Honouring their Service
Every two years, AGdD and the Joint Conference on Church and Development (GKKE) organise a "Day for Professionals who have Returned from Development Service or Civilian Peace Service" as a way of thanking them for their service.
On 24 June 2022, the Federal Minister for Overseas Development, Svenja Schulze, attended the ceremony which was held in Berlin. "I know how dedicated they are to the work that they do. Their work at the local level is an important building block in the construction of a more peaceful and sustainable world," said the minister. Every year, around 1,000 professionals from Germany and other European countries serve as professional development workers in around ninety countries worldwide. Around one hundred returned professionals from all over Germany came to Berlin for the event.
The professionals had worked in governmental and non-governmental organisations – in resource and climate protection, in health and education, in peace work, or in the promotion of democracy and the development of civil society.
Through their service they make a major contribution to sustainability, international networking, and the nonviolent resolution of conflicts. Returned professionals also play an important part in social change and sustainable development in Germany. The minister pointed out that direct contact with local partners is important and is valued by partner organisations. "Your work as development workers is a special approach to development cooperation and is in the vanguard of current efforts towards sustainable development. This is thanks to cooperation between partners on a basis of equality, the joint development of solutions, and a sustainable approach." She urged the returnees: "Share your experiences. You have a lot to tell us. And you enrich our society enormously." During panel discussions, the returned professionals spoke about their experiences and the cooperation with partner organisations. They also discussed where and how professionals can contribute both to the mitigation of climate change and to adaptation to climate change.
2019 The World in your Baggage
On 12 July 2019, the "Day for Professionals who have Returned from Development Service or Civil Peace Service" was held for the third time in Berlin. The professionals have left behind them an intensive time that was full of challenges. Together with their local partner organisations, they have made an important contribution to development cooperation.
The churches and the Association of Development Services (AGdD e.V.) wanted to pay tribute to the professionals and their families for their service by organising this event, entitled "The World in your Baggage".
The professionals and their families were able to talk about their experiences in development service and to share experiences and ideas and network with other returned professionals from all the sending agencies.
Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared as a special guest and expressed her thanks and appreciation to the returned professionals for their service:
"We need people like you who are here in this room. That’s why I think it is a very, very good idea to invite those who have come back from development service, who can relate their experiences, and who have done outstanding work, and to tell them: We want to listen to you, we want to hear what you have to tell us, and we want to say, ‘Thank you’."
During this year’s event, we also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Development Workers Act. For more than half a century, this law has enabled returned professionals to demonstrate their solidarity. Merkel said:
"You have worked in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. You have worked hard for peace, justice, and sustainable development. And you have brought hope to lots and lots of people. That’s why I’m very pleased to be able to join you today in remembering that the Development Workers Act – a truly ground-breaking piece of legislation – came into force 50 years ago."
Merkel stressed not only the need for legal provision for legal and social protection, but also the importance of the experiences of professionals after their return.
"We need to increase our efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda. ‘We’ – that means all of us, governments as well, of course, and businesses, the scientific community, and every single individual. And you, ladies and gentlemen, can make a special contribution by raising awareness of the idea of sustainability in everyday life and work, whenever you talk about your experiences."
Following the Chancellor's visit, representatives of the service agencies and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development met to discuss "opportunities and challenges for development service". There was a change of scene at one point during the afternoon when a short film which had been shot in the morning was "broadcast". This gave more participants a chance to express their thoughts about development service.
"It was a decisive experience for me personally, professionally, and above all as regards my thinking and my perception of the Other, the stranger, the unfamiliar. Working through all this has changed me fundamentally."
Professional development worker with Dienste in Übersee (Service Overseas), worked as a musician in Burkina Faso, 1995-1996.
"If there are no profound changes in the economic, environmental, and social spheres during the next 20 or 30 years, … the existence of global society is under threat. If you experience this yourself, you can pass on a lot – in your circle of friends, in political circles, in civil society."
1967-1969, professional development worker with DED in Peru, is promoting a global programme for the exchange of professionals between NGOs.
"It was a valuable experience for us as a married couple and for us as a family, which we wouldn’t want to do without, as part of our CV."
Head of CFI, served 1998-2009, accompanied by his wife and three children, as a professional development worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
More than 250 participants shared their stories and experiences, which made the day an exciting and varied experience.