Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is set to see its budget shrink for the fifth consecutive year. From nearly €14 billion in 2022, it will fall to just under €9.5 billion by 2027. Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan announced the cuts during a speech in the Bundestag.
Radovan opened her address with a litany of global catastrophes: floods in Nepal, heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and crop failures. "Millions of people are facing hunger," she said. "The climate crisis is threatening the entire world. No country can tackle it alone."
The belt-tightening across nearly all ministries is a consequence of the Zeitenwende announced in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Germany has embarked on a major military buildup, increasing its defense budget year after year, while other ministries face significant funding cuts.
Aid organizations are sharply critical. Michael Herbst of VENRO, an umbrella group of around 150 NGOs, said: "The renewed reductions in funding for international cooperation are further exacerbating an already critical situation." A survey of 34 member organizations revealed that more than 10 million fewer people are being reached with assistance.
Jan Sebastian Friedrich-Rust, head of Action Against Hunger, warned that the planned 2027 cuts are "short-sighted and dangerous" and could lead to the deaths of up to 22.6 million people worldwide by 2030. "Hunger, crises and instability generate long-term costs that far exceed the cost of prevention," he said.
During the Bundestag debate, Green Party lawmaker Jamila Schäfer argued that climate action and development cooperation are not charity but in Germany's own interest. Nicolas Zippelius of the governing CDU/CSU countered that every ministry must contribute to budget consolidation, and that impact matters more than the size of the budget.
On the eve of the budget debate, Action Against Hunger delivered a petition with around 100,000 signatures to leaders of the governing coalition, urging them not to balance the budget at the expense of solidarity with the world's poorest.
Source: www.dw.com