Welcome
Photos by Nadine Hutton
The Heinrich Böll Foundation, associated with the German Green Party, is a legally autonomous and intellectually open political foundation.

Our foremost task is civic education in Germany and abroad with the aim of promoting informed democratic opinion, socio-political commitment and mutual understanding. In addition the Heinrich Böll Foundation supports artistic and cultural as well as scholarly projects, and co-operation in the development field. The political values of ecology, democracy, gender democracy, solidarity and non-violence are our chief points of reference. Heinrich Böll’s belief in and promotion of citizen participation in politics is the model for the foundation’s work.

Our programme areas in Southern Africa are:

  • Democracy
  • Sustainable Development
  • Human Rights
  • International Politics
International Politics
PUBLICATION
Perspectives #03/2010: The Challenges of Change: Improving Resource Governance in Africa
This issue of Perspectives sheds light on the successes and setbacks of initiatives aimed at improving resource governance in Africa - namel the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme in Zimbabwe, the Nigerian Extractive Industries Initiative, and the Publish What You Pay Coalition in Tanzania. The articles demonstrate that while present local and international efforts to address the resource governance issues have yielded some benefits, they continue to face serious challenges. more»
BOOK
South African Mining Companies in Southern Africa - Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility – April 16, 2010 - South African companies are increasingly looking for investment opportunities in the wider SADC region in a bid to benefit from favourable international markets for minerals, in competition with western and Asian companies. These investments have social and environmental impacts on people working in, and living around, mines.  This book assesses South African mining and gas companies corporate governance and social responsibilities in five SADC countries. more»
CONFERENCE PUBLICATION
Climate Change, Resources, Migration: Securing Africa in an uncertain climate – February 10, 2010 - This new publication presents the critical themes that informed the debates during the conference ‘Climate Change, Resources, Migration: Old and New Sources of Conflict in Africa?’ hosted by the Heinrich Böll Foundation on the 2nd and 3rd of August 2009 in Cape Town. The conference, while analysing the current state of Africa’s peace and security architecture, focused on the structural root causes of conflict in Africa and on the question of whether the security framework in place offers appropriate answers to deal with these challenges. more»
Democracy
ANALYSIS
Climate Change and Democratisation: A complex relationship
July 29, 2010 - The paper examines whether democracy at the country level and global climate change matter for another. It raises the question of how to support democracy’s advance in the face of multiple challenges that include the adverse effects of global warming and extreme weather events merits much more attention than it has received so far. By Peter Burnell more»
ANALYSIS
Flawed assumptions will give SA a 'dinosaur economy' – July 12, 2010 - Parliament's portfolio committee on energy has less than a fortnight in which to intervene on the public’s behalf, before SA gets locked into an energy policy that could turn it into an economic dinosaur. The consequences of this could be soaring inflation, burdensome carbon taxes, loss of “green” job creation opportunities, and growth of an energy intensive economy at a time when much of the globe is steering away from this technology. By Leonie Joubert more»
ANALYSIS
The Ministry of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities: A Cure All for All Kinds of Inequalities? – February 25, 2010 - While the issue of a Women’s Ministry was raised during the transitional phase it was never considered a viable option for the following reasons: limited success in terms of policy impact both in the West and in developing countries, and a dumping ground for all issues dealing with women. By Amanda Gouws more»
Sustainable Development
ANALYSIS
Drowning Voices: The Climate Change Discourse in South Africa
May 20, 2010 - Significant attention has been given to improving our understanding of the real and imminent impacts of climate change. It is accepted that rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, changes in sea levels and changes in biodiversity will have significant consequences on the world economy, rural livelihoods and development in general. Africa in particular will be hardest hit by climate change yet its adaptive capacity remains low. By Masego Madzwamuse more»
ANALYSIS
The next step in the road – an evaluation of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference – April 15, 2010 - After the bewildering disappointment of the United Nations climate summit held in Copenhagen last December, civil society must set its eyes on the road ahead and ask “where to from here?” as the climate crisis continues apace. Leonie Joubert sat in on a round-table discussion held in Cape Town in the aftermath of the summit. more»
STUDY
Gender and Climate Change in Southern Africa – April 14, 2010 - Although various studies have focused on climate change impacts and adaptation opportunities in Africa, few have focused on the household level and in particular on gender differentiated impacts of climate change. This study, commissioned by Heinrich Böll Stiftung, provides an analysis and summary of the findings of eight case studies carried out in four southern African countries. Furthermore, the study aims to identify various policies, programmes and activities that could address these issues. more»
Human Rights
ANALYSIS
Double Jeopardy: Foreign and Female
May 20, 2010 - Violence against foreigners and violence against women are two forms of violence that are viewed with horror by the general public and outside world but are, in fact, normalised ways in which South African society interacts with minority and vulnerable groups. The double jeopardy that faces foreign women is just that: they are at the intersection of these two groups that are so vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and violence. By Romi Sigsworth more»
ANALYSIS
Demons and Democracy: Positive Values and the Politics of Outsiderness in Contemporary South Africa – May 20, 2010 - While xenophobia may seem far removed from racial tensions, poverty, and public protest, how we understand and address these concerns is inseparable from the bias and violence against outsiders. At the root of these tensions is a discourse of citizenship and transformation that insists – often implicitly – on the categorization of people into a relatively homogenous, entitled majority and those for whom, by virtue of their experience, origins, or occupation, political recognition comes only by demonstrating their utility to a true and deserving political community. By Loren Landau more»
PARTNER ACTIVITY
Addressing systemic gender inequalities in housing – May 19, 2010 - In consideration of the number of women that are being unfairly discriminated against in terms of the City’s practice to transfer immovable property into the names of the male spouse in pursuance of an old policy, the Women's Legal Centre, funded by Heinrich Boell Stiftung, challenged this in the Western Cape High Court. more»
OPPORTUNITIES
  • The Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southern Africa is looking for a Human Rights Programme Manager. The required qualifications, duties and tasks are laid out here.
  • The Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southern Africa is looking for interns for the second half of 2010. The requirements, duties and tasks are laid out here.
  • Apply for the International Short-Term Fellowship Programme 2010 of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Deadline is the 31 July 2010. For more information click here.
Perspectives Publication Series
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