(de-news.net) – The Federal Government’s new North-South Commission will be co-chaired by former Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, bringing together senior figures from politics, international organizations, business, academia and civil society. The commission is intended to strengthen global cooperation while developing practical proposals for the future relationship between the Global North and Global South. Rather than limiting its recommendations to what different sides can minimally agree on, Scholz has emphasized that the body should pursue ambitious solutions that can ultimately be put into practice.
The roughly 20-member commission includes World Bank President Ajay Banga, World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, German Red Cross President Hermann Gröhe, and Mark Greene, chief executive of the development organization ONE and a former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The prominence and international experience of its members are expected to shape the commission’s influence in global policy debates. Scholz has emphasized that their standing and expertise will be an important source of that influence.
A separate strategic advisory group will provide a wider institutional framework, bringing together representatives from parliament, federal ministries, business, trade unions, academia, political foundations, civil society, German development organizations and youth groups. The arrangement is intended to extend participation beyond the commission’s core membership and provide additional perspectives.
New development partnerships in a multipolar system
Henrik Maihack, who previously headed the Africa portfolio at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, will oversee the commission’s secretariat. Its central mandate is to formulate recommendations for a new development-policy framework between the Global North and Global South as international relations become increasingly multipolar. Its work will focus on new partnership models, priorities for the global development agenda after 2030, and approaches to strengthening international institutions and multilateral cooperation.
For Chinchilla, the effort is also closely tied to confidence in the international system. She has emphasized the need to move away from confrontation between North and South toward partnerships based on shared values, social justice and peaceful coexistence. Demonstrating that multilateral decisions can produce tangible improvements in people’s lives is intended to help rebuild trust in international institutions.
Gröhe, a former Federal Health Minister, has pointed to the continuity between his previous political responsibilities and his new role on the commission. International economic and development policy, as well as efforts to strengthen international institutions, had already been important areas of his political work. As president of the German Red Cross, he is also connected to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, providing another institutional link to international humanitarian efforts. Gröhe described his appointment as an honor and noted both his longstanding professional relationship with Scholz and his discussions with Chinchilla about the commission’s work. In his assessment, reducing global tensions and expanding fair opportunities for development will be essential to addressing shared international challenges, making its work relevant to Germany as well.
From German development policy to global reform
The commission’s broader objective is to deepen Germany’s relations with countries of the Global South while helping develop those relationships into a wider global network. Its agenda includes overcoming polarization, reinforcing international trust and multilateralism, and exploring new forms of international engagement.
A significant part of that agenda concerns what follows the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 framework. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals remain a central reference point for German development policy, but the framework is scheduled to expire in 2030. The commission is consequently expected to develop ideas that can contribute to future global goals and the broader development agenda beyond that date.
Its work also deliberately recalls the first North-South Commission, established in 1977 under the leadership of former Chancellor Willy Brandt. That earlier body called for greater participation by developing countries in international affairs and for greater emphasis on development compared with military spending. The historical reference links the current commission to an earlier effort to reshape the international development system.
Equal participation and evidence-based debate
The new commission is designed to operate independently and with representation from both the Global North and Global South. Its members will be appointed by Scholz and Chinchilla, while the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development will coordinate support with the Foreign Office. Three principles will guide its work. The first is equal participation: representatives of the Global North and South are expected to contribute jointly to setting the agenda and making decisions. The second is broad participation, with national and international institutions, researchers, businesses and civil society included in the process.
Think tanks and research organizations are expected to support the work through studies and analysis, adding an evidence-based dimension to the deliberations. The third principle is an open and transparent discussion that reflects differing positions and interests. The co-chairs are responsible for fostering a debate grounded in evidence rather than allowing the process to be confined to a narrow set of institutional perspectives.
The commission will supplement its formal meetings with regional consultations in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. The structure is intended to ensure that regional perspectives feed into its deliberations, broadening the range of views considered alongside its formal membership and advisory structures.
Work begins with 2027 milestone ahead
Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan (SPD) formally established the commission on June 30 after it had been included in the coalition agreement and approved by the federal cabinet. It formally began its work under Scholz and Chinchilla at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference.
Timing connects its work to the longer history of international development policy. Preliminary results are expected in 2027, which will mark 50 years since the original North-South Commission was established. The period will also coincide with the broader international process surrounding the Sustainable Development Goals.
A comprehensive final report is scheduled for the end of 2028, giving the commission a longer-term framework in which to develop and consolidate its recommendations. The timetable places its work between the approaching end of the current global development framework and the effort to define priorities for the period that follows.
