The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH attaches great importance to responsible and transparent management of personal data.

Below you will find information about,

• who you can contact at GIZ on the subject of data protection.
• what data is processed when you visit the website.
• what data is processed when you contact us or use other GIZ online services.
• which external services (content delivery, videos) are used on the website and how web analytics and spam protection work without third parties.
• what possibilities there are to object to the storage of the data.
• what rights you have with respect to us.

1. Controller and Data Protection Officer

The responsible body for data processing is the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Address:
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32 + 36, 53113 Bonn
Dag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1–5, 65760 Eschborn

Contact in Uzbekistan (project office):
Tashkent, Shota Rustaveli St. 12A, Business Center “Grand”
Telephone: +998 93 501 07 40
E-mail: [email protected]

If you have specific questions about the protection of your data, please contact GIZ’s data protection officer: [email protected]

2. Information about the collection of personal data

2.1 General

GIZ processes personal data exclusively in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) and, with regard to cookies and similar technologies, the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG).

Personal data are, for example, name, address, e-mail addresses and user behavior.

Personal data will only be processed by GIZ to the extent necessary. Which data is required and processed for what purpose and on what basis depends largely on the type of service you use, or on the purpose for which the data is required.

2.2 Collection of personal data when visiting our website

When visiting www.greencentralasia.org, the browser used automatically transmits data that is stored in a log file. GIZ itself only processes the data that is technically required to display the website correctly and to ensure its stability and security.

For each access, the following data is stored in the server log files:

• Date and time of the request
• Page accessed (URL)
• HTTP status code (e.g. 200, 404)
• Browser information (user agent: browser type and version, operating system) – if transmitted by the client

The data in the log files is deleted after 14 days. The content of messages sent via the contact form is not stored in the log files.

Further information on the storage and transfer of data:

GIZ is obliged to store data beyond the time of the visit in order to ensure protection against attacks on the GIZ’s internet infrastructure and the communications technology of the Federal Government (legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (e) GDPR in conjunction with Article 5 of the German Act on the Federal Office for Information Security (BSIG)). In the event of attacks on communications technology, this data is analyzed and used to initiate legal and criminal prosecution.

Data logged when accessing the GIZ website is only transmitted to third parties if there is a legal obligation to do so or if the transmission is necessary for legal or criminal prosecution in the event of attacks on the Federal Government’s communications technology. Data will not be passed on in any other cases. This data is not merged with other data sources at GIZ.

2.3 Content delivery and protection against attacks (Cloudflare)

To deliver the website quickly and securely and to protect it against attacks (e.g. DDoS attacks, malicious bots), the website is delivered via the content delivery network of Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA (“Cloudflare”). All requests to the website are routed through Cloudflare servers. In the process, Cloudflare processes the IP address of your device as well as the data listed in section 2.2 (page accessed, date and time, browser information) in order to deliver the content and to detect and block attacks.

To protect the e-mail addresses published on the website against automated collection by spam bots, Cloudflare’s e-mail address obfuscation is also used. Some program libraries are loaded from the Cloudflare server cdnjs.cloudflare.com.

The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) e GDPR (secure and stable provision of the website as part of GIZ’s public relations work). Data may be processed in the USA; Cloudflare is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (see section 6). Further information: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/

2.4 Cookies and consent management

When you visit our website, small text files, so-called cookies, are stored on your device. Cookies cannot run programs or infect your computer with viruses. The website only uses cookies that are technically necessary without your consent. Web analytics on this website works without cookies (see section 2.5). Cookies of embedded third-party content (YouTube videos) can only be set after you have started a video yourself (see section 2.9).

When you first visit the website, a cookie banner (consent management tool “CookieYes”, operated within the website) is displayed. There you can accept all cookies, reject all non-essential cookies or select individual categories (“Customize”). Your decision is stored in the technically necessary cookie cookieyes-consent (storage period: 1 year) so that the banner is not shown again on every page. To be able to prove consent (Art. 7 (1) GDPR), a record of the decision (anonymous consent ID, date and time, selected categories) is stored.

The following cookies are used:

• cookieyes-consent – stores your cookie preferences; technically necessary; storage period 1 year.
• comment_author_… – stores name, e-mail address and website for further comments; only if you tick the corresponding box in the comment form; storage period approx. 1 year (see section 3.5).
• YSC, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE and other YouTube cookies – can be set by YouTube only after you start an embedded video (see section 2.9).

The legal basis for technically necessary cookies is § 25 (2) no. 2 TDDDG in conjunction with Art. 6 (1) e GDPR. The legal basis for all other cookies is your consent pursuant to § 25 (1) TDDDG and Art. 6 (1) a GDPR.

Changing or withdrawing your consent: You can change or withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future. To do so, click the round button at the bottom left of every page of the website (“Consent Preferences”) and adjust your settings. You can also delete cookies at any time in your browser settings.

2.5 Web analysis with Matomo (user analysis)

To analyze usage data on its website, GIZ uses the open-source web analysis software Matomo. Matomo is operated by GIZ’s technical service provider on the website’s own server; the data is not passed on to Matomo’s developers or any other third party.

Further information on user analysis

Matomo is used on this website without cookies and without storing or reading any information on your device. Every time you visit a page on the website and every time you download a file, data about the activity is processed (e.g. pages viewed, date and time of access, referring page, browser, operating system, device type, screen resolution). Before it is stored, each data set is rendered anonymous by shortening the IP address by two bytes. Data is stored and evaluated completely anonymously; it is not possible to draw conclusions about individual persons. The raw data is deleted after 180 days; only aggregated statistics are kept.

GIZ evaluates usage information for statistical purposes as part of its public relations work and for the needs-based provision of information within the scope of the tasks it performs (legal basis: Art. 6 (1) e GDPR in conjunction with § 3 BDSG).

Information on opting out

If your browser sends a “Do Not Track” signal, your visit is not recorded. You also have the right to object to this processing at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation (Art. 21 GDPR). To do so, please contact GIZ’s data protection officer at [email protected].

2.6 Fonts

The fonts used on the website (Inter, Roboto, Lato, Catamaran) are stored on the website’s own server and loaded from there. No connection to servers of third parties (e.g. Google Fonts) is established for this purpose.

2.7 Spam protection for forms

To protect the forms on the website against misuse by automated programs (spam bots), a spam protection that runs entirely on the website’s own server is used; no external service is involved. When you fill in a form, your browser solves a small computational task in the background, the time between opening and sending the form is checked, and a field that is invisible to people must remain empty. To limit the number of messages sent from one device, a pseudonymised (hashed) value of your IP address is stored for 10 minutes and then deleted automatically. The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) e GDPR (protection of the website against misuse).

2.8 Map on the Contacts page

The Contacts page shows a static map image of our office location. The image was created from OpenStreetMap data and is loaded from the website’s own server; no data is transmitted to a map service when the page is opened. Only if you click “Open in map” are you taken to the website openstreetmap.org of the OpenStreetMap Foundation (St John’s Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WS, United Kingdom), where its privacy policy applies: https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

2.9 YouTube videos

Some pages of the website contain videos from the platform YouTube, operated by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (“Google”). To protect your data, these videos are embedded using a two-click solution: initially only a preview image stored on the website’s own server is shown, and no connection to YouTube is established. Only when you click “Play video” is the video loaded from YouTube in privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com). YouTube then receives your IP address, the information which page you have visited and browser information, and may set cookies (e.g. YSC, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE) and load further Google services. If you are logged in to your YouTube or Google account, YouTube can assign this information to your account. The legal basis is your consent pursuant to Art. 6 (1) a GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, which you give by clicking on the video. Further information: https://policies.google.com/privacy

2.10 Other embedded content

Individual articles contain content embedded from other websites (e.g. interactive maps or articles of partner organisations). Embedded content behaves in the same way as if you had visited the other website directly: when the page is opened, the content is loaded from the servers of the respective provider, which thereby receives your IP address and browser information and may use further services (e.g. map services such as Mapbox). GIZ has no influence on this data processing; the privacy policy of the respective provider applies. The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) e GDPR.

3. Processing of personal data when contacting us

When users contact us, the data provided will be processed in order to be able to respond to the enquiry. All contact details (telephone, e-mail, postal address and contact form) are available on our Contacts page. The following contact options are available (each link leads to the Contacts page):

• Contact form
• E-mail
• Letter
• Telephone

3.1 Contact form

On our website, a form on the Contacts page offers the possibility to contact us electronically. When you use the contact form, we process your name, e-mail address and the message you provide. This data is processed solely for the purpose of handling your enquiry. The data is stored in the website’s database and can only be viewed by authorised staff in the administration area of the website. The form is protected against spam by the spam protection described in section 2.7.

The legal basis for the processing is Art. 6 (1) e GDPR. Filling out the contact form can be cancelled at any time; the data will only be transmitted when the form is submitted. Enquiries submitted via the contact form are deleted from the website database 12 months after receipt, unless statutory retention obligations apply.

The data is transmitted to GIZ via an encrypted connection (TLS/HTTPS).

3.2 Contact by e-mail

Alternatively, it is possible to contact GIZ via the e-mail addresses provided. In this case, at least the email address but also any other personal user data transmitted with the email (e.g. family and given name, address) as well as the information contained in the email are stored solely for the purpose of contacting the user and processing the request.

The legal basis for the processing of data transmitted in the course of sending an e-mail is Art. 6 (1) e GDPR.

3.3 Contact by letter

When contacting us by letter, the personal data transmitted (e.g. surname, first name, address) and the information contained in the letter will be stored for the purpose of contacting you and processing the request.

The legal basis for the processing of data transmitted in the course of sending a letter is Art. 6 (1) e GDPR.

3.4 Contact by telephone

If you contact us by telephone, personal data will be processed to the extent necessary in order to handle your request.

The legal basis for the processing of data transmitted in the course of a telephone call is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. e GDPR.

3.5 Comments on articles

Articles on the website can be commented on. When you write a comment, the following data is processed: name, e-mail address, website (optional) and the content of the comment. In addition, WordPress automatically stores the IP address of your device, the browser information (user agent) and the date and time of the comment. This is done to be able to take action against unlawful content and misuse (e.g. spam, insults). Your name, website and comment will be published together with the article; your e-mail address and IP address will not be published.

If you tick the box “Save my name, email and website in this browser for the next time I comment”, your name, e-mail address and website are stored in cookies (comment_author_…, comment_author_email_…, comment_author_url_…) in your browser for approx. 1 year.

The legal basis is Art. 6 (1) e GDPR; for the comment cookies, your consent pursuant to § 25 (1) TDDDG and Art. 6 (1) a GDPR (ticking the box). Comments and the associated data are stored as long as the article is available or until you request deletion.

4. Processing of personal data in connection with social network use

GIZ maintains a presence for Green Central Asia on the social network Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenCentralAsia/

This online presence is operated in order to interact with the users active on the platform and to provide information about projects and services. If you follow a link to a social network, you leave the GIZ website and are redirected to the GIZ presence on the respective network.

When users visit the platforms, personal data is collected, used and stored by the operators of the respective social network, but not by GIZ. This is also the case even if the users themselves do not have an account with the respective social network.

The individual data processing operations and their scope differ depending on the operator of the respective social network. GIZ has no influence on the collection of data and its further use by the operators of the social networks. We are not fully aware of the extent to which, where and for how long the data is stored; to what extent the networks comply with existing obligations regarding erasure; what analyses are conducted and links established with the data; and to whom the data is disclosed.

When you access a GIZ presence on social media, the terms of use and the data protection declarations of the respective operators apply. The contact addresses of the operators and links to their privacy policies are listed below.

4.1 Social media with GIZ appearances

• The privacy policy for the social network Facebook, which is operated by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland, can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/.

4.2 Note on the “Facebook Fanpage”

When you visit GIZ’s Facebook pages, Facebook collects, among other things, your IP address and other information that is available in the form of cookies. This information is used to provide GIZ, as the operator of the Facebook page, with statistical information about the use of the Facebook page. This statistical data can be accessed by GIZ via the so-called ‘Insights’ of the Facebook page.

These statistics are solely generated and provided by Facebook. As the site’s controller, GIZ has no influence on the generation and presentation of this data. The data is provided automatically and the service cannot be deactivated.

By operating the Facebook page, GIZ offers a modern communication and information option. The processing of personal data in connection with the operation of the Facebook page is based on Article 6 (1) e GDPR.

As the operator of the fan page, GIZ is jointly responsible with Facebook for the processing. However, primary responsibility for processing Insights data lies with Facebook. Facebook therefore fulfils all obligations under the GDPR with regard to the processing of Insights data (including but not limited to Articles 12 and 13 GDPR, Articles 15 to 22 GDPR and Articles 32 to 34 GDPR). The rights of the data subject can be asserted either with GIZ or Facebook. Should you contact GIZ, GIZ is obliged to forward all relevant information to Facebook.

The complete Page Insights Addendum regarding responsibilities and the data processed can be found here https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/page_controller_addendum

5. Disclosure to third parties

GIZ does not pass on personal data to third parties unless it is legally obliged or entitled to do so by law.

GIZ uses carefully selected technical service providers for the hosting, technical maintenance and support of the website as well as the service providers named in section 2. Where these service providers process personal data on behalf of GIZ, they are bound by GIZ’s instructions and contractually obliged to comply with data protection pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.

6. Transfer of data to third countries

Cloudflare, Inc., which is used for content delivery, is based in the USA and may process data there. Google LLC (YouTube) may process data in the USA only if you start an embedded video yourself (see section 2.9). For the USA, the European Commission adopted an adequacy decision on 10 July 2023 (EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework). The providers mentioned are certified under this framework; in addition, EU standard contractual clauses pursuant to Art. 46 (2) c GDPR have been agreed. Web analytics data is processed only on the website’s own server. Beyond this, GIZ does not transfer personal data to third countries. When using social media, the data protection regulations of the respective providers apply.

7. Duration of data retention

User data will not be kept any longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it is processed or as required by law. In particular, the following storage periods apply:

• Server log files: 14 days (see section 2.2).
• Consent cookie: 1 year (see section 2.4).
• Web analytics (Matomo): anonymised raw data 180 days, afterwards only aggregated statistics (see section 2.5).
• Spam protection: pseudonymised value of the IP address 10 minutes (see section 2.7).
• Enquiries via the contact form: 12 months after receipt (see section 3.1).
• Comments: as long as the article is available or until you request deletion (see section 3.5).
• Enquiries via e-mail, letter or telephone: until the enquiry has been fully processed, unless statutory retention obligations apply.

8. IT security of user data

The protection of personal data is an important concern for GIZ. Therefore, technical and organizational security measures ensure that the data is protected against accidental and intentional manipulation, unintended erasure and unauthorized access. All data between your browser and the website is transmitted in encrypted form (TLS/HTTPS). These measures are updated in line with technical developments and are constantly adapted to the risks.

9. Reference to user rights

Visitors to the GIZ website have the right to

• Access to information about your data stored by us (Art. 15 GDPR),
• Rectification of your data stored by us (Art. 16 GDPR),
• Erasure of your data stored by us (Art. 17 GDPR),
• Restriction of the processing of your data stored by us (Art. 18 GDPR),
• Object to the storage of your data, provided that this data is processed based on Art. 6 Para. 1 S. 1 lit. f) and e) GDPR (Art. 21 GDPR),
• receive the data concerning you in a commonly used and machine-readable format from the controller in order to have it transmitted to another controller if necessary (right to data portability, Art. 20 GDPR),
• withdraw your consent, provided that the processing of the data has been carried out on the basis of consent (Art. 6 para. 1 a) GDPR). The lawfulness of the processing based on the consent given remains unaffected until the reception of the withdrawal.
• In accordance with Art. 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authority. The competent authority for GIZ is the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI).

If you have any questions about the processing of your personal data, you can contact GIZ’s data protection officer at [email protected].