Public funding for sustainable development and development cooperation is currently particularly scarce globally and in Germany. In multi-stakeholder partnerships, the question therefore arises as to what extent the business community in particular can be involved in financing the partnership. Three examples show that this can be achieved and how. The prerequisite is that the economic actors can derive sufficient benefit from the cooperation.
For more than five years, companies in the German automotive industry have been coming together with stakeholders from civil society and government in the Automotive Industry Dialogue (“Branchendialog Automobilindustrie”) to discuss human rights challenges in their supply and value chains and to implement joint measures. To date, the dialogue has been implemented by the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS). In turbulent times and a challenging economic situation, the members of the multi-stakeholder forum have decided to continue the industry dialog. From July 2025, the UN Global Compact Network Germany e.V. will take over the Secretariat of the Sector Dialogue from GIZ. Further information in German can be found here.
With a workshop on July 1, 2025, in its 10th year of existence the Alliance for Integrity launched the Integrity Innovation Fund. The Integrity Innovation Fund aims to promote transparency and accountability by fostering innovation and supporting the development of new tools, methods and products to promote effective solutions. It will also focus on fostering collaboration by engaging various stakeholders – including the private sector, public sector and civil society – to jointly develop and implement effective initiatives.
The “Mesa Multiactor” Salar de Atacama in Chile is a place of dialogue between diverse actors that carry out productive, social and cultural activities in the Salar de Atacama basin. The aim is to jointly close information gaps and develop agreements and measures on topics that are relevant to the participants and where they have defined the protection of water resources as a priority. From April 2021 to February 2025, German companies contributed financially and GIZ implemented the project in Chile. Since February 2025, the “Mesa Multiactor” has continued its work as an independent foundation and continues to focus on the sustainable use of water and other resources.
As these and other examples illustrate, multi-stakeholder partnerships can make a successful transition from public to private funding, provided the right conditions are in place.