|
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
"Promoting international understanding"
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) was established in 1925 as a political legacy of Friedrich Ebert, Germany's first democratically elected president. As a non-profit public interest institution, the foundation is committed to the ideas and principals of social democracy.
International cooperation connects the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung with partners in more than 100 countries all over the world. In most of these countries, the foundation has established offices and its representatives work to promote democracy, sustainable development and international understanding. The work of the FES aims at facilitating participation, pluralism, rule of law, social justice and non-violent conflict resolution in different societies.
Head offices in Bonn and Berlin support the international network of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The German federal Foreign Office and the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development grant the budget for activities on international cooperation and development.
Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up policies allowed the opportunity for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung to start working in China. Today the foundation has two offices in China which develop and implement policy-orientated cooperation programs together with Chinese partner organizations. The FES offices in Beijing and Shanghai are part of the German development cooperation in China and belong to the network of the foundation's fourteen representative offices in Asia.
China is opening up to the world and has entered the global political stage as a transformation country. Since joining the WTO, China's status as an international trading partner and production location has been rising continuously. The gradual system transformation in economy and society, linked with social changes, is a great challenge to the Chinese administration and its ability to shape policies. Ministries, universities, scientific institutions, associations, unions and NGOs are open to international cooperation and dialogue in order to further promote and develop the reform process. Through cooperation with its Chinese partner organizations the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung hopes to contribute to the different stages of the reform process in China. |
