Cooperating Partners

AOK- International Consulting is the in-house consultancy company of the largest social health insurance fund in Germany, the AOK. It provides operational and strategic advice to the Federal Association of the AOK (the national umbrella organization) and the 11 regional AOK funds.  Founded in 1997 it has a permanent staff of around 15. The International Division of AOK-Consult however recruits in the first place experts from within the AOK itself and in some cases from its network within the German health care system for assignments in international projects. Besides the expert placement in GIZ, EU, WHO etc. owned projects it organizes study visits and seminars for groups from abroad on divers health care system issues. It operates furthermore as a source of expertise on a wide range of questions on health policy as well. As Germany’s largest statutory health insurance company with about 55,000 members of staff, the AOK has extensive experience in all aspects of social health insurance.

The AOK-Consult, together with the Federal Association of the AOK, has been a cooperation partner of the GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) since 1998. Under this cooperation arrangement, AOK-Consult supported the GTZ sector project “Social Health Insurance” but also the departments for good governance and “P4H” (Performance for Health Initiative) in more than 30 countries. Since January 2011 this cooperation found its sequel by a renewed partnership with the German Association for international Cooperation (GIZ), which is the merger of former GTZ, InWent and DED.

AOK staff has about 14 years of experience in international transfer of expertise. AOK experts have provided advice and helped to set up health insurance schemes in over 40 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and on the Arabian Peninsula.

For more information, visit the website.

Oxford Policy Management Ltd. (OPM) is a private consultancy company that has 30 years’ experience in providing rigorous analysis, policy advice, management and training services to national governments, international aid agencies and other public sector organisations. It provides economic and social policy, management and training services to public sector organisations and international aid agencies. Oxford Policy Management adopts a participatory approach to solving policy problems, working in partnership with client organisations to improve knowledge and competence. Our work focuses on reducing poverty through:

• improving access to, and efficiency of, key services for the poor (including health, education and social assistance);
• more effective and accountable public expenditure management;
• more effective macroeconomic management, sector policies and programmes; and
• governance reform.

Through OPM’s policy research and development, strategic advice and management capacity, our strength is our ability to link strategic vision to best operational practice. OPM has a worldwide reputation for combining analytical rigour with practical know-how.

OPM’s Poverty and Social Protection Portfolio has extensive experience in supporting the whole or parts of the social protection policy cycle. This includes undertaking poverty diagnostic work; social protection strategy and policy design; stakeholder and political analysis; public finance analysis and design; drafting of legislation; organizational reform for social protection delivery; design of social protection services and delivery systems; design and implementation of systems for the administration of social protection interventions (targeting, payment, financial management, case management, conditionality monitoring); design of monitoring and information management systems; impact assessments and analysis of the operational effectiveness and cost-effeteness of social protection interventions

For more information, visit the website

GIZ provids services worldwide in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security. The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe, with the German Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations and governments of other countries all benefiting from our services. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is our main commissioning party, but we also work closely with the private sector, fostering successful interaction between development policy and foreign trade.

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HelpAge International is an NGO that works to help older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives. Their work is strengthened through a global network of like-minded organisations. Five organisations in Canada, Colombia, Kenya, India and the UK set up HelpAge International in 1983 to provide a strong network to support older people worldwide. The HelpAge International network has since grown steadily in size and influence. HelpAge International now has 101 Affiliates and works with more than 200 other partners in more than 70 countries across the world.

HelpAge’s vision is of a world in which all older people can lead dignified, active, healthy and secure lives. HelpAge works with its partners to enable older men and women to have secure incomes, receive quality health and care services, actively participate in and be better supported during emergency and recovery situations. HelpAge also works to build global and local movements that enable older men and women to challenge age discrimination and claim their rights, supporting a growing network of organisations to work effectively with and for older men and women.

For more information, visit the website