Restructuring at the Foreign Office: Humanitarian aid must not be subordinated to German economic and security interests!

Osnabrück/Berlin, December 3, 2025 – The planned restructuring at the Federal Foreign Office aims to subordinate humanitarian aid to German economic and security interests. The dissolution of the Department for Crisis Prevention, Peacebuilding, and Humanitarian Aid within the Foreign Office will result in aid vital to the survival of millions of people being subordinated to a geopolitical "Germany First" logic. 

“For decades, Germany has been a reliable partner committed to humanitarian principles, helping people in dire need worldwide and earning an excellent reputation. However, the recent decisions of the German government are completely misguided,” criticizes Joshua Hofert, spokesperson for the board of the children’s rights organization Terre des Hommes . “In addition to the restructuring, funding for humanitarian aid has been halved in the federal budget. Essential aid for people will be further reduced and thus become less effective. A foreign policy focused solely on economic and security interests stands in stark contrast to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, and impartiality. Those who suffer are people, for example, in Myanmar, where around 20 million people urgently need help, including eight million children. A restructuring with this outcome cannot possibly be considered a success.”

Besides the reduction and loss of significance of humanitarian aid, it is currently unclear how the German government's strategy for humanitarian aid abroad is to be implemented uniformly under the new structure. "Civil society is a crucial pillar of humanitarian aid. Therefore, we would have preferred that the Foreign Office work with us to develop solutions, instead of presenting us with a fait accompli by the reform," said Joshua Hofert.