German NGOs demand urgent reform in shrinking development aid budget

Mathias Mogge and Joshua Hofert, Secretaries General of Welthungerhilfe and Terre des Hommes, presented their annual assessment of German development policy on Wednesday. They warned of growing challenges due to intensifying crises, war, and climate change impacts. The organisations highlighted urgent needs in humanitarian aid. Mogge stressed that funding should prioritise prevention, not just crisis response. He also called for reforms to focus on aid quality over quantity and to reduce bureaucracy for better local engagement.

Hofert argued that the reform of development cooperation must not be led solely by Berlin. He urged early and binding involvement of partner countries, local civil society, and young people. The NGOs welcomed the policy realignment but criticised the lack of a coherent strategy and insufficient civil society input.

Since 2022, the federal government has cut the development cooperation budget by a third. Further reductions are planned for 2027. The organisations called for humanitarian aid funding to rise to €2.8 billion in next year’s budget, up from €1 billion currently.

The report also warned that growing politicisation of aid is undermining its core principles. It must remain needs-based, neutral, and independent, they stated. The NGOs added that economic cooperation can only succeed if aligned with local stakeholders and that tensions exist between German interests and those of partner countries. The assessment underlines the need for strategic reform and increased funding. It also stresses the importance of involving local actors to ensure effective and principled aid. Without these changes, development policy risks losing its impact and credibility.