For the 31st time, Welthungerhilfe and terre des hommes Germany have published a report "On the reality of German development policy". The full "Kompass 2024" report is only available in German.
Kompass 2024: Development Policy Recommendations For The Federal Government
Welthungerhilfe and terre des hommes Germany draw up development policy recommendations for the German government. This year’s focus: Germany’s policy guidelines for Africa, the fragile situation in the Sahel, and human rights approaches.
1. Development financing: ensuring continuity and reliable cooperation
- As the world's third-largest economy, Germany must continue to play an important role in achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), even in a difficult budgetary situation.
- In light of increasing hunger, the rising number of violent conflicts and the worsening climate crisis, the German government must not reduce its contribution to Official Development Assistance (ODA). It must stick to its goal of providing at least 0.7 percent of its gross national income (GNI) for ODA.
- Development cooperation again must contribute to reducing hunger in the world. The current massive cuts in food security funding must be reversed.
- The poorest countries and fragile contexts must not be neglected. The commitment to allocate 0.2 percent of GNI to the so-called least developed countries (LDCs) must be upheld.
- Humanitarian commitment must not be reduced under any circumstances; there should be an increased focus on Anticipatory Humanitarian Action.
- Vulnerable groups are especially impacted by the effects of violent conflicts. In fragile contexts, it is crucial to allocate adequate resources to these groups to strengthen their resilience against multiple crises and secure their future.
2. Africa policy: ensuring clear objectives and alignment
- The German government should clearly define which objectives it wants to pursue together with Africa and which offers it can make in this regard.
- Pertinent ministries should develop specific country strategies in close coordination with African partners. Priorities must be defined and consistently pursued. Top-down approaches should be avoided.
- New strategies for cooperation with the continent must be designed to be sustainable in times of crisis, considering the increasing fragility of countries. Realistic objectives must be set and sustainable ways of supporting the population must be found.
- Cross-departmental alignment must be ensured in the implementation of concepts and strategies.
- The existing guidelines on civil conflict prevention must be applied consistently.
- The right to food and rural development must be more deeply embedded in the Africa policy guidelines, with their implementation assured.
3. Fragile contexts: maintaining engagement and strengthening cooperation with civil society
- In regions shaken by crises, development cooperation helps to ensure a minimum level of continuity and stability. Withdrawing its commitment would mean that Germany is shirking its responsibility for implementing the 2030 Agenda and its principle of "leaving no one behind".
- To respond quickly and effectively to changing situations and needs, progress in making funding measures and financing more flexible should be consolidated and expanded in the so-called humanitarian-development-peace nexus - the interlinking of humanitarian aid, development cooperation and peacebuilding.
- Especially in fragile contexts and where it is necessary to act independently of state structures, localities play a central role in sustainable development measures. This should be recognized and promoted.
- In these contexts, cooperation with civil society actors must be intensified. To this end, it is necessary to adjust funding conditions (e.g. in grant law and risk liability).
- Even in fragile contexts, Germany must not neglect its responsibility for development cooperation and humanitarian aid to civil society actors but must actively and directly assume responsibility.
4. Sahel: Focusing on food security and the resilience of food systems
- To eliminate hunger and malnutrition, the food systems in the Sahel region urgently need support. Priority should be given to strengthening sustainable and resilient agriculture, with a focus on improving the production conditions of smallholder farms and creating income opportunities, particularly in rural areas.
- All strategies must consider how young the majority of the population in the region is. This requires the protection of children and young people from armed conflict, but also education and employment measures specifically for the younger generation.
- To ensure the sustainability of development cooperation measures, the youth generation should be specifically involved and supported.
5. Human rights: the common thread running through all development cooperation strategies
- Systematic analyses of the human rights situation and the perspectives of the affected population must be firmly anchored in all relevant German development cooperation strategies.
- The principle of conditionality should not lead to immediate cuts in development funds in the event of poor governance or human rights violations in partner countries. Instead, strategies and programs should be adapted, for example through increased support for human rights actors in civil society.
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