Annual Report 2001

No event in recent years has influenced our international civic education activities as suddenly and completely as the terrorist acts of September 11, as well as the subsequent invocation of Article 5 of the NATO Charter and the military intervention in Afghanistan. Immediately following the attacks on the United States, we initiated a discussion series to interpret the event and its effects on world politics. Our Internet site, www.boell.de, includes a comprehensive dossier titled „After September 11,“ which offers reports, analyses and background information. Parallel to the Petersberg talks, at which the schedule for establishing a post-Taliban government was determined, the Foundation organized the first conference on civil society development in Afghanistan. In accordance with its own capacities, the Heinrich Böll Foundation will participate in efforts to build up Afghan civil society – primarily in the areas of women’s rights, education and the media. The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg continues to top the agenda as well. Ten years after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the nine-day conference will show whether the concept of sustainable development has any chance of success in the coming decade. The Foundation has been active in summit preparations for more than two years. We have supported regional NGO coalitions, organized numerous events, and initiated a well-received series of publications to provide momentum to discussions on the goals of international sustainability policies at Johannesburg and thereafter. The most prominent document produced by these efforts is the Jo’burg Memo, an 80-page memorandum on the World Summit. It is the product of an almost two-year cooperative effort by an international editorial staff consisting of scientists, scholars, politicians and NGO activists. Of the large number of countries in which we actively cooperate with over 200 project partners, we would like to mention two in particular. The first is Iran: after organizing a major Iran conference in April 2000, the Foundation has continued its active engagement toward this Middle Eastern region by implementing a series of smaller initiatives. The goals of these efforts include the development of a civilsociety based German-Iranian dialogue to support reform endeavors in Iran, and the promotion of a more sophisticated discussion on Islam and Modernity. The second is China: here the Foundation’s activities include a series of dialogues on urban development issues in China. We also provide support to a women’s center in Beijing, which provides research and consulting on how the rapid social transformations occurring in China affect the situation of women. At the same time, we are continuing our long-term cooperation with Tibetan exiles to preserve the cultural traditions of the Tibetan people. In the meantime, the Foundation now operates 18 international offices on four continents. Most recently, we have opened offices in Lagos (Nigeria), New Delhi (India) and Warsaw (Poland). These offices maintain contact with our project partners in the respective regions; furthermore, through their events and visitors‘ programs, they are a key component of our participation in the global political dialogue. This brief report illuminates additional aspects and details of our efforts during the past year. Current information may always be found on our homepage.

Berlin, June 2002
Ralf Fücks, Barbara Unmüßig