Establishment of the Heinz Kühn Foundation by Johannes Rau
Throughout his life, Heinz Kühn was committed to international understanding. Early in his career, he developed an interest in and understanding of the particular challenges facing the countries of the Global South, which he always considered to be a natural part of the whole, One World in which we live.
When Heinz Kühn turned 70 on February 16, 1982, Minister President Johannes Rau took the opportunity to establish a foundation named after his predecessor. The Heinz Kühn Foundation was born – with the aim of promoting young journalists and strengthening international perspectives.
The foundation charter, signed by all members of the state government at the time, states:
“The foundation shall serve to promote young journalists, a task to which the foundation's namesake devoted himself selflessly throughout his professional life and to which he still feels closely connected today in memory of his own career.”
From the outset, the foundation's international orientation was firmly anchored in its statutes:
“The foundation's mission is to support young foreign journalists in North Rhine-Westphalia and young journalists from North Rhine-Westphalia in their training and further education.”
Heinz Kühn himself accompanied the work of the foundation until his death in 1992 as an active member of the board of trustees. Johannes Rau also remained closely associated with the foundation for many years: for 16 years, until his election as Federal President, he was chairman of the board of trustees – a term of office that remains unmatched to this day.
For Johannes Rau, the exchange of young journalists from North Rhine-Westphalia and the Global South was an important contribution to cosmopolitanism and mutual understanding. According to Rau, it is only through knowledge and encounter that we can develop the awareness that we are all part of a shared world.
