Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) South Africa collaborates with those who work for progressive renewal and transformation. For us, progressive means focusing on social justice and on agency; it means being anti-neoliberal, emancipatory, feminist, internationalist, anti-racist, decolonial.
We aspire to be a platform and amplifier of feminist and progressive ideas and alliances. We offer to be a strategic ally to progressive actors within trade unions, social movements, political parties and academia/think tanks.
We offer welcoming spaces to develop analysis, policy proposals, political strategy and alliances for change. We bring together established actors and new voices, as well as feminist and international perspectives, to the discussions. We encourage participation, especially among the underrepresented.
We are an active member of FES’s international network, bringing South African perspectives to international debates and offering strategic political dialogue across borders.
We want to live up to our ideals in the way we do things, encourage innovation, experimentation, collaboration as well as questioning. We aspire to be more sustainable in the way we work.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) shares a long common history with the African National Congress (ANC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). From the 1980s, FES supported the ANC in exile. Within South Africa, we worked together with the evolving trade union movement, mainly through university-based labor support organizations. Towards the late eighties, the FES furthermore facilitated dialogue between the opposition in exile and reform oriented quarters within the white establishment.
In 1991, we were allowed to open up our first official office in Cape Town, which was subsequently moved to Johannesburg in 1993. We were now able to offer dialogue, consultation, as well as capacity building to assist in the process of political transformation and preparation of the ANC as the future government in South Africa. Before and after the 1994 elections the FES contributed to the constitution-making process by conducting research and through capacity building. Simultaneously, we offered training and advice to the South African trade unions.
The FES was instrumental in setting up a new policy think tank, the “Institute of Global Dialogue” (IGD). The IGD was designed to analyze key foreign policy and international relations issues confronting South Africa and southern Africa and to develop appropriate strategies and provide consultation to the new democratic government.
Today, FES is working with a broad range of likeminded progressive partners. Our cooperation is based on social democratic values and principles of solidarity, social justice as well as peace and security. Together with our partners we are developing strategies and programs designed to overcome political, social and economic challenges in South Africa. Our common goals are a sustainable and inclusive socio-economic transformation, broad based civic political participation and a strong democratic and solidary South Africa fulfilling its role as a soft power on the regional and international level.
Our instruments for achieving these goals comprise targeted political education, information and training programs, public dialogues, action oriented research as well as publications and political consultation. Our work in South Africa is embedded in the FES Africa strategy, which is part of our worldwide international development cooperation.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has been promoting the values of the Social Democracy in Africa for over 40 years. We work for social justice, democracy, peace and international solidarity on the continent. It has encouraged and nurtured political exchange between Africa, Germany and Europe for many years.
In joint programs with our partners, we strive to enable and strengthen social and democratic political participation. Together with young people, we develop ideas for shaping a better future. The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung contributes to the dialogue on peace and security, migration and processes of economic transformation. We act towards strengthening the representation of workers' interests by means of political education and international networking. We can only confront global challenges such as climate change, organised crime and migration by acting jointly with the countries of Africa. Therefore we are committed to global partnership with the countries of Africa
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is the oldest political foundation in Germany, with headquarters in Berlin and Bonn. FES, as an independent and nonprofit organization, is rooted in a rich tradition of social democracy dating back to its foundation in 1925. The foundation owes its founding and its mission to the political legacy of its namesake Friedrich Ebert, the first democratically elected German President. The work of our political foundation focuses on the core ideas and values of social democracy – freedom, justice and solidarity. This connects us to social democracy and independent trade unions.
Throughout its history, the feminist movement has highlighted and condemned violence and discriminatory practices against women. Over time, this call was taken up by various international organisations, cooperation bodies, and states, who included the prevention and punishment of sexual harassment – as an expression of gender-based violence – into their agenda around the guarantee and protection of fundamental rights.
At its International Labour Conference in 1985, International Labour Organization (ILO) pointed out that sexual harassment is:
“... a violation of the rights of male and female workers... it constitutes a problem of safety, health and discrimination; that is, an unacceptable employment situation and a serious form of violence.”
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is committed to fulfilling all human rights. Our work is based on the core values of social democracy – freedom, justice and solidarity. We work in the spirit of these values and ideals so that we can live in a society that treats all people with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate any form of abuse and we reject any type of violence or discrimination.
We recognise sexual harassment as an expression of gender-based violence. And as such we aim to prevent and address sexual harassment through policies and strategies that take into account the effect of power, privilege, class, race and gender on those who are violated and those who perpetuate violations.
The sexual harassment policy is at extension of this commitment.
The policy has the following objectives:
The following principles underpin the sexual harassment policy:
Prevention: FES will disseminate information and train FES staff about gender-based violence and sexual harassment so as to prevent any incident of violence. This includes, for example, discriminatory comments or sexist jokes / pranks. We seek to create a zero-tolerance culture towards harassment and sexual abuse in all FES departments and activities.
a. FES does not downplay gender-based violence and sexual harassment. Therefore, we are putting permanent measures in place to prevent situations of violence during FES activities.
b. FES staff will have access to training on gender-based violence.
Gender equality: FES fosters and promotes the participation of women and non-binary persons in all spaces and activities, and opposes any gender-based discrimination that may occur in FES activities.
Diversity and inclusion: FES will defend gender equality, as well as the right to diversity and inclusivity. All participants will be protected from any form of abuse during FES activities and projects.
Confidentiality and respect: FES will ensure that the identity of any person lodging a complaint is protected. Similarly, we will respect the will of this person in terms of the actions they might decide to take – taking into account the seriousness of the situation. FES will also protect any other information the person wants to keep confidential.
Speed of the process: Sexual harassment cases applicable to this policy do not expire and the complaint will be taken seriously, regardless of the time that has passed since it was lodged. However, once a complaint is lodged, FES will follow a meticulous procedure. The investigation will be conducted as speedily as possible.
Non-revictimisation: FES will prevent the person who was the victim of sexual harassment from being revictimised while the case is being investigated. In addition, we will avoid unnecessary requests to narrate the facts again, as well as public exposure of the identity of the person who lodged the complaint, report or information.
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South Africa Office
