Shaping Germany’s Aid

Date:	13.03.2025
Time:	18:00 - 21:00
Location:	Berlin Mitte

Role, Priorities and Institutional Set-Up of Humanitarian Aid and Development Assistance in Light of Global Developments

After the federal elections, Germany may be facing a redefinition of its role and priorities in development cooperation and humanitarian aid. This German debate takes place within the context of unprecedented global developments, particularly President Trump’s Stop Work Order of USAID and its institutional future, which will lead to fundamental shifts in the future humanitarian system. This raises major questions regarding the future funding basis of international aid but also its institutional set up. One key issue at stake in Germany is the institutional structure: in its election program, the CDU/CSU has proposed integrating development cooperation and humanitarian aid into one ministry.

The Global Public Policy Institute,  the Robert Bosch Academy and the Centre for Humanitarian Action invite to a confidential discussion under the Chatham House Rule. Together with select guests representing German politics, humanitarian aid and development cooperation, we will explore Germany’s role and priorities in light of a new federal government. We will also discuss proposals for institutional structures, drawing on the experiences of other countries. The United Kingdom has undergone similar institutional changes, and we aim to identify lessons that can inform the German debate.

We will discuss this with:

• Sir Mark Lowcock, former UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and former Permanent Secretary at the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Bosch Academy Fellow
• Luise Amtsberg, Member of the German Bundestag and Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Assistance at the German Federal Foreign Office

Moderation: Julia Steets (Global Public Policy Institute) and Sonja Hövelmann (Centre for Humanitarian Action)

Participation is by personal invitation only.