The Sage Shapes the Nexus: Convergence and Collaboration

Abstract

A short background on Friedrich Ebert StiftungThe Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) was founded in 1925 as a political legacy of Germany's first democratically elected president, Friedrich Ebert. A Social Democrat from a humble crafts background who had risen to hold highest political office in his country, Ebert proposed establishment of a foundation in response to his own painful experience in political confrontation. FES, banned by Nazis in 1933 and re-established in 1947, is oldest political foundation in Germany. It operates as a private cultural non-profit institution, and is committed to ideas and basic values of social democracy.1 One of lessons learnt from painful experience of 1930s was how a political system and its institutions, as well as rights of workers, can be manipulated and destroyed when workers themselves are not adequately trained and educated about their rights as citizens and about basic precepts of democratic political systems. Ebert stated that democracies need democrats, therefore citizens need to be motivated and provided with political education courses which help prepare them for democratic political engagement.2The commitment to principles of social democracy provides foundation and guiding values and principles that determine goals and objectives of FES programmes, including those of international development cooperation. These values and principles include human and civil rights, peace and social justice, gender equity and equality, sustainable development, and international solidarity.FES contributes to social democracy in several ways, including political education; scholarships for young academics; various forms of public dialogue; development cooperation aimed at global justice; research to study foundations of social democracy and to impart it; and building of bridges of international cooperation for worldwide democracy.Trade unions and workers: Their critical place in nexusThe FES 2008 annual report states:Throughout world, a just society is inconceivable without strong trade unions. Therefore, trade unions are one of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung's most important partners. Our cooperation with them is certainly one of our most central tasks, in past, in present, and in future.3The focus of FES on strong trade unions as foundation for a just society, in addition to its commitment to social democracy, is related to its experiences and historical relationship with German trade union movement, for which several tasks were identified at foundation of German Trade Union Federation in 1949.4 These tasks include representing civic, economic, social and cultural interests of working people; championing and safeguarding democratisation of economy, state and society; championing individual democratic basic rights and independence of trade union movement; and strengthening international free trade union movement. Another important task is the furthering of a progressive national and international educational and cultural policy, in particular in regard to schools and universities, vocational and further training, political education, trade union training, and, education at all levels, with aim of realising goal of equal opportunity, social justice and democratisation.5The focus on workers and interests of working people is clear and unambiguous, as is their right to a diverse range of education and training opportunities, including those at tertiary level. The importance of using labour education as a central pillar for building a strong, democratic political system was recognised from very beginning. This focus clearly enunciated spirit and intention of nexus in which international development cooperation programme was founded.The nexus: international development cooperation and points of convergence and collaborationThe Trade Union Education Institute (TUEI) was conceptualised by founding unions in 1962. …