About the German Government and Federal States Programme (BLP)

The BLP implements joint projects of the German Government and German federal states by linking the federal states' development cooperation work with German Government programmes in partner countries. In addition to coordinating development cooperation between the German Government and German federal states, the BLP aims to achieve sustainable benefits from this cooperation in the partner countries, to create added value for people, groups and organisations through positive change.

For example, Saxony is supporting its partner country Uganda in the development and commercialisation of medicines made from traditional medicinal plants with university expertise. This improves the utilisation of traditional medicinal plants and opens up new sources of income for the rural population.

The target group of the federal and state projects are the people in the partner countries in which the BLP implements projects. In particular, politically, economically and socio-culturally disadvantaged groups such as women and girls, young people and minorities are among the programme's target groups.

The BLP also supports dialogue between the participating actors from the German federal states. It regularly offers training and networking events designed to build capacity for development cooperation. For information on these events, please click on the menu item 'Professional exchange and learning'.

Many different actors from the German federal states are involved in implementing the BLP projects in ways that complement the German Government's development cooperation. This means bringing their specific expertise to bear. Examples include Saxony in the field of mining, or Schleswig-Holstein in minority policy.

One key success factor is sharing knowledge as equal partners. Experts from Germany and the partner countries work on the projects together in order to maximise their impact. Close collaboration with local ministries, businesses, specialist institutions and non-governmental organisations ensures that the knowledge transfer is a two-way process from which everyone involved benefits – especially the local people.

One example of a successful project is the minigrid project that was realised together with Lower Saxony. Watch the video to find out more.

The German Government and Federal States Programme (BLP) is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The projects are funded by BMZ; the German federal states cofinance them by providing staff, rooms, scholarships or training.

The programme's results are founded on the joint work of a diverse, decentralised network of state authorities, academic institutions, civil society organisations and private companies. Further support is provided by the technical cooperation projects of GIZ's international office structure, to which the project measures are attached. This enables close collaboration with the partner countries and the design of needs-based measures that are sustainable.

The German Government and Federal States Programme (BLP) has been promoting development cooperation between German federal states and partner countries worldwide since 2015.

Pilot phase (2015–2019)
The programme began in 2015 with 30 projects in the areas of environment, climate, energy, sustainable economic development and governance, plus the cross-cutting areas of gender equality and digitalisation.

BLP 2 (2019–2023)
In this phase, 42 projects were implemented in 20 countries. Alongside the previous areas, pandemic resilience, gender equality and digitalisation were added. New initiatives such as the Decentralised Development Lab were also introduced and a serious game on gender was developed.

BLP 3 (2023–2027)
This phase is building on the results achieved to date. The thematic focuses of this phase are broader and are aligned with the core areas specified by BMZ. One particular focus is the reconstruction of Ukraine, for which BMZ had provided additional funding.

The German Government and Federal States Programme (BLP) has been supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH since 2015. Regional project teams throughout Germany are responsible for management of the BLP projects, from the initial idea through to submission of the proposal, project implementation and reporting.

Please contact us directly if you have any questions.

Programme Manager: Dieter Anders (dieter.anders@giz.de) 
Deputy Programme Manager: Jens Narten (jens.narten@giz.de)

For the federal states of Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein:
Project Manager: Steffen Heiseke (steffen.heiseke@giz.de)

For the federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia:
Project Manager: Anja Glatzel (anja.glatzel@giz.de)

For the federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg: 
Project Manager: Regina Tauschek (regina.tauschek@giz.de) and Susanne Rappolder (susanne.rappolder@giz.de)

For the federal states of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland:
Project Manager: Gabriele Kohlisch (gabriele.kohlisch@giz.de)