Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

About us

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is the oldest political foundation in Germany with a profound democratic tradition dating back to its foundation in 1925. The foundation owes its formation and its mission to the political legacy of its namesake Friedrich Ebert, the first democratically elected German President.

Friedrich Ebert, a Social Democrat from a humble crafts background who had risen to hold the highest political office in his country, in response to his own experience in political confrontation had proposed the establishment of a foundation to serve the following aims:

• furthering political and social education of individuals from all walks of life in the spirit of democracy and pluralism,
• facilitating access to university education and research for gifted young people by providing scholarships,
• contributing to international understanding and cooperation.

The work of our political foundation from the very beginning focuses therefore on the core ideas and values of social democracy – freedom, justice and solidarity. This connects us also to the German and international social democratic family. As a non-profit institution however, we organize our work autonomously and independently.

Our goals today

We promote:

• A lively and strong democracy and a free society, based on the values of solidarity, which offers all its citizens the same opportunities to participate on political, economic, social and cultural levels.
• Sustainable economic growth with decent work for all.
• A welfare state that provides social security as a human right, but at the same time combats poverty and provides protection for its citizen.
• Comprehensive and free access to education as a key factor for nearly equal opportunities in life; regardless of the family background.
• International cooperation that contributes to peace and social progress in Europe and around the globe.

What we do

We support and strengthen social democracy in particular by means of:

• International cooperation: With our international network of offices in more than 100 countries the FES is part of German development cooperation as well as foreign policy. We support international understanding by creating platforms of exchange, a policy for peaceful cooperation, promote the establishment and consolidation of democratic, social and constitutional structures and strong citizenship. We are actively involved in promoting a social, democratic and competitive Europe in the European integration process.
• Political educational training to strengthen citizenship in Germany and abroad. Our political education programs in Germany motivate, enable, inform and qualify citizens to successfully engage in political, labour and civil spheres. We improve citizens’ participation in social discussions and decision-making processes.
• Support for talented young people with scholarship programs in Germany and abroad, in particular for students and doctoral candidates from low-income families or with a migrant background. This is our contribution to increasing educational democracy.
• Strategizing: We develop and support strategies on the core issues of economic, social and educational policies as well as on key issues that advance social democracy. Where political practitioners, think tanks and academia meet, we facilitate a public discourse for a just and sustainable economic and social order on a national, European and on global level.

Instruments include national, regional, and international workshops, seminars and conferences, studies and publications, capacity training, scholarships as well as international exchange programs.

In Indonesia our activities focus on the following areas:

• Social Security & Welfare State
• Young Progressive Academy
• Sustainable Economic Development
• International Cooperation in the Region and beyond

Learn more about FES and visit the German website