The German government plans to cut humanitarian aid by 1.2 billion euros and development cooperation by 941 million euros.
The German Federal Cabinet has approved the second draft of the 2025 federal budget. The planned cuts will particularly affect development cooperation and humanitarian aid – thereby jeopardizing the protection and future prospects of children and young people worldwide. We strongly protest against these austerity policies and are committed to upholding children's rights.
- Together with VENRO (Association for Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid), we support an appeal which you can sign here .
- Terre des Hommes , along with other organizations, has signed an open letter to Friedrich Merz and Lars Klingbeil. Read the open letter.
What does the draft budget propose?
- Funding for humanitarian aid at the Foreign Office is to be cut by 53 percent to just one billion euros.
- The budget of the Development Ministry is set to decrease by 8 percent to 10.28 billion euros – the third year in a row with a decline of around one billion euros.
- Funding for international climate and environmental protection is also to be reduced by approximately 100 million euros, or about 12 percent.
The cuts not only jeopardize ongoing projects but also Germany's ability to respond to global crises. This budget clearly falls short of the international commitment to allocate at least 0.7 percent of GDP to development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Furthermore, the German government would be breaking its promise to provide €6 billion annually for international climate finance. You can find the full VENRO statement with all the details and demands here.
Why is this so dangerous?
Worldwide, 566 million children live in poverty, almost 500 million live in conflict and war zones, and over 48 million are refugees. Now more than ever, children and young people who are most affected by poverty, crises, and conflicts need more, not less, support.
There is still time
The German Bundestag will continue to debate the draft budget until the end of September. This means we can still make a difference together! Terre des Hommes together with VENRO and other organizations, will advocate for strong development cooperation and humanitarian aid – for the protection, education, and future prospects of children and young people worldwide.
Take action now:
Sign the appeal from VENRO and ONE against the austerity plans and make a stand for global justice!
