
heart to tear them down, since this would result in thousands
of people losing their homes.
Children in Bedouin settlements, whose parents have acquired
a genuine right to the land they inhabit over the course of gen-
erations, live well below the poverty line. The State is provid-
ing financial aid to ensure that at least the most serious social
problems are addressed: schools are being built and children
are given breakfast and lunch at school so that they do not go
hungry. Unemployment is however still considerably above av-
erage and the level of education is generally poor.
Due to their high birth rate, Bedouins will represent the ma-
jority of the Arab population of Israel in future. Each Bedouin
woman has an average of seven to nine children. This is part-
ly the result of the traditional belief that a large number of chil-
dren is advantageous for the family and the tribe, and partly
the result of the modern health system, which ensures a low
child mortality rate and an increasingly long life expectancy.
Although the State devotes significant funds to guaranteeing
a form of primary health care for the Bedouin population, this
is nowhere near sufficient.
10 I N S T I T U T E F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N T A C T A N D C O O P E R A T I O N
Development Policy Round Table, with (from right) Gabriele StaunerMEP, Martin Kastler, Klaus Flesinger
“Euroregions in South-East Europe” with Ursula Männle
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P R O J E C T S I N D E V E L O P M E N T – C O O P E R AT I O N
For a fairly long time now, the Hanns Seidel Foundation has
supported the Bedouin population in Israel via numerous proj-
ects that aim to give young Bedouin women a chance in Israeli
society. An example is the project to train mothers to be teach-
ers in Bedouin kindergartens. The Foundation furthermore
supports seminars run by the Beer Sheva Technology College
for female students in their last year of secondary school.
More work must be done, however, to prevent the alienation
of the Bedouin leading to fresh conflicts.
AFRICA: IMPROVING THE STATUS
OF WOMEN – A MAJOR FOCUS
OF THE WORK
In all the projects carried out in Sub-Saharan Africa, improving
the status of women in society is a major focus of the work
done by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. This work encompass-
es a broad range of activities. At grassroots level, seminars on
fundamental themes such as infant care, hygiene and AIDS
prevention address basic needs. In terms of promoting the
economy, special courses for women on subjects like account-
ing, tax law and business planning are offered. In Tanzania,
female Members of Parliament and delegates, acting as the
“Union of Women of Tanzania” (UWT), are an important part-
ner. With regard to aiding women in the workplace, the work
done by the Foundation in Tanzania is exemplary. An example
of this is the support for the Arusha Hotel Training Institute
(AHTI), in which the majority of students are female. In Benin,
the Organisation of Women from Abomey (UFAAD) is a major
partner in development work. Together with this organisa-
tion, seminars on AIDS prevention and seminars on promoting
small trades are run.
Alongside the projects carried out with women’s organisa-
tions, however, women are also important target groups in all
other project fields and countries. Thus, the EU project in the
DR Congo (an agroforest settlement project) includes – as well
as many other integrative measures – training for women in
fundamental areas. In Kenya, women are aided with their civic
education. In African societies, despite the fact that the role
of social multiplier is traditionally filled by men, women play
an important part in informal areas. Even in Muslim popula-
tion areas, where the concept of the patriarchate is even more
strongly reinforced, a correspondingly increased effort is being
made to reach out to women. Events in 2007 that took place
in predominantly Islamic regions, amongst other, showed that
the strategy of the Hanns Seidel Foundation is an effective
one. Improving conditions for women in Africa will therefore
continue to be a central theme for the Foundation’s work in
Africa in future.
LATIN AMERICA
International relations with Latin America were characterised
by the topic of left-wing populism in 2007. An international
I N S T I T U T E F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N T A C T A N D C O O P E R A T I O N 11
Bedouin children in a kindergarten in the town of Ragat in the Negev Pupils at the Arusha Hotel Training Institute
Muslim women at a seminar near the island of Lamu
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P R O J E C T S I N D E V E L O P M E N T – C O O P E R AT I O N
seminar in San Salvador tackled this problem area: the Union
of Latin American Parties (UPLA) informed the Executive Board
of the International Democratic Union (IDU) of the conse-
quences of these populist tendencies. The UPLA thus once
more positioned itself as a mouthpiece for democratic party
associations in the region.
The daily work done in the Foundation’s projects concentrat-
ed on tasks relating to sociopolitical education. Two examples
provide a perfect illustration of the efforts made to increase
the participation of citizens and optimise the functioning of
the institutions:
In 2007 the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Academia del
Pensamiento Conservador y Humanista ran a nationwide ed-
ucation programme in Colombia. The aim of the project was
to improve interested citizens’ chances of being elected to the
countries’ mayoralties and supervisory boards. In four months,
over 2,300 people attended the seminar proposed. According
to the philosophy that holds that professional skills should not
be reserved for career politicians, experts from prestigious uni-
versities spoke to participants about the legal situation and
political marketing and gave them a few insider tips from the
“carefully-guarded secrets of political advisors”. An average
female participation of 30% raised hopes that the percentage
of women in community administration offices will continue
to rise beyond its current ceiling of 13%.
In Argentina, cooperation between the Local Authorities
Association (FAM) and the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes
was intensified in 2007. Scientific accompaniment of the com-
munity political discourse is one way of raising the quality of
community actions. This does not involve merely training
elected officials in the local authority in question. Students
and holders of public office now have access to a database in
which community scientific literature is catalogued and suc-
cessful community projects are listed. In addition, guides on
community administration practices are published and a com-
parative investigation of community processes in Argentinian
and Chilean local authorities is being carried out. The
Argentinian and Chilean Local Authorities Associations or-
ganised a joint seminar at the end of August, with the in-
volvement of the Economic Commission for Latin America and
the Caribbean (ECLAC), that covered the initiatives and chal-
lenges involved in regional integration that were being carried
out by communes. The seminar underlined the significance
that the FAM and its Chairman Julio Pereyra have gained as a
mouthpiece in international relations between local authori-
ties.
PARTNERS IN THE RECONCILIATION
PROCESS
The Province of Gangwon has a history dating back many
thousands of years. When Korea was divided along the 38th
Parallel in 1945, Gangwon was the only Korean province to be
split in two. Although Gangwon is situated in a relatively ru-
ral region of South Korea, 87,000 students study at the
Province’s twenty universities and colleges. Tourism is one of
the largest sectors in its economy.
Since 2005 the Hanns Seidel Foundation has been working on
a pilot project for the sustainable development of border re-
gions in collaboration with the administrative district of
Goseong. One year after that, joint work began at the provin-
cial level. The Gangwon Development Research Institute, re-
sponsible for urban and regional planning, the region’s largest
newspaper Gangwon Ibo and the regional Gangwon National
University are among the partners.
On 20 November 1997, the Chairman of the Hanns Seidel
Foundation, Dr h.c. mult. Hans Zehetmair, received a visit from
Governor Kim from South Korea for a discussion in the Hanns
Seidel Foundation. The Governor praised the merits of the
Hanns Seidel Foundation in its efforts for peace in Korea, for
12 I N S T I T U T E F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N T A C T A N D C O O P E R A T I O N
(from right: Juan Matteo, General Secretary; Julio Pereyra, Chairman of FAM;Peter Witterauf; and Dietmar Ehm at the Argentinian Local AuthoritiesAssociation
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P R O J E C T S I N D E V E L O P M E N T – C O O P E R AT I O N
which it was awarded the ‘Gangwon Peace Prize’ in 2006, and
set out his predictions for the further political development on
the Korean peninsula following the meeting of the two heads
of state in October of that year. Although an improvement was
visible in the economic relations between North and South,
regulations for visiting family members (in North Korea) still
showed considerable room for progress.
Dr. Zehetmair told his guest how important ‘small’ border con-
tacts were at an administrative district level in the context of
the reunification of Germany and encouraged the Governor to
forge greater links with the northern part of the Province (on
the North Korean side). Both saw this as a further venue for
the Foundation’s work. At the close of the discussion,
Governor Kim invited the Chairman to visit South Korea, a vis-
it that is scheduled to take place in July 2008.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL
AREAS AS A CENTRAL THEME IN BAVARIA
AND IN CHINA
In Germany, as in China, the future of rural areas is one of the
most pressing topics on the political agenda. A stable and fu-
ture-proof urban sector contributes to the stabilisation and
safeguarding the future for the whole country – something on
which both countries agree. Strategies for maintaining the
quality of life in rural regions are urgently required in view of
the current and future challenges these regions may face. In
China in particular, increasing disparities between urban and
agricultural/rural regions, the depopulation of rurally struc-
tured areas and migration to urban agglomerations in the east
of the country, demographic change and preserving the sup-
ply infrastructure to the countryside are, together with man-
aging limited resources sustainably, issues of the utmost im-
portance.
As part of the week-long festivities to celebrate the 20th an-
niversary of the cooperation between Bavaria and the
Province of Shandong, therefore, “the sustainable develop-
ment of rural areas in Bavaria and Shandong” was therefore
the theme of an international conference held on 11-13 July
2007 and attended by many big names, organised by the
Hanns Seidel Foundation together with the Chair for Land
Division and Land Development at the Technical University of
Munich. 160 German and Chinese experts from the fields of
politics, administration, communes, economics and science
discussed problems and possible solutions on themes such as
“Settlement and Inhabitation in Rural Areas”, “Sustainable
Land and Resource Management” and “Work in Rural Areas”.
The future for rural areas, particularly in regions with structur-
al weaknesses, has been a central theme focused on by the
Hanns Seidel Foundation in its long-standing and multifaceted
cooperation with China, e.g. via the Education and Research
Institute for Farmland Reform and Land Development in
Qingzhou, Shandong Province, which was built in collabora-
tion with the Bavarian State Chancellery. The certification of
this Centre as a Further Training Institute for the National
Ministry of Land and Resources, which took place in
November 2007, meant that future training measures could
be carried out there for the whole of China, and thus a con-
tribution can be made to remedying the structural weakness-
es suffered by the rural regions of western China. These re-
I N S T I T U T E F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N T A C T A N D C O O P E R A T I O N 13
Visit of Governor Kim from South Korea to the Chairman of the HannsSeidel Foundation
Discussion en panel en conclusion de la Conférence sino-allemandepour le développement de l’espace rural. Au centre le Président de laDiète régionale Alois Glück (quatrième de gauche) et la Ministre d’EtatEmilia Müller (troisième de gauche)
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P R O J E C T S I N D E V E L O P M E N T – C O O P E R AT I O N
gions are set to be even closer to the heart of the Foundation’s
work in the future. In 2008 the Hanns Seidel Foundation is
scheduled to open a new centre in Gansu Province, in order to
be able to extend these training measures further to the west-
ern Chinese Provinces of Gansu, Xingjiang, Qinhal and Tibet.
OPENING OF THE NEW CENTRE
OF THE HANNS SEIDEL FOUNDATION
IN MONGOLIA
On 19 November 2007, the new centre of the Hanns Seidel
Foundation was opened in the Mongolian capital of
Ulaanbaatar by the Mongolian State President Nambaryn
Enkhbayar and Dr Rainer Gepperth. Over 100 invited guests,
including the President of the Mongolian Constitutional
Court, Jamsrangiin Byambadorj, the Deputy Justice and
Interior Minister, Ts. Sukhbaatar and the German ambassador
Pius Fischer, had the opportunity to explore the Foundation’s
new premises. Dr Rainer Gepperth emphasised in his wel-
come speech that the new centre was not only a Mongolian
centre but also a Bavarian and a German centre that provid-
ed legal advice and organised information events not only for
experts but also for the citizens of Mongolia. He expressed his
confidence that this would also be a further step towards con-
solidating good relations between Mongolia and Germany. In
its new premises, the Hanns Seidel Foundation will offer spe-
cialist courses and events for the general public alongside its
law and administration seminars, together with further train-
ing in IT and German language courses.
The first contact made by the Hanns Seidel Foundation with
Mongolia dates back to 1993. In collaboration with the coun-
try’s chief legal institutions, such as the Justice and Interior
Ministry, the Constitutional Court, the High Court and the
Legal Institute of the National University, various legal and ad-
ministrative topics have since 1995 been tackled as part of a
broad approach with a focus on public law (administrative
law, constitutional law) and criminal law. Advice on drafting
laws is also provided, as is further training for target groups
from legal and administrative institutions, and subject-rele-
vant nationwide public relations, encompassing TV, radio and
print media. One major partial project is the rehabilitation of
delinquent young people, which has been a very successful
measure, according to the acting Deputy Justice and Interior
Minister Ts. Sukhbaatar during his discussion with Dr.
Gepperth.
Legal aspects of the relationship between State and region
and land law will also be addressed jointly in the future.
PROJECT WORK IN CENTRAL, EASTERN
AND SOUTH-EAST EUROPE IN 2007
Even after the second EU expansion to include the States of
Bulgaria and Romania on 1 January 2007, this regional area
continues to form a major focus for our international work. In
Central, Eastern and South East Europe, where the Foundation
is either represented by a project office or involved in region-
al initiatives, our seminars are aimed at contributing towards
consolidating the integration process in the institutional and
sociopolitical sector.
In 2007, particular significance was attached to topics related
to border control police, intended to implement the ‘Schengen
standard’ internationally, in order to make a contribution to
maintaining internal security at home as well. Bilateral bor-
der police seminars on the so-called Schengen exterior bor-
ders, such as Slovakia/Ukraine or Hungary/Serbia, as well as
on issues within the Schengen area, such as the border be-
tween Bavaria and the Czech Republic, contributed to en-
abling the new Schengen Zone to come into effect on sched-
ule on 21 December 2007.
Another perennial fixture in the calendar is the Young
Diplomats’ Conference, which was held in October 2007 in
14 I N S T I T U T E F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N T A C T A N D C O O P E R A T I O N
Mongolian State President Nambaryn Enkhbayar (right) together withthe German ambassador Pius Fischer (left) and Rainer Gepperth(middle)
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P R O J E C T S I N D E V E L O P M E N T – C O O P E R AT I O N
I N S T I T U T E F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N T A C T A N D C O O P E R A T I O N 15
Signature of a renewed cooperation agreement between the HannsSeidel Foundation, represented by the head of the Institute forInternational Contact and Cooperation, Rainer Gepperth, and theGovernment of Albania, in the presence of the Prime Minister SaliBerisha
State President Kurmanbek Bakiev expressed his thanks during an offi-cial meeting with Hans Zehetmair in Kyrgyztan for the work theFoundation is doing for his country
CEO Peter Witterauf with participants from the Young Diplomats’Conference in Dubrovnik
The Minister of State to the Presidency of the Republic of Togo, EdemKodjo, met the CEO of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, Peter Witterauf, on28 March 2007 for a mutual exchange of political ideas
Dubrovnik, Croatia on the theme of the “European Integration
Process”, and which was attended by CEO Dr Peter Witterauf.
The conference dealt primarily with the EU’s capacity for ab-
sorption following its most recent expansion together with
Croatia’s application for admission to the EU in 2009. The first
delegation of diplomatic representatives from Pristina meant
that the issue of the status of Kosovo, an issue that has still
not been completely resolved, was also mentioned during dis-
cussions. The aim of the series of conferences is to improve
Croatia’s international image, promote contact with young
diplomats from the region and give an insight into the current
issues affecting the European integration process.
Two additional incidents took place that can be deemed a pos-
itive impulse for the continuation of the project work in South-
East and Central Europe: the signature of a renewed cooper-
ation agreement between the Hanns Seidel Foundation, rep-
resented by head of the Institute for International Contact and
Cooperation, Rainer Gepperth, and the Government of
Albania, in the presence of the Prime Minister Dr Sali Berisha;
and the signature of a further cooperation agreement with the
Hungarian town of Pécs. The latter agreement governs the
collaboration between Pécs and the Foundation within a vo-
cational training project covering dual training in structural
engineering that has existed since 1993.
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Hanns Seidel Foundation · Lazarettstr. 33 · D-80636 Munich · GermanyPhone: ++49 (89) 12 58-0 · Fax: ++49 (89) 12 58-356Internet: www.hss.de · E-Mail: [email protected]
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