Building Global Cooperation   
  The Program

Building Global Cooperation is designed as a common working program that stimulates and supports collective learning and mutual understanding. It aims at bringing together eminent persons and young leaders from business, politics and civil society.

The Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics offers both an organizational platform as well as a conceptual framework for cooperation in modern societies, which are determined by global market economy and competition. The program aims at changing paradigms in order to promote consciousness for global issues, mutual dependencies, and worldwide inclusion as well as commitment for individual and collective action. This approach is based on the idea that despite a plurality of different values and individual perspectives, ethical core principles such as mutual respect, trust and true partnership support mutually beneficial interchange.

Workshop „Responsible Investment in Africa“

Sustainable development in Africa can mainly be reached through strong economic integration and responsible investment. In order to discuss the conditions for companies’ longterm responsible involvement in Africa, the Wittenberg-Center organized a workshop on this topic on June 22, 2009. Under the patronage of the Embassy of the Republic of Namibia and supported by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), approximately 30 experts came to the House of the German Economy in Berlin. Among them were representatives of about eight embassies, for example from Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sambia, Simbabwe and China. Furthermore, representatives of various companies and public institutions, for example KfW and DEG as well as NGOs such as Transparency International and the German Africa Foundation were participating.

With reference to Bill Gates, the ambassador of the Republic of Namibia, Neville Gertze, underlined the inventive role of market economy (“creative capitalism”) and the importance of companies for enduring peace and development as well as the compatibility of a company’s profitability and ethical principles. As a practical example for a longterm and responsible commitment, CEO Gerhardt Hirth presented the commitment of the Schwenk-Group which is a medium-sized company rich in tradition. It is currently investing several million euros in the construction of a cement plant in Namibia. In this process, environmental and social concerns are considered carefully and they are integrated into the company’s strategy. Heiko Schwiderowski of the DIHK indicates the challenge of convincing more companies to a commitment in Africa which is a continent with many possibilities. Moreover, he encourages a stronger focus of the BMZ and its instruments on the interests of the German economy and its African partners.
Prof. Arnis Vilks and Tumenta F. Kennedy point out that the Wittenberg-Center will continue to focus on these issues, taking economic as well as ethical aspects into consideration.

For further information
DIHK-Paper „Chancenkontinent Afrika“ http://www.dihk.de/inhalt/download/positionspapier_afrika.pdf

WZGE-Documentation „Fostering Entrepreneurial Spirit”  http://www.wcge.org/downloads/Publication__Fostering_Entrepreneurial_Spirit_.pdf