Policy Updates

On July 21, 2026, German State Secretary Niels Annen launched the "Berlin Process for Food Security in the Sahel," including EUR130 million (US$148 million) for the Sahel Resilience Partnership in 2026, of which EUR120 million (US$137 million) will go to WFP and UNICEF.

The Berlin Process for Food Security in the Sahel is a framework involving regional partners and international organizations, including WFP, FAO, IFAD, and UNICEF. The initiative strengthens coordination and effectiveness of food security measures in Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad, in line with ongoing UN reforms toward more integrated and results-oriented working methods.

Secretary Annen announced EUR130 million (US$148 million) has been earmarked for the Sahel Resilience Partnership in 2026, of which EUR120 million (US$137 million) will go to the WFP and UNICEF. The funds support integrated approaches to strengthening resilience, transforming agriculture, and creating economic and social opportunities for young people across the five Sahel countries. The Sahel Resilience Partnership brings together the WFP, UNICEF, and GIZ to support vulnerable communities, complementing Germany's bilateral contributions in the region for agriculture, food security, and drinking water.

Six UN organizations in Germany have called on members of the German Bundestag to revise the 2027 federal budget draft, warning that EUR1.05 billion (US$1.2 billion) earmarked for humanitarian assistance, equivalent to 0.19% of the total budget, falls far short of what global crises demand.

Following the Cabinet's adoption of the 2027 federal budget draft, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, IOM, and WFP issued a joint statement urging the Bundestag to revise the draft during the parliamentary process. The organizations argued that the draft budget did not reflect the current global situation or Germany's international responsibilities.

The draft budget proposed further cuts to development cooperation, particularly in areas that BMZ prioritized in its new strategy. The budget line for crisis management, reconstruction, and infrastructure faced a reduction of nearly 39% compared to the previous year, which the organizations warned would significantly weaken basic services, including education, nutrition, and the reconstruction of health and water supplies.

The EUR1.05 billion (US$1.2 billion) allocated for humanitarian assistance in 2027 followed a halving of funding in the 2026 fiscal year, leaving humanitarian funding at a sustained low. The organizations noted that the consequences of cuts by Germany and other donor countries were already visible: withdrawal from crisis regions weakened structures and programs that alleviated acute suffering, contained crises, reduced the root causes of displacement and forced migration, and promoted long-term stability. Despite reform efforts to improve efficiency and coordination, UN organizations stated they would reach fewer people with reduced funding.

The organizations also cited the escalating conflict in the Middle East as compounding the impact of cuts, noting that it drove up the costs of assistance and food production through rising energy prices and restricted supply chains. They argued that, given Germany's economic strength and commitment to multilateralism and human rights, Germany should continue to play a central role in preventing and managing global crises, and that sustained and strong contributions to humanitarian assistance and development cooperation were essential, including in Germany's own interest in a more stable and secure future.

On June 30, 2026, Germany launched a South‑North Commission on Development during the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, co‑chaired by former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and former Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, to convene about twenty high‑level members and inform international reforms, with first interim outcomes in 2027 and a final report in 2028.

Co‑Chairs Olaf Scholz and Laura Chinchilla will convene a balanced group of around twenty representatives from politics, the private sector, academia, international organizations, and civil society to co‑develop solutions and reduce polarization, with agenda‑setting and decisions shared equally between South and North.

The mandate emphasizes strengthening multilateralism and new partnerships, contributing to a post‑2030 development agenda aligned to the UN 2030 Agenda, and informing future directions for Germany’s development policy. Regular meetings will be complemented by regional consultations in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

The Commission will start work in mid‑2026, participate in major events including the Hamburg Sustainability Conference and the UN SDG Summit, present interim outcomes in 2027 in the context of the SDG Summit and the 50th anniversary of the first North‑South Commission, and deliver a detailed final report by end‑2028.

On June 16, 2026, Germany announced an additional €13 million (US$14.8 million) to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, including €9 million (US$10.3 million) for regional and country partners and €4 million (US$4.6 million) for the World Health Organization.

At a high-level virtual meeting convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan said Germany had mobilized further emergency measures to stabilize the situation and would continue working with partners to contain the current outbreak and future health crises.

Of the €13 million (US$14.8 million), €9 million (US$10.3 million) is earmarked to support the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Africa CDC, the East African Community, local UN programs, and non-governmental organizations. An additional €4 million (US$4.6 million) will increase Germany’s contribution to the WHO for emergency measures.

Alabali-Radovan also noted continued German support for multilateral health actors, including the Pandemic Fund, Gavi, CEPI, and CERF.

On May 14, 2026, German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan announced Germany’s EUR100 million (US$115 million) pledge to Education Cannot Wait to support education programs for children and young people affected by war, displacement, and disasters.

Alabali Radovan announced the pledge via video message at the Global Citizen Festival in New York. Alabali Radovan said the right to education applied in times of crisis and war and said education helped protect children and young people from exploitation and violence and supported peace and sustainable development.

On April 16, 2026, the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents announced new funding commitments totaling US$806 million from governments and philanthropic partners to support its TRANSFORM 2030 strategy, a five-year plan to accelerate reductions in preventable maternal and child deaths.

The announcements were made on the sidelines of the World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, DC. The commitments represent more than 80% of the GFF's fundraising goal of US$1 billion by the end of 2026, with additional pledges expected in the coming months.

Commitments announced included:

• CAD190 million (US$139 million) from the Government of Canada;
• EUR45 million (US$53 million) from the Government of Germany;
• US$186 million from the Government of the Netherlands;
• NOK600 million (US$66 million) from the Government of Norway;
• US$150 million from the Children's Investment Fund Foundation;
• US$200 million from the Gates Foundation; and
• US$15 million from the Laerdal Scale Up Fund.

Philanthropic and private sector commitments included US$250 million for the newly launched Sustainable Commodities Access Program, designed to incentivize countries to expand access to high-quality commodities and address supply chain bottlenecks, and US$15 million for a new innovations challenge program to scale up the Safer Births Bundle of Care in 10 countries.

On March 31, 2026, German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan announced a EUR177 million (US$204 million) support package for Jordan, Lebanon, and the Palestinian Territories.

Alabali Radovan announced the package during a visit to Jordan, citing the impact of the war with Iran on the region, including direct attacks, displacement, rising prices, and closed border crossings. Part of the funding was already earmarked for the region, with the remainder drawn from reallocations within the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development's budget. The package is allocated as follows:

• Jordan (EUR50 million/US$58 million): support for Syrian refugees, including teachers' salaries to enable Syrian children to attend school, employment projects in waste and recycling management, and vocational training to support return to Syria and reconstruction;
• Palestinian Territories (EUR30 million/US$35 million): EUR10 million (US$11.5 million) will be used for additional housing beyond the 1,500 temporary dwellings already financed in Gaza, another EUR10 million (US$11.5 million) will be used to to promote employment in the West Bank, and additional funds for vocational training for young people and local food production; and
• Lebanon (EUR75 million/US$86 million): support for approximately one million internally displaced persons, including cash-for-work programs and learning materials for children to participate in distance learning.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development also committed EUR22 million (US$25 million) in additional support for a planned seawater desalination plant on the Red Sea.

German State Secretary for Development Niels Annen announced on February 24, 2026, that Germany has joined the GNAFC to better prevent, prepare for, and respond to food crises worldwide in collaboration with UN organizations and international partners.

Annen made the announcement during the annual meeting of the WFP in Rome. The State Secretary emphasized that during times of increasing fragmentation and declining financial resources, well-coordinated action by numerous partners remained crucial to avoid new crises and costly countermeasures.

The GNAFC aims to prevent, prepare for, and manage food crises as effectively as possible by using resources efficiently to provide aid where need was greatest. The network contributes to better understanding of food crises through publications such as the annual Global Report on Food Crises, which inform high-level discussions and decision-making bodies including the UN Security Council.

The network also manages National Preparedness Plans developed under the Global Alliance for Food Security and the leadership of the BMZ. The plans identified and communicated impending food crises at early stages to prevent or mitigate crises.

GNAFC members included leading UN organizations such as the FAO, WFP, IFAD, UNICEF, and UNHCR, international financial institutions such as the World Bank, and other partners including the European Commission.

On January 16, 2026, German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan launched the School Meals Accelerator alongside WFP, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The partnership aims to provide 100 million children worldwide with access to healthy school meals and education by 2030.

The partnership will support school meal programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Moreover, it will provide national governments with knowledge, advice, and support to independently develop and finance school nutrition programs. The initiative will prioritize home-grown school meal programs, where schools source food directly from local producers to create jobs and income in local communities.

The partnership is embedded in a global support network of more than 100 countries and 150 partner organizations. The launch formed part of Germany's development policy commitment to global food security through the overarching BMZ initiative "Secure Nutrition – Strong for Life," which focuses on children's nutrition.

On January 12, 2026, German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan presented the government's development coorperation reform plans under the title "Shaping a Global Future Together" aiming to make German development cooperation more strategic, focused, and partnership-oriented

Within the strategy, development is framed as a pillar of Germany's security architecture, aligning it more closely with economic and security interests as well as geopolitical positioning vis-à-vis Russia and China. Hunger, poverty, and inequality remain key priorities and multilateral cooperation is strengthened within health, education and climate. Germany designated Africa as a focus continent, with regional priorities including stability and security in the Sahel and Horn of Africa; security, economic cooperation, energy, water, and reconstruction in MENA ; stability, reconstruction, and EU approximation in Eastern EU states; and climate, environment, water, economic cooperation, and democracy in Latin America and Asia. Financial support to LDCs. will continue through grants, while support to emerging economies will center more on loans, intended to increase accountability and ownership.

Moreover, Germany has announced to continue feminist development policy and adocate for reforms of the UN, OECD, and MDBs. To strengthen voices of LDCs, the establishment of a North-South Commission is planned, with further details yet to be defined.

Four overarching objectives form the strategic framework of the reforms: overcoming poverty, hunger, and inequalities while protecting rule of law and civil society; peace and stability through the promotion of sustainable security; enablement of economic cooperation for sustainable and equitable growth; and strengthening strategic alliances for global solutions and the multilateral system.

Implementation of these reforms will be accompanied by an adjustment to the organizational structure of BMZ. The reform concept will be reflected in the 2027 budget and the full reform process will be implemented by summer 2027.