One World Promoters’ Programme
Global sustainability starts at home: in our neighbourhoods, regions and municipalities. Our everyday choices affect people and environments worldwide. The One World Promoters’ Programme strengthens civil society to promote global justice and sustainability.
What is the programme about?
Our way of living and producing has global impacts. A sustainable future requires profound change, especially in the Global North. Such change can only succeed if people actively support and shape it – requiring a strong, competent civil society.
The programme promotes global justice and sustainable development by raising awareness for global interconnections and empowering civil society. Across Germany, over 140 One World Promoters engage educators, local politics, businesses and the public to build knowledge and skills in ecological and social sustainability, political participation, decolonisation, and democracy. Guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they encourage a shift in perspective: people in the Global North must change their behaviour to enable a just future worldwide.
Who is involved?
A distinctive feature of the programme is its structure and funding. At the state level, the agl is responsible for the implementation of the programme. The agl is an association of the 16 One World regional networks – one in each of Germany’s federal states. At the federal level, each regional network is responsible for the program rollout. The program is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development on state level and by all 16 federal states on the federal level.
The promoters specialise in seven areas, explained in more detail below:
Global Learning
Global Learning emerged from development education as a pedagogical response to globalization. It promotes an understanding of global interconnections and of one’s own role within them. It also points to historical and structural causes of global inequality and addresses topics such as the global economy and fair trade, migration, children’s rights, climate change, post-growth, and resource justice. An important approach in this context is the Whole Institution Approach. The goal is to make a good life possible for all people and for future generations.
Migration, Diaspora and Development
Issues of migration, diaspora and development are also a focus of promotors. This includes diversity and intercultural openness, empowerment, postcolonialism, anti-racism as well as causes of displacement. The main goal is to strengthen the participation of migrant–diasporic organizations in all areas of life as well as development policy debates. This involves highlighting holistic perspectives on development cooperation and drawing attention to joint efforts toward global justice.
Participation and Civil Society
Two key prevalent questions for One World Promoters are: how can we motivate more people to get involved in civil society? And how can participation processes be shaped at the social and political levels? The engagement of as many people and civil-society actors as possible plays a crucial role in the great tranfsormation and in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. They serve as a counterbalance to economic interests and as a corrective to politics.
Consumption, Production and Supply Chains
Sustainable procurement, fair trade, corporate social and environmental responsibility and the bio-regional-fair nexus are core topics for some promotors. Their goal is to contribute to a sustainable, social, ecological and fair economic and lifestyle model and to spark rethinking processes both within public administrations and indirectly within the broader population. They work in particular to strengthen fair-trade groups and one world shops. In addition, promotors initiate and support processes at the state level aimed at establishing procurement systems based on social criteria. Since transformative change cannot succeed without companies committed to upholding human rights along their supply chains, promotors raise awareness among businesses and encourage them to adopt sustainable practices.
International Cooperation
How partnership work can be structured so that it contributes jointly to the Great Transformation and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is the focus of some promotors work. How are equal partnerships between North and South actually being realized? What inspiring examples and tips exist for international cooperation, learning networks, and political alliances beyond traditional development cooperation? And is there a need for a renewed politicization of partnerships?
Environment, Climate and Development
Many promotors strive to contribute to climate action and resource justice. In their work they are highlighting social and ecological consequences of consumption and energy systems and make the associated social and ecological disruptions visible. They encourage innovative alliances and empower development actors to actively participate in discourse and engage in structural change.
Regional Structural Development
Regional promotors have a special role within the programme: they aim to reach people in regions and municipalities who have so far had little contact with One World topics. They therefore work on various issues related to regional development, such as approaches to building and expanding regional structures or the significance of the interplay between urban and rural areas for the Great Transformation.
Focus Topics
All promoters work on one of five thematic focus topics under the programme motto “United, fair, sustainable: Global solidarity for a united world“
The five focus topics are:
- Social cohesion, democracy, rule of law, peace and global solidarity
- Refugee movements and migration, migrant-diasporic perspectives
- Economic justice, fair production and trade
- The future of development cooperation and decolonisation
- Just Transition, climate justice and global resources
Find an expert
The One World Promoters’ Programme would be impossible without the many people who are committed to globally sustainable and socially just development. With our Germany-wide search feature, you can find experts in your local area or in a specific field.
Highlights
Several times each year, we publish a highlight flyer with a list of the One World Promoters’ most successful projects. You can find the latest issues here.