Commission
A Changing World – Germany and the Global South
Chair Kramp-Karrenbauer: "We need a change of perspective in German politics."
Commission: A Changing World – Germany and the Global South
May 21, 2025
The countries of the Global South are disproportionately affected by current crises such as climate change, migration, and geopolitical tensions. At the same time, they are increasingly important because of their demographics, natural resources and role in new technologies. While the Western way of life remains attractive, these countries are becoming selective about the issues on which they align themselves with the West. A new international order is emerging and has yet to be defined. As the world’s third largest economy, an exporting nation and a major donor of development funds, Germany must find constructive solutions.
The Expert Commission initiated and coordinated by Global Perspectives Initiative developed action recommendations for Germany’s partnership with the Global South. The Commission, chaired by the former Federal Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, presented their first impulses in time for the 2025 federal elections. The Commission has now handed over its final report to the German government.
From left: Walter Lindner, Maria-Yassin Jah, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Janina Kugel & Michael Krake
Presentation to the Federal Press Conference
Commission Members
From 2019-2021 she served as Federal Minister of Defense after she first became Secretary General of the CDU in 2018 and later its party chair. Prior she was Prime Minister of Saarland from 2011-2018, simultaneously serving as Minister of Justice, and from 2012 on, Minister of Science. She also served as Saarland Minister of the Interior and Minister of Education in 2007 and as Minister of Labor in 2009. In 2021, she handed over the CDU party chairmanship and renounced her seat in the Bundestag.
Director and Chief Economist of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor at the Technical University of Berlin and Founding Director of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change. In January 2021, he was appointed by Pope Francis as advisor to the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. Since April 2022, Edenhofer has chaired the European Advisory Board on Climate Change, which was newly established by the EU.
From 1998 to 2005 Joschka Fischer served as Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Vice-Chancellor of Germany. Later he became a visiting professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and supported the creation of the Spinelli Group, an initiative to reinvigorate efforts to federalize the EU. Now serving as a senior strategic counsel, he advises on foreign policy issues at the Albright Stonebridge Group and is a founding partner of Joschka Fischer and Company.
Since 2016 Prof. Dr. Christine Langenfeld has been a Judge in the Second Senate of the Federal Constitutional Court. From 2012-2016, she was the Chair of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration. She was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at the University of Vienna from 2014-2019. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin since June 2021 and a member of the Senate of the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 2022.
Recommendations for the Realignment of Germany's Relations with the Countries of the Global South
Presentation of the Final Report of the Commission 'A Changing World - Germany and the Global South' at the Federal Press Conference on May 21
Topic
As renowned personalities in their respective fields, the commission members bring different areas of expertise to the work of the commission. In their inaugural meeting, they agreed on six key topics: Geopolitics, Development Policy, Economy and Trade, Labor Migration, International Finance, and Climate Policy and Financing.
Structure
The Commission met every two months to develop recommendations for action and impulses for the realignment of Germany’s relations with the Global South. The first meeting took place in June 2024.
Methodology
A central component of the commission’s work is the integration of perspectives and voices from countries of the Global South. To this end, extensive discussions were held with international experts on the respective topic areas prior to the individual meetings.
Objective
The final report presented in spring 2025 provides recommendations for shaping Germany’s relations with countries in the Global South and serves as a guide for political decision-makers and the new German government on the future international engagement of Germany in a multipolar world.
The Commission presented its interim report “Recommendations for the Realignment of Germany’s Relations with the Countries of the Global South”. The report examines key challenges such as climate finance, and global competition for innovation and raw materials. The recommendations are based on extensive research and interviews with more than 45 international experts.
To coincide with the launch of the Commission, Global Perspectives published the White Paper “Germany and the New South: Voices, Insights, Expectations”. Based on interviews, it presents the perspectives of experts from the Global South on Germany and their demands for future cooperation. “This publication underlines the urgency of our work. We need to think beyond budgets and responsibilities and engage in a deeper discourse about how to reshape our relationship with the Global South,” says Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
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Contact Persons
Gregor Darmer, g.darmer@globalperspectives.org
Sarah van Bentum, s.vanbentum@globalperspectives.org
Commission
The final report presented in spring 2025 provides recommendations for shaping Germany’s relations with countries in the Global South. It serves as a guide for political decision-makers and the new German government on the future international engagement of Germany in a multipolar world.
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