The organization's self-declared goal is to deliver effective solutions that offer people better prospects and sustainably improve their living conditions.

[3] GIZ's main commissioning party is Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Other commissioners include European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector, and governments of other countries.

In its projects GIZ works with partners in national governments, actors from the private sector, civil society and research institutions.

[4] GIZ was established on 1 January 2011, through the merger of three German international development organizations: the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), and Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung (InWEnt).

[6] GIZ is one of the world's largest development agencies, with a business volume in excess of €3.1 billion in 2019 as well as 22,199 employees spread over more than 120 countries.

Prior to him, the inaugural chairperson was Tanja Gönner, a former state-level minister of the Christian Democrats, who left politics during protests against the Stuttgart 21 train station project.

[17] GIZ has been involved in the creation of various networks, associations and portals, and may carry out or support secretariat functions for some of these for a limited period of time.

There were no mechanisms in place to encourage cost cutting and the Court of Audit noted, that some of the numbers for controlling had apparently been designed especially to allow higher bonuses every year for the 3 GIZ directors.

[24] In March 2024, Baraa Odeh, a Palestinian GIZ employee of 10 years, was arrested by Israeli border guards after a trip, administratively detained for three months without charge, and subjected to abusive and humiliating treatment.

GIZ stated it would work "with all the means at its disposal to clarify the background.” Germany's development ministry commented: “The Federal Government is critical of the practice of administrative detention – [...] International humanitarian law sets strict limits on this practice.”[25] GIZ mainly operates on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).