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Berlin Welthungerhilfe has warned the German government against cutting funding for survival aid in humanitarian emergencies and for the long-term fight against hunger and poverty.

The federal government’s current draft budget sends the wrong signal to people who, despite all adversities, do not give up and want to make a difference for their families and communities, said the organization’s president, Marlehn Thieme, today at the presentation of the 2023 annual report.

Training programs for young people, for example, offer prospects for earning their own income, and girls and women in particular benefit from new opportunities. The planned cuts endanger successful programs to combat hunger that the federal government has supported to date, which is expressly recognized.

According to its own information, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has around 11.22 billion euros at its disposal for the 2024 fiscal year. The draft budget for next year provides around one billion less for the ministry.

Welthungerhilfe also drew attention to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Sudan. After 15 months of war between the army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, the world’s largest hunger crisis is raging there. In view of the many emergencies in the world, the fate of the people there is in danger of being forgotten.

According to its own information, Welthungerhilfe had 323.2 million euros available last year for project work to overcome hunger and poverty. Donations totaled 87.7 million euros. Public donors provided 266.5 million euros for the programs.

The share of German federal funds amounted to a good 50 percent. The largest single donor was the Federal Foreign Office with 59.2 million euros, followed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with 58.8 million euros and the World Food Programme (WFP) with 55.7 million euros. © dpa/aerzteblatt.de