Welthungerhilfe warns of growing hardship due to development budget cuts

Key areas of hunger relief are particularly affected. According to the report, crisis response, reconstruction and infrastructure, as well as the transformation of agricultural and food systems are to be cut disproportionately — by between 30 and 40 percent — in the budget of the Development Ministry. "Im aktuellen Regierungsentwurf zum Bundeshaushalt 2027 wird die Halbierung der humanitären Hilfe fortgeschrieben", the organization warned. Yet combating hunger and poverty are defined as priorities in the ministry's strategy.

Mogge made clear that these cuts have immediate consequences for millions of people. "Dies bedrohe erreichte Erfolge in der Hungerbekämpfung, sagte Mogge", the aid organization stated in its declaration. Deutsche Welthungerhilfe warns against further cuts to development cooperation and calls on the federal government to reconsider its course.

Crisis hotspots Sudan and the Gaza Strip

The organization's president, Marlehn Thieme, pointed to the dramatic effects that wars, the climate crisis, and economic uncertainties have on food security. "Während Kriege, die Klimakrise und wirtschaftliche Unsicherheiten mehr Hunger verursachten, gingen die Mittel für humanitäre Hilfe weltweit zurück, erklärte die Organisation anlässlich der Vorstellung ihres Jahresberichts 2025 am Donnerstag", it said. At the same time, the number of those affected is high: Thieme pointed out that, according to available figures, 673 million people worldwide suffer from hunger.

According to Welthungerhilfe, the largest humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Sudan. Living conditions in the Gaza Strip are also unbearable. The past year was overall marked by crises and conflicts in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, and Sudan, the organization explained. A focus of its work lies in Africa, where hunger remains particularly widespread.

Reach of the aid organization

At the same time, Thieme emphasized the value of international cooperation. "Internationale Zusammenarbeit sei eine Investition in Frieden, Stabilität und gemeinsame Sicherheit", she said. Investments in overcoming hunger and poverty are also a prevention against future crises: "Wer heute in die Überwindung von Hunger und Armut investiert, verhindert die Krisen von morgen", said Thieme.

Appeal to the federal government

Despite the difficult framework conditions, Welthungerhilfe states that it was able to reach 19 million people in 37 countries over the past year. The organization is primarily financed through donations and is politically and confessionally independent. It was founded in 1962 and is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany.

Welthungerhilfe's criticism comes at a time when international efforts to combat hunger are under growing pressure. Climate change is causing severe droughts and increasingly frequent flooding, further aggravating the situation in many regions. The aid organization therefore sees the planned funding cuts as a danger to the progress achieved so far and to stability in the affected regions.