HISTORY OF THE FES

Facts and Figures | International Work

Friedrich Ebert

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) was founded in 1925 as a political legacy of Germany's first democratically elected president, Friedrich Ebert.
Ebert, a Social Democrat from a humble crafts background who had risen to hold the highest political office in his country, in response to his own painful experience in political confrontation had proposed the establishment of a foundation to serve the following aims:

• furthering political and social education of individuals from all walks of life in the spirit of democracy and pluralism,
• facilitating access to university education and research for gifted young people by providing scholarships,
• contributing to international understanding and cooperation.

The Foundation, which was banned by the Nazis in 1933 and not re-established until 1947, continues today to pursue these aims in all its extensive activities.
As a private cultural non-profit institution, it is committed to the ideas and basic values of social democracy.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Staff: a total of 571 (2005) in the offices in Bonn and Berlin, the 4 academies and 13 State and regional offices and abroad.
• Budget: approx. 111 million Euro (2005); mainly public funding.
• Events: in Germany alone more than 150,000 persons took part in some 3,000 educational courses, discussion forums and special-subject conferences in 2005.
• International cooperation: activities in more than 100 countries.
• Scholarships: approx. 1730 students received a scholarship in 2005, 260 of them from abroad.
• Library: largest specialized library on the German and international labour movement with over 700,000 volumes.
• Archives: largest collection of documents on the history of the labour movement in Germany.

INTERNATIONAL WORK

Development Co-operation

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung maintains its own representations in 70 countries of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. 70 German staff is posted in these countries at present and - with the assistance of numerous local staff - are engaged in projects in the fields of socio-political development and economic and social promotion.
The Foundation spends approximately half of its annual budget on international activities. Its partners come from politics, business, associations, trade unions, academia, and also from the communication sector and cultural institutions.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung sees its activities in the developing countries as a contribution to:

• promoting peace and understanding between peoples and inside the partner countries,
• supporting the democratisation of the State and society and strengthening the civil society,
• improving general political, economic and social conditions,
• reinforcing free trade unions,
• developing independent media structures,
• facilitating regional and worldwide cooperation between states and different interest groups and
• gaining recognition for human rights.

International Dialogue

In addition, the Foundation maintains offices in 33 countries of Western Europe, Central and South-East Europe, the CIS-countries, and also the USA and Japan. In these countries it fosters the dialogue between democratic forces with the aim of bringing about a balance of interests, resolving conflicts and drawing up policy options.

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