The Safeguards and Gender Management System
GIZ supports political and social change processes, many of which are complex. These processes involve a range of different risks, which may relate to staff safety and security, changes in the political environment or commercial aspects. Care must be taken in project implementation to ensure that improvements in one area do not lead to deterioration in another. To avoid these pitfalls, GIZ has a systematic risk management system that collates, analyses and minimises risks.
Part of this risk management system involves safeguards that ensure projects are environmentally and socially sustainable. The Safeguards and Gender Management System brings these safeguards together. The system scrutinises planned projects to assess unintended impacts and the potential for promoting gender equality. It enables both risks and potential to be identified at an early stage and monitored throughout the project cycle. This allows projects to avoid unintended consequences.
The Safeguards and Gender Management System is based on the principle of sustainable development, which underpins our actions: we believe that we can shape a future worth living only by combining social responsibility, ecological balance and economic capability.
When implementing commissions, GIZ therefore considers the potential negative impact of any project in six areas: