Honoring the Legacy of H E Horst Köhler

    • The Africa-Europe Foundation

    Share article

    President Horst Köhler exemplified the genuine Africa-Europe partnership we need

    The Africa-Europe Foundation is deeply saddened by the passing of their dear colleague Horst Köhler, who was a hugely respected member of the Foundation’s Africa-Europe High-Level Group of Personalities.

    As former President of Germany who worked for what he called 'a genuine partnership between Europe and Africa’, he brought vast expertise to the High-Level Group and the inception of the Africa-Europe Foundation, with a capacity for the frank and honest dialogue so critical for trust-building and a real partnership of equals. Both as President and through his international roles as the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy to Western Sahara and Managing Director of the IMF, Horst Köhler advocated for the centrality of Africa in multilateralism and for the significant transformative potential of Africa’s young people.

    About the author

    The Africa-Europe Foundation

    The Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF) is the only organisation of its kind shared equally by stakeholders from both Africa and Europe. It is an independent platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue, frank debate and strategic analysis bringing together experts and leaders from diverse organisation settings (civil society, policymaking, private sector, academia), to strengthen the partnership between Africa and Europe. Our multi-stakeholder Strategy and Working Groups offer a safe space for exchange on critical, sometimes contentious issues between Africa and Europe and form the backbone of AEF’s work to catalyse innovative partnerships and unlock untapped areas of cross-continental cooperation, from Green Industrialisation to the future of health and the reform of financial systems to climate, energy, agri-food systems, blue economy, youth, Digital and AI.