German Foundation for World Population
Encyclopedia
The German Foundation for World Population (DSW) is an international non-governmental organisation addressing Sexual & Reproductive Health (SRH) and population dynamics
. DSW funds its project and advocacy work from private donations and the financial support of governments, foundations and other organisations.
It has its headquarters in Hannover, Germany
.
, Kenya
, Tanzania
and Uganda
, to provide field-based services. In 2000, DSW opened an EU Liaison office in Brussels
, Belgium
, to help mobilize resources in the European Union
—collectively the world’s largest donor of development assistance
—to improve global health
with a focus on sexual and reproductive health.
/AIDS
, and improving the quality of life of young people in developing countries.
DSW runs a Youth2Youth programme in East Africa that attempts to empower youth to play an active role in improving SRH in their communities and their countries, through peer education, advocacy and income-generating activities. In implementing this program, DSW supports over 1,000 youth clubs with a combined total membership of 30,000 youth and adolescents.
In Europe, DSW is involved in awareness-raising activities about the links between population dynamics, environment and health. Abroad, DSW promotes development projects in countries with a high need for family planning
, sexual and reproductive health education and other services related to SRH, particularly those countries most afflicted by poor indicators for Millennium Development Goals
3 and 5 (child mortality and maternal health).
Officially registered as a foundation under German law, DSW provides sub-granting to other civil society
actors advocating in the field of SRH, in addition to conducting advocacy
itself. DSW seeks to engage both corporate and political actors to ensure that sexual and reproductive health education and contraception
is strengthened and financially supported in developing countries. This includes activities such as liaising with governments, parliamentarians and partner organizations at the national and international levels in Europe and the Global South to vote in favour of SRH-related legislation, or to increase funding for sexual and reproductive health programmes generally. DSW produces an annual Euromapping report, which scrutinizes EU Official Development Assistance
(ODA) commitments and disbursements.
DSW also plays a capacity building
role in developing countries to increase civil society's ability to advocate effectively towards governments and donors to integrate SRH in their ODA contributions. DSW runs two training centres in Uganda and Ethiopia, supported by German women’s clothing chain BONITA GmbH & Co. KG, that focus on the capacity building of youth-serving organizations to address questions about health, sexuality and contraception.
In 2005, DSW helped found the Alfred Biolek Stiftung on AIDS in Africa, and continues to provide administrative support for their activities.
DSW relies on the advice of notable international experts and public figures on various thematic issues, including Alfred Biolek
, Margot Kaessmann, Nafis Sadik
, Rita Sussmuth
, Klaus Topfer
and Ernst Ulrich von Weizsaecker.
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
. DSW funds its project and advocacy work from private donations and the financial support of governments, foundations and other organisations.
It has its headquarters in Hannover, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
DSW was founded in 1991 as a private non-profit foundation by German entrepreneurs Erhard Schreiber and Dirk Rossmann. DSW opened country offices in the 1990s, in EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, to provide field-based services. In 2000, DSW opened an EU Liaison office in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, to help mobilize resources in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
—collectively the world’s largest donor of development assistance
Official development assistance
Official development assistance is a term compiled by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to measure aid. The DAC first compiled the term in 1969. It is widely used by academics and journalists as a convenient indicator of...
—to improve global health
Global health
Global health is the health of populations in a global context and transcends the perspectives and concerns of individual nations. Health problems that transcend national borders or have a global political and economic impact, are often emphasized...
with a focus on sexual and reproductive health.
Activities
DSW’s activities are focused on promoting sustainable demographic development, empowering women and their role in society, reducing and limiting the spread of HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, and improving the quality of life of young people in developing countries.
DSW runs a Youth2Youth programme in East Africa that attempts to empower youth to play an active role in improving SRH in their communities and their countries, through peer education, advocacy and income-generating activities. In implementing this program, DSW supports over 1,000 youth clubs with a combined total membership of 30,000 youth and adolescents.
Family planning
Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
, sexual and reproductive health education and other services related to SRH, particularly those countries most afflicted by poor indicators for Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
3 and 5 (child mortality and maternal health).
Officially registered as a foundation under German law, DSW provides sub-granting to other civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
actors advocating in the field of SRH, in addition to conducting advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
itself. DSW seeks to engage both corporate and political actors to ensure that sexual and reproductive health education and contraception
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
is strengthened and financially supported in developing countries. This includes activities such as liaising with governments, parliamentarians and partner organizations at the national and international levels in Europe and the Global South to vote in favour of SRH-related legislation, or to increase funding for sexual and reproductive health programmes generally. DSW produces an annual Euromapping report, which scrutinizes EU Official Development Assistance
Official development assistance
Official development assistance is a term compiled by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to measure aid. The DAC first compiled the term in 1969. It is widely used by academics and journalists as a convenient indicator of...
(ODA) commitments and disbursements.
DSW also plays a capacity building
Capacity building
Capacity building also referred to as capacity development is a conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing...
role in developing countries to increase civil society's ability to advocate effectively towards governments and donors to integrate SRH in their ODA contributions. DSW runs two training centres in Uganda and Ethiopia, supported by German women’s clothing chain BONITA GmbH & Co. KG, that focus on the capacity building of youth-serving organizations to address questions about health, sexuality and contraception.
In 2005, DSW helped found the Alfred Biolek Stiftung on AIDS in Africa, and continues to provide administrative support for their activities.
DSW relies on the advice of notable international experts and public figures on various thematic issues, including Alfred Biolek
Alfred Biolek
Alfred Biolek is a well-known German entertainer and television producer...
, Margot Kaessmann, Nafis Sadik
Nafis Sadik
Dr. Nafis Sadik, currently Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General with additional responsibilities as Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, and former head of the United Nations Population Fund .-Personal life:...
, Rita Sussmuth
Rita Süssmuth
Rita Süssmuth is a German politician and a member of the Christian Democratic Union .From 1985 to 1988, Süssmuth was Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth under Chancellor Helmut Kohl. She was a member of the German Bundestag from 1987 to 2002...
, Klaus Topfer
Klaus Töpfer
Klaus Töpfer is a German politician and environmental politics expert. From 1998 to 2006 he was executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme ....
and Ernst Ulrich von Weizsaecker.
See also
- International Conference on Population and DevelopmentInternational Conference on Population and DevelopmentThe United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt from 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Program of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund ....
- International DevelopmentInternational developmentInternational development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
- Reproductive HealthReproductive healthWithin the framework of the World Health Organization's definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system...
- Reproductive rightsReproductive rightsReproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:...
External links
- Official website
- Euromapping Annual Report
- Youth2Youth programme
- Audio Report on DSW and HIV/AIDS, by Deutsche WelleDeutsche WelleDeutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...