The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Foreign Office in particular are more affected by the planned cuts than other departments. Further cuts have already been announced for 2025.
Thiemo Fojkar, Chairman of the Board of the Internationaler Bund (IB), considers the extent of the cuts to be incomprehensible: "The government is turning its back on the poorest people - precisely at a time when greater commitment is needed. There are 23 wars and armed conflicts raging around the world, people are starving despite having sufficient food or dying from treatable diseases. The German government has drastically reduced the financial resources for crisis management. The funds earmarked for crisis management in the BMZ budget will be 200 million euros lower this year than in the previous year." According to the resolutions of the adjustment meeting, the funds for humanitarian aid will be cut by almost 20 percent (minus 500 million euros) and the BMZ budget by almost ten percent (minus 940 million euros) compared to 2023. The medium-term financial plan envisages further drastic cuts in the billions from 2025 onwards.
"Compared to 2022, the German government is providing 3.5 billion euros less for sustainable development and humanitarian aid this year. This money is missing for poverty reduction, emergency aid, fighting hunger and climate financing."
