Deputy SEZ managing director Klaus Weingärtner is retiring after 29 years
Stuttgart, September 30, 2019: “With Klaus Weingärtner, an institution within the institution is saying goodbye,” said Philipp Keil, Managing Director of the Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ) when saying goodbye to Klaus Weingärtner.
Klaus Weingärtner was a man from the very beginning. He started working at the SEZ just a few months after it was founded in January 1991. “It was exactly the position I imagined back then,” says Weingärtner. He previously worked as a development worker in Niger, West Africa, for four years, “and I saw that it was necessary to make people here aware of the problems and conditions in the countries of the global south and of ways in which things could be done differently. “
For three decades, Klaus Weingärtner played a key role in shaping the face and work of the SEZ. Initially, the focus of the work was on building a network and professionalizing the full-time and voluntary One World actors. Back in the 1990s, the SEZ hit open doors with its offers. The world shops and fair trade were always particularly close to Weingärtner’s heart. His active commitment led to the first nationwide fair trade fair being held at the Haus der Wirtschaft in 2005. The Fair Trade trade fair developed from these beginnings. “There were no sustainability trade fairs back then. We also did a lot and I’m glad that it turned out that way,” says Weingärtner, looking back.
On the occasion of the farewell ceremony at the end of September, the former Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Erwin Teufel, praised Klaus Weingärtner's work and his commitment to fair trade with the words: “With the Fair Trade trade fair, you have gained an excellent public and many supporters. We have to have the courage to help the local people.” He described Klaus Weingärtner as the SEZ’s “Interior Minister” and said: “I have gained great respect for him. He has campaigned for justice worldwide. For him, the focus was never on the I, but always on the We. He has great expertise, competence, persuasiveness and a sense of responsibility.”
Klaus Weingärtner's second key topic was partnerships with the countries of the global south, especially the partnership with Burundi. “We were able to further intensify contacts with Burundi, and something has developed.” From the sometimes small partnerships between individuals and small associations, the SEZ created a sustainable network, which resulted in Baden-Württemberg’s state partnership with Burundi in 2014. A network that is reliable even in Burundi's current political crisis.
At the end of his life at the SEZ, Klaus Weingärtner draws a very personal conclusion: “I am grateful that I was able to do pioneering work in setting up the foundation.” His work has filled him with satisfaction. “I was able to implement what I considered necessary and what I enjoyed working for in my professional life. That was my motivation throughout my entire time in the SEZ.”
Background to the SEZ
The Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ) wants to raise awareness among the Baden-Württemberg population about globally responsible action and show how everyone can do something for a fairer world. The foundation promotes and networks private, municipal and regional initiatives to improve and deepen development cooperation with countries in the global south.
Press Contact
Baden-Württemberg Development Cooperation Foundation (SEZ)
Konrad Witt, Tel.: 0711 / 2 10 29-35, Email: witt@sez.de
www.sez.de
