Concept

What is f.ize?

f.ize stands for "forum internationale zusammenarbeit für nachhaltige entwicklung", "forum international co-operation for sustainable development".

f.ize is a co-operation project of the Berlin Office of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German National Academic Foundation). f.ize started in 2002 and has staged more than 30 discussion events so far.

Once a month, f.ize brings together outstanding students with a special interest in international relations and leading figures from top government levels and international organisations to discuss current issues in international relations relating to economic development. Our focus is a connection of theory and practice: How does International Co-operation work? Which strategies are under discussion, how can they be implemented?

What makes f.ize special is that the number of participating students is restricted to ten, all of them experienced in international co-operation through internships abroad and through their research. This guarantees thorough discussion in an atmosphere of frankness and openness – f.ize is about "Tacheles reden", talking plain English. As our guest, you get a chance to present your ideas and thoughts to a group of young people who might be tomorrow's decision makers.

Organisation

The preparation of each event is in the hands of a team of two or three students of the f.ize network. In this work they are supported by Joanna Münker and Sebastian John, a mailing list with more than 1500 recipients and the web site www.fize.de.

Co-operation partners of f.ize are the GTZ and the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes).

Some of f.ize's Topics and Guests

• The Millennium Development Goals and German International Co-operation, Dr. Klemens van de Sand, Federal Ministry of International Co-operation, Government Delegate for the MDGs

• Bridging the Gap: Social Investment in Developing Countries. Dr. Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser, GEXSi - Global Exchange for Social Investment, COE

• Workshop: An Introduction into Conflict Prevention and Peace Keeping. Dirk Sprenger, "Kontrair", and Ortwin Henning, Ambassador, Foreign Ministry, Government Delegate for Conflict Prevention and Resolution and Peace Keeping

• Beyond the State: New Co-operation Partners and Targets for International Co-operation in Africa, Dr. Volker Riehl, Misereor

• Time, Culture, and Development, Prof. Ashis Nandy, Center for the Study of Developing Societies (Dehli), Committee for Cultural Choices and Global Futures (Delhi)

• Development in Nigeria: The "Resource Curse", Prof. Patrick Utomi, Lagos Business School-Pan African University (Nigeria), David Ugolor, African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (Nigeria), Dr. Axel Harneit-Sievers, Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, Lagos/Nigeria Office

• Sustainable Success: Evaluation of International Co-operation, Dr. Horst Breier, Federal Ministry of International Co-operation, Dept. Evaluation

• Conflict Prevention and the Fight against Terror through International Co-operation, Adolf Kloke-Lesch, Federal Ministry of International Co-operation, Dept. Peace Development, Conflict Prevention

• International Co-operation and Human Rights, Barbara Lochbihler, General Secretary of amnesty international Germany

• Islam and Democracy – The Role of International Co-operation, Christian Pollak, GTZ Cairo

• Sweden, the "Moral Super Power?": International Co-operation in European Perspective, Dr. Carl Tham, Swedish Ambassador to Germany

• Who "makes" Development Policies? Dr. Michael Hofmann, Federal Ministry of International Co-operation, Dept. Global International Co-operation

• Fighting Corruption, Dr. Hansjörg Elshorst, Transparency International

• "Writing is Politics" – Poetry and Other Mysteries, Sargon Boulus, Iraqi Poet

It is our intention to increase the number of international guests in the future.