A few days before the budget committee of the German Bundestag meets to discuss the budget, the two church development organisations Bread for the World and Misereor point out the need for a strong development policy. The organisations sharply criticise the plans for major cuts in the areas of development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

Through its development policy, Germany has supported the fight against hunger and poverty in recent years and contributed to reducing global inequality. However, cutting funding for development cooperation and humanitarian aid in 2024 by almost 1.5 billion euros compared to the previous year would hit the most vulnerable the hardest. "Global challenges, increasing conflicts and the consequences of climate change require more international cooperation, not less. The biggest cut to the development budget in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany is therefore a devastating signal," explain Dagmar Pruin, President of Bread for the World and Pirmin Spiegel, Chief Executive of Misereor.

Dagmar Pruin: "Although the number of hungry people continues to rise, the government is planning to cut contributions to the fight against hunger and extreme poverty. This is politically short-sighted. It damages Germany's credibility in the Global South. We call on the members of parliament to prevent these fatal cuts."

Pirmin Spiegel: "Effective and financially strong development cooperation is an important building block for international cooperation. It helps to defuse conflicts and prevent crises. The social and economic cost of unresolved problems in the world will be significantly higher than the funds that are to be cut in the upcoming budget."