Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Offices of the BMZ in the former Federal Chancellery in Bonn
Agency overview
Formed	14 November 1961
Jurisdiction	Government of Germany
Headquarters	Dahlmannstraße 4, 53113 Bonn
Employees	approx. 1,100
Annual budget	€12.426 billion (2021)[1]
Minister responsible	Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
Agency executives	Niels Annen, Parliamentary State Secretary Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary
Website	http://www.bmz.de

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (German: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsminɪsˌteːʁiʊm fyːɐ̯ ˈvɪʁtʃaftlɪçə t͡suˈzamənˌʔaʁbaɪ̯t ʊnt ɛntˈvɪklʊŋ] ^ⓘ), abbreviated BMZ, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is at the former German Chancellery in Bonn with a second major office at the Europahaus in Berlin.

Founded in 1961, the Ministry works to encourage economic development within Germany and in other countries through international cooperation and partnerships. It cooperates with international organizations involved in development including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the United Nations.

The BMZ was created in 1961 as a reflection of the growing prioritization of foreign aid beyond financial gain, a relatively unique choice at the time. Germany was a pioneer in establishing the BMZ, as most countries did not have established aid agencies for the explicit purpose of managing ODA.^[2] In the following decades, the BMZ increasingly prioritized sustainable development (SD) in policy discourse focusing on providing basic needs and explicitly incorporating Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).^[3] The MDGs were replaced with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) upon the UN publication of Agenda 2030 in 2015.^[4] The BMZ strongly supported the reorientation led by the OECD towards tangible and measurable goals for sustainability.^[3]

Germany is the second-largest development co-operation provider of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Bilateral co-operation constitutes the bulk of Germany’s official development assistance (ODA), under the overall lead of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), while the Federal Foreign Office oversees humanitarian aid, crisis prevention, stabilisation and peace-building.

According to the OECD, Germany’s total ODA (USD 35 billion, preliminary data) increased in 2022 due to an increase in in-donor refugee costs and increased contributions to international organisations. It represented 0.83% of gross national income (GNI).^[5]