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| Abbreviation | HBS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1997 |
| Type | Public policythink tank |
| Website | www |
TheHeinrich Böll Foundation (German:Heinrich-Böll-Stiftunge.V.; Abbreviation:HBS) is a German legally independent political foundation. Affiliated withAlliance 90/The Greens,[1][2] it was founded in 1997 when three predecessors merged. The foundation was named after German writerHeinrich Böll (1917–1985).[3][4]
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is part of the global Green political movement that has developed since the 1980s. It describes itself as an agency for green visions and projects, athink tank for policy reforms, and an international network.[5] In its mission statement the foundation defines its aims as follows:
The Heinrich Böll Foundation is part of the Green political movement that has developed worldwide as a response to the traditional politics of socialism, liberalism, and conservatism. Our main tenets are ecology and sustainability, democracy and human rights, self-determination and justice. We place particular emphasis on gender democracy, meaning social emancipation and equal rights for women and men. We are also committed to equal rights for cultural and ethnic minorities and to the societal and political participation of immigrants. Finally, we promote non-violence and proactive peace policies.[6]
With the approval of the Böll family andAlliance 90/The Greens, the foundation carries the name of the writerHeinrich Böll. According to its mission statement, Böll personified what the foundation stands for: The courage to stand up for one's beliefs; inspiring people to meddle in public affairs; and unconditional support of human dignity and human rights.[6] Böll encouraged others to be politically active and get involved in political matters, famously stating: "Meddling is the only way to stay relevant."[7][8]
The Heinrich Böll Foundation also has a scholarship programme for university and PhD students,[9] as well as a research archive with a focus onnew social movements, Green politics, and a special section for political activistPetra Kelly.[10]
The foundation, with headquarters inBerlin, operates 30 offices on four continents and has branches in each of Germany's 16 states. Since 2002,Ralf Fücks and Barbara Unmüßig have led the executive board; Steffen Heizmann is the current CEO.[11] In November 2016 Barbara Unmüßig was re-elected andEllen Ueberschär was elected to succeed Ralf Fücks in July 2017.[12] In 2022,Imme Scholz [de] andJan Philipp Albrecht were elected Presidents.
The German state did subsidize the work of the foundation with 63 million Euros in 2018.[13]
In addition, the association has been accused by both the Turkish government and some opposition circles, including some prominent intellectuals of trying to design Turkish politics.[14]
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In West Germany, state-level foundations affiliated to the Green Party were set up in the early 1980s. In 1983, an effort to create a national foundation came to nothing, yet later in the 1980s three different nationwide foundations were established, reflecting the different political strands within thisrainbow coalition. They were the feministFrauenanstiftung, theBuntstift federation of regional foundations, and theCologne-based Heinrich Böll Foundation. Later, anumbrella organisation,Regenbogen, was created whose task it was to co-ordinate the activities of the three separate foundations.[15] In 1988, the Green Party recognisedRegenbogen as the foundation allied to the party thus making it eligible for government funding.[3][16]
In March 1996, a Green Party convention demanded that the separate foundations become one and the motion was passed with a large majority.[17] The statutes drafted for this new unified foundation defined gender democracy and issues related tomigration anddiversity as key fields of activity. After some further debate, the new foundation took the name of one of its predecessors – Heinrich Böll Foundation. On 1 July 1997, the newly founded Heinrich Böll Foundation began its operations at headquarters located in Berlin'sHackesche Höfe.[18] In 2008 the foundation moved to its current headquarters in Berlin's government district. The new, energy-efficient building was designed by Zurich-based e2a eckert eckert architekten and its design inspired by twoMies van der Rohe projects,Farnsworth House and theSeagram Building.[19][20]
In May 2022, the Heinrich Böll Foundation was declared anundesirable organization inRussia.[21] Earlier that year, the RussianMinistry of Justice had delisted the foundation from the NGO affiliates registry.
In August 2023, the Heinrich Böll Foundation announced thatMasha Gessen was the winner of theHannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought. In December 2023, days before the award was due to be presented, the HBS said it was withdrawing its support because it objected to an essay by Gessen on theGaza–Israel conflict, published inThe New Yorker on 9 December.[22][23]
The Heinrich Böll Foundation works on a range of issues, some long-term, some short-term. The following areas figure large in many of its projects and publications:
The foundation's present headquarters (since 2008) in the centre of Berlin provide approximately 7,000 square metres of floor space with modern offices for ca. 185 employees. The conference centre seats up to 300 people in varying configurations, making it possible to hold large multi-day conferences.
The foundation claims that its headquarters are in the "ecological vanguard" of modern office and conference centre design. At 55.7 kWh/m2 the building'senergy consumption is less than half the legal maximum. In partnership with Grammer Solar,[36] aphotovoltaic system has been installed on the roof. This has an annual energy yield of some 53,000 kWh and feeds into the district heating system. In addition, the building uses anadiabatic recooler to climatise its offices. Outlet slits run at sill level along the glazing in every office. The sill casing houses high-performanceheat-exchangers, through which water at a temperature of 20 °C circulates in the summer. A small ventilator inside ensures that cooled air is distributed throughout the room. Even when the temperature outside is over 30 °C, the room temperature does not rise above 25°. This system uses approximately ten times less energy than a conventional air conditioning system. The building uses the heat created by thecomputer network servers to heat its rooms. In recognition of this innovative project that significantly improves theenergy efficiency ofIT systems the foundation was presented with the Green CIO Award.[37] Lastly, theatrium and internal courtyard create naturalconvection currents that serve to ventilate the building all year long.[38]
The Heinrich Böll Foundation has regional offices in each ofGermany's 16 states. These regional offices, which are organised as independent, associated units, implement community and regional programmes to do with ecology, democracy,migration, and gender democracy. Such activities, however, are not limited to regional or national issues and some co-operation projects are international in scope. Although legally independent, all 16 offices are part of the foundation's overall structure and are bound by the statutes of the Heinrich Böll Foundation (e.g. they have to serve the public interest and have to meet the quota for female employees).[39]
The Heinrich Böll Foundation currently operates 32 international offices. Projects overseen by individual offices are frequently not limited to the country where an office is located as many have regional responsibilities. Overall the foundation conducts and supports over 100 projects in 60+ countries.[40]
Even before 1997, when the current Heinrich Böll Foundation was created, some of its predecessors operated international offices, which were then absorbed into the new foundation. The very first office was the one in Prague, which opened its doors in August 1990.[41] The second one was, in 1993, the Pakistan office,[42] followed in 1994 by Turkey and Cambodia, and by Russia, Nigeria, and the Central America office in El Salvador (all in 1995).
Over the course of the years, the only office that has been closed is the one in Ethiopia. According to the foundation it discontinued its activities there in 2012, as the conditions dictated by the Ethiopian government "in April 2012 confirmed that independent political work would not be possible (...) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation would remain extremely restricted in its activities. (...) Under these circumstances, the Ethiopian office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation cannot, in the foreseeable future, fulfil its mission of promoting democratisation, gender justice and sustainable development. (...) The closure of the Foundation's office in Ethiopia should therefore also be taken as a sign of protest against the ongoing restriction of human rights and democratic development in the country."[43]
In early 2013, the head of the foundation's Afghanistan office was recalled for security reasons. Office activities continue however with the support of local staff.
International offices are, as a rule, headed by a German citizen posted to the country in question. They are supported by local staff and, in some cases, by additional German experts. Well-known office heads includedMilan Horácek (Prague) and Kerstin Müller (Tel Aviv).
In 1998, the Heinrich Böll Foundation opened its office in Washington, D.C. The office focuses on five programme areas: climate & energy, foreign & security policy, democracy & society, economic governance & G20, and gender. Through organising events and inviting international visitors, the office promotes the exchange of ideas and concepts between North America and the rest of the world.[44]
In addition to its political and cultural work, the Heinrich Böll Foundation also offers scholarships for university and PhD students. Scholarships are available for all academic disciplines, with around 1000 scholarships per year. The candidates selected are expected to achieve a high degree of academic excellence, serve their communities, be interested in politics and social issues, and support the ideals the foundation stands for.[45]
In itsAnnual Report the foundation states:
In 2013, the Foundation's Scholarship Program selected 310 new fellows from a pool of 1,999 applicants. Last year, a total of 852 undergraduate and graduate students as well as 235 doctoral candidates received financial support (57% women, 43% men). 1,002 of these scholarships were financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research; of this group, 312 fellows (31%) had an immigrant background and 394 (39%) came from families with no academic background. In addition, funding from the Federal Foreign Office paid for scholarships for 85 international fellows; of this group, 22 fellows (26%) were from other European countries and 63 (74%) from non-European countries.[46]
In addition to the scholarship programme for students at German universities, the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation also offers three sur-place-scholarship programmes for non-German undergraduate and postgraduate students in Russia, the Southern Caucasus region (Armenia,Azerbaijan andGeorgia), and in Central America and theCaribbean. Funding for these programmes comes from theMinistry for Economic Cooperation and Development and theGerman Foreign Office.[47]
The Gunda Werner Institute[48] forfeminism and gender democracy was created in 2007 when the foundation'sFeminist Institute andJoint Taskforce for Gender Democracy merged. The Institute focuses onwomen's rights as human rights, the politicisation of gender issues, the reflection offeminism and gender democratic approaches, and the discourse between science, politics, andcivil society.[49]
Through conferences and publications the institute's programmes address issues such as the nexus betweenhuman security and women's security;[50] the evolving role ofUN Resolution 1325 on "women, peace and security";[51] gender-political aspects oftransitional justice in post-conflict societies;[52] debates surrounding gender and science;[53] and issues to do with sexual andreproductive rights.[54]
The Heinrich Böll Foundation operates two archives in Berlin, theArchiv Grünes Gedächtnis (Green Memory Archive) and thePetra Kelly Archive; in addition, it supports the Cologne-basedHeinrich Böll Archive.
GreenCampus[59] is the Heinrich Böll Foundation's academy for political training andcontinuing education. Founded in 2006, the academy offers training inpolitical management and on diversity and gender issues for volunteers and political activists as well as professional organisers and politicians.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation sponsors a number of awards, among them
The Petra Kelly Prize is awarded since 1998 to people and civil society organisations for their exceptional commitment to human rights, non-violent conflict resolution, and the environment. The prize is endowed with €10,000.[60] Awardees include theUnrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO),Ingrid Betancourt,Wangari Maathai, andZhang Sizhi.[61]
Since 1995 theHannah Arendt Award, named afterHannah Arendt, goes to individuals who uncover and analyse important, yet largely overlooked aspects of current political developments and who engage in public debate. The award is endowed with €10,000[62] and funded by the government of thestate of Bremen and the Heinrich Böll Foundation Bremen.[63] Awardees includeÁgnes Heller,François Furet,Massimo Cacciari,Michael Ignatieff,Julia Kristeva,Tony Judt,Timothy D. Snyder,[64] andRoger Berkowitz.[65]
Since 1986 the Peace Film Prize is part of the Berlin Film Festival – and the only peace award that is part of one of the major film festivals. The price is endowed with €5000 and the awardee is also presented with a bronze created byOtmar Alt.[66] Awardees includeMarcel Ophüls forHôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie,Michael Winterbottom forIn This World, andBille August forGoodbye Bafana.[67]
The Anne Klein Women's Award was created in 2012 im memory of feminist lawyer and politician Anne Klein (1950–2011) and is funded thanks to a generous gift provided by Anne Klein in her will. The award goes to women whose outstanding commitment has helped make gender democracy a reality and who have fought against gender-based discrimination and anti-gay resentments.[68] As an example, the 2017 Anne Klein's Women's Award went to South African activistNomarussia Bonase who, with theKhulumani support group, is campaigning forreparations for over 100,000 victims ofapartheid.[69]
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