Freedom, justice and solidarity are the principles towards which the work of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) is oriented. The KAS is a political foundation close to the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). As co-founder of the CDU and the first German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967), he linked social-Christian, conservative and liberal traditions. Its name represents the reconstruction of Germany, its settlement in foreign policy in a community of transatlantic values, the vision of the European Union and the orientation towards the social market economy. His intellectual legacy remains both a task and an obligation for us.
With our European and international work, we contribute so that people can live independently in freedom and with dignity. We want to motivate people to participate in this way in the construction of the future.
We want to motivate people to participate in this way in the construction of the future. Through more than 70 offices and projects in more than 130 countries, we contribute on our own initiative to the promotion of democracy, the rule of law and the social market economy. In order to consolidate peace and freedom, we support the continuous dialogue on foreign policy and security as well as the exchange between different cultures and religions.
For us the person is in the center of attention with their unmistakable dignity, rights and obligations. The person forms the starting point for social justice, democracy in freedom and a sustainable economy. We develop active networks in the fields of politics, economy and society by promoting exchange and relationships between people who assume their social responsibility. Our management of political knowledge enhances the prospect of shaping a socially just, ecologically sustainable and economically efficient globalisation.
Within the framework of international cooperation we are an international mission that works for democratic systems, rule of law and strong institutions in all types of educational contributions such as training, education and advice. From the Headquarters in Panama we manage the construction of bridges that unite the region with the world.
From KAS Panama, as the only program with international projection, we work with the objective of uniting and contributing ideas, through the exchange from Latin America to the rest of the world, for the development of the countries in an integral way with democratic values and systems and together with the counterparts of the government, political parties and civil society.
ADELA Regional Programme
Partnerships for Democracy and Development with Latin America
What are we actually doing?
The political model of a free, pluralistic and democratically organised society, based on ethical and ideological principles, is increasingly under pressure. Changes in global spheres of influence, the rise of protectionist policies and the unilateralism of states in foreign policy are changing international relations and endangering the liberal world order based on multilateralism and free trade. The German Federal Government, and with it the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, is convinced that major global challenges cannot be solved by nation states or bilateral states alone, but only through multilateral cooperation, for example within the framework of the United Nations or the European Union, in cooperation with its partners around the world.
This requires agreements, partnerships and strategic alliances: Europe and the American continent are the most democratic regions in the world, as well as natural partners in values and interests, for the strengthening of supra-regional and global alliances, whose common goal must be the competitiveness of our model of a free democratic society in a multipolar world. In this context, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation has established the new regional project "Alliances for Democracy and Development with Latin America (ADELA)" with headquarters in Panama in 2019. This project aims to contribute to the strengthening of cooperation between liberal democracies in the Americas, Europe and other regions of the world, as well as to provide opportunities for dialogue between the different actors. The target groups are multipliers of economic, social, foreign, security and development policy, as well as young professionals from science, politics, business associations and civil society, representatives of international and regional organisations.
Strengthening the Liberal Order and Global Cooperation
ADELA promotes foreign and security policy dialogue for the development of the global order, which promotes the interests of democratic states within the framework of multilateral cooperation and international obligations.
Activities to strengthen the focus of global multilateral cooperation, among other things, on the cooperation opportunities of the so-called "Constructive Powers" and the political development options of the Pacific Alliance. In view of the rapid spread of organised crime and other potential threats, security policy is becoming increasingly important at the international level. At the same time, it is important to sensitise Latin American actors to the relevance of international security work for Latin America, and to involve them more closely in international debates. This includes global challenges such as migration (and forced migration), its implications for security policy, WMD proliferation, the interaction between US-China-Russia actors, conflict groups, the future roles of the UN and NATO, the OSCE and the EU, as well as regional pacts in the framework of the concept of responsibility to protect at the international level.
Shaping sustainable global economic, financial and trading systems as a counterweight to protectionist tendencies
Economically, the EU and the 33 CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) states are already closely intertwined: trade agreements exist with 26 of these nations. The EU is also the second largest trading partner, the largest investor and the most important partner in development cooperation with Latin America. In addition to MERCOSUR, the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru), founded in 2011, is becoming increasingly important for the EU. RP ADELA will accompany the development of the regional economic organisations and trade institutions MERCOSUR, the Pacific Alliance and - to a lesser extent - APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). With the main partner ECLAC (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), cooperation in the economic and trade sector will be expanded and may also include the issues of the 2030 Agenda. At the same time, information and communication technologies (ICT) such as digitalisation, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, Open Data and Big Data will be addressed with the transformation that has taken place. Moreover, at a time when the German (development policy) perspective is particularly focused on the African continent, joint Latin American and European initiatives can support the development of new capacities for the economic development of the African continent. ADELA is therefore creating the first platforms for socio-political and economic dialogue between Latin America and Africa to bring partners in Germany and the EU closer together in their efforts to promote the economic reconstruction of Africa.
Realising the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030
With the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", more than 190 UN member states committed themselves in 2015, to an ambitious implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, these goals are not only addressed to UN member states, but also to all societies, from civil society institutions, private enterprises, to families and the individual. For many years, KAS has been engaged in the areas pertaining to the sub-goals of SDG 16 (peace, justice, strong institutions) as well as several other goals (e.g. SDG 5 Gender Equality; SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 10 Less Inequality, etc.). ADELA is the first regional programme of the KAS, in which the support to the goals of the 2030 Agenda has been defined as a separate and binding work axis to the other goals. In this sense, it also offers new opportunities for the political analysis of global health issues (SDG 3), global sustainable production chains (SDG 8 and 12) and the broad topic of the future of smart cities (SDG 11).
