The Liechtenstein Development Service (LED) is actively involved in raising awareness of development cooperation not only in its partner countries, but also in Liechtenstein.
A central concern is to give young people an understanding of global connections, the importance of partnership and the complexity of sustainable development.
A successful example of this was the recent visit by the LED to a third grade class at Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium as part of teacher Rahel Schönenberger’s geography lessons. The pupils had been fully prepared for the visit in advance: They had studied key concepts such as the Human Development Index (HDI), as well as the differentiations between developing, emerging and industrialized countries. The role and empowerment of girls and women in the context of development cooperation and the difference between emergency aid and long-term development cooperation were also discussed.
On this basis, the LED presented its work in Burkina Faso in two presentations and conveyed a typical food system for the Sahel region – with its many challenges, interactions and influencing factors. The role of governmental, bilateral development cooperation and the specific working methods of the LED were also clearly explained.
In subsequent group work, the students took on the role of LED employees: They were given the task of evaluating fictitious project applications based on jointly developed quality criteria and presenting their assessments to the class in a subsequent double lesson. This method enabled a practical approach and encouraged a critical examination of development policy issues.
For the LED, the collaboration with the teacher and the students was an enriching experience. The young people showed a great deal of interest and commitment – a sign of how effectively personal encounters and concrete case studies can contribute to strengthening global understanding.
Such direct exchanges are particularly valuable for the LED: they create transparency about its own work, promote understanding of the importance of development cooperation and help to anchor its complexity and relevance more firmly in Liechtenstein society.
