Our work is international cooperation for sustainable development. We operate worldwide.

GTZ provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. We support complex reforms and change processes. All our activities are geared to improving people’s living conditions and prospects on a sustainable basis.

Corporate profile

The GTZ is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. It provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. GTZ promotes complex reforms and change processes, often working under difficult conditions. Its corporate objective is to improve people’s living conditions on a sustainable basis.
We mainly work for the German Federal Government. Our main client is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The company also operates on behalf of other German ministries, partner-country governments and international clients, such as the European Commission, the United Nations and the World Bank, as well as on behalf of private enterprises. Currently, we are implementing some 2,300 development projects and programmes in 126 countries. We have our own offices in 67 of these countries. Of our circa 10,600 employees, some 1,000 people are employed at our Head Office in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main.

Our main focus in international cooperation is on so-called Technical Cooperation. Far from being only centred on transferring technical knowledge, this primarily involves communicating knowledge that enables people to shape their present and future on their own. For this, we strengthen individual initiative and the capabilities of people and organisations, and lay the basis for stable development – for future generations as well. In our work, this is what we mean by sustainability.

Our development projects and programmes cover a wide range of themes and tasks. These include advising the government in Tajikistan, vocational training in Argentina, protecting the tropical forest in Indonesia and preventing AIDS in Kenya.
The GTZ was established in 1975. It is organised as a private company owned by the German Federal Government. We work on a public benefit basis, using all funds generated as profits exclusively for projects in international cooperation.