International CSR projects
The DFB has been committed to international projects and collaborations for more than half a century. Fulfilling its socio-political and social responsibilities in an international context, the DFB supports various stakeholders. One example is the longstanding cooperation with the Federal Government of Germany in numerous sport-related activities in developing and emerging countries. With DFB experts building bridges through football all over the world, the DFB contributes to the UN sustainability goals and embraces the power of football to overcome language barriers as well as political and cultural boundaries.
International sports promotion
Sport builds bridges - both internationally as well as socially. With its excellent reputation as a sporting nation Germany can benefit from sport as a diplomatic tool to raise Germany's profile and image abroad. Since the early 1960s German sports organizations, in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), have been promoting the growth and advancement of sports all across the world. As part of this international promotion over 1.400 long-term (two to four years) and short-term projects (two weeks up to twelve months) have been carried out in more than 100 countries. The focal areas include sustainable sport development through capacity building and educational measures. Engaging in close collaboration with the respective partner organizations in the countries, the projects ensure tailor-made, jointly developed measures, which are adjusted to the economic and social conditions on-site to establish and expand modern and independent sports systems.
Football for development
Sport is a passion shared all over the world. Furthermore it can also function as an instrument to contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Goals including gender equality, peace and many more. Beyond that sport can serve as an educational tool with a beneficial impact on physical well-being and mental health. It conveys values that are essential for a satisfying way of life and positively contributes to community building. In cooperation with various partners, including the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the DFB has been committed to "Sport for Development" since 2013 and initiated, together with the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, various projects worldwide to develop young people through football. These "Sport for Development" initiatives highlight the contribution football can make to the development, education, health, and social promotion of children and young people rather than the aspects of high-performance and elite sports. With its particular football expertise the DFB contributes to those initiatives by providing expertise, technical knowledge and its extensive network in football. Joint projects have been initiated in Brazil, Colombia, Namibia, Mozambique, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Indonesia. Overall more than 500,000 children and young people in 29 countries worldwide have benefited from the BMZ's "Sport for Development" measures.
To share its experience in the field of "Sport for Development" and ensure a continuous quality improvement the DFB also contributed to the development of the S4D Resource Toolkit published by the BMZ and GIZ. The Toolkit contains strategies, approaches, and educational material for practitioners, policy advisors and interested people, as well as specialists, which can be found here.
Activities at competitions and international matches
To live up to our social commitment internationally, the DFB is also engaging with CSR activities in the context of international competitions on and off the pitch. We seize the opportunity to carry our multi-faceted measures across the globe to generate an exchange of experience within the realms of inclusion, diversity, health, environment and education. The purpose of this involvement is thanking host countries by supporting local projects and promoting the dialogue on current socio-political topics with a particular focus on aspects of human rights. The development of country-specific and culture-sensitive strategies are at this point essential to facilitate customized activities, which can be undertaken together with our partner organizations. In regards to staging competitions and matches in Germany, the DFB also promotes intercultural exchange in and through football with the strive to become an exemplary host.