Fact check Frequently asked questions addressed to the German Development Ministry (BMZ)

Global problems can only be solved through global cooperation. For instance, climate change can only be halted through joint action worldwide. This is an effort that depends particularly on many of our partner countries. If these countries manage to invest immediately in renewable energy instead of taking a detour via fossil fuels, the entire planet will benefit.

Because it is clear, of course, that it makes no difference whether a tonne of carbon is saved in Peru, India or Germany. Every reduction is equally important for global climate change mitigation, because climate change is global and the damage from climate change can be felt worldwide – in droughts in the Sahel, cyclones in the Ganges Delta and floods in northern Germany.

The same goes for the global fight against violence and armed conflict, providing support for refugees and offering assistance to their host countries and countries of origin, and also for the fight against global pandemics. All of this will only work with more cooperation, not with less.

It is more important than ever for Germany to have allies and trading partners all over the world with whom we work in mutual respect and partnership. Active development policies lay the foundations for this, and they open doors. Germany's prosperity has been built on this openness towards the world. Exports account for one in every two euros made in Germany. If Germany wants to remain a strong exporting nation, if we want to continue selling cars, machinery and medicines to other countries, we cannot afford to retreat into our shell.

No. The BMZ is not providing funding to the Gates Foundation. The BMZ has joined forces with other international donors, which include the Gates Foundation, to jointly fight hunger and prevent diseases and pandemics. By working together with others, Germany is increasing the impact of its activities.

One practical example of such cooperation is Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This is a public-private partnership under which governments, UN agencies, enterprises and foundations contribute to a single fund. Both the BMZ and the Gates Foundation are contributors. The fund finances immunisation campaigns so that people in developing countries are able to protect themselves against preventable diseases. For example, the fund has contributed significantly to the reduction of dangerous diseases such as tetanus and measles.

Another example is projects against hunger based on a mechanism called combined financing. In such instances, BMZ development projects for the poorest are backed up with additional private funding, often from very wealthy individuals. This means that even more people can receive assistance without additional taxpayers' money.

The German government's reply to the parliamentary written question on this subject can be found here (External link) (in German).

According to some online sources, the BMZ is supposedly paying 315 million euros for bicycle paths and buses in Peru. This figure is not correct.

In actual fact, the BMZ is providing a 20-million-euro grant (which was committed in 2020) to support the development of a network of bicycle highways in Lima, which is currently under construction. In 2022, the BMZ committed another 24 million euros for the construction of bicycle paths in Peru. These paths are currently in the planning stage.

For more information (in German) about how a concept for sustainable mobility is being supported in Peru, visit: https://www.bmz.de/de/laender/peru/nachhaltige-mobilitaet-in-lima (External link)

A historic window of opportunity has opened in Syria. The toppling of Assad is a chance for this country that has been marked by years of civil war to achieve peaceful development and for its people to break free from the spiral of violence and poverty. The Development Ministry is supporting this path. However, although the Assad regime has now fallen, the suffering and need of the people in Syria has yet to be assuaged. That is why, at the 9th Syria conference, the Federal Foreign Office and the BMZ gave a pledge under the provisional budget for a commitment of 300 million euros in total for the entire region.

As was the case during the years of the Assad regime, all measures in Syria are being implemented exclusively through UN aid agencies like UNICEF and through non-governmental organisations, without engaging with the Syrian transitional government. This means that no funding has been or will be made available to the Syrian government.

In addition, Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey are also being supported. This is because 4.6 million people have fled to neighbouring regions, where they must rely on outside support to meet their basic daily needs like food and education.

The BMZ funding provides school lessons and psycho-social support for children and young people. Urban districts and villages in Syria that have been cut off from utilities are regaining access to drinking water and electricity supplies, hospitals are being supported, and refugees and internally displaced persons are able to earn an income thanks to employment measures. Furthermore, the BMZ is supporting Syrian civil society in its efforts to uphold the rights of all Syrians and ensure peaceful coexistence.

No. The funds are reaching Syrian refugees, but even so, because the need is so great, in many places not even one in every two Syrian refugee children is able to attend school. Nevertheless, 111,000 Syrian refugee children are attending Lebanese state schools, allowing them to obtain a school leaving certificate in their host country and giving them prospects for the future.

Why is Germany involved? Due to the civil war in Syria, 1.5 million people have fled to neighbouring Lebanon. This is putting huge pressure on the 4.5 million people of Lebanon, many of whom live in comparative poverty. Many displaced families do not want to move further away; they wish to remain in Lebanon, near to their home country, for the time being. In order to do so, however, they need to be able to meet their basic needs and send their children to school. Lebanon cannot and does not wish to tackle the huge challenge of educating these children alone. Together with the EU, France and Switzerland, Germany is therefore financing a UNICEF programme that is enabling both Syrian and particularly poor Lebanese children to attend state schools. The programme is based on the “double-shift school system”: Syrian refugee children generally receive lessons in the afternoon, while Lebanese children attend school in the mornings. UNICEF only covers the cost of the children's schooling if their actual attendance is certified. This is verified by an independent auditor.

No. Unlike the BMZ's cooperation with countries with a lower gross domestic product, support for India is provided mainly (about 90 per cent) in the form of reduced-interest loans. So the bulk of Indo-German cooperation does not require any taxpayers' money. Moreover, India is repaying the money with interest. As a result, Germany's development bank, KfW, actually generates a surplus on some of the financing it provides. And the programmes also benefit Germany's private sector, as German companies win some of the bids.

The Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro line, too, has been financed through a loan: a so-called reduced-interest loan, for which KfW uses capital market funding.

The point is that, if these investments result in the world's most populous country moving towards climate neutrality, all people worldwide will benefit in the end, no matter where they live, whether it's India or Germany. The purpose of Germany's development cooperation with India is to jointly tackle global challenges such as climate change. Here, cooperation with large and emerging economies like India is absolutely vital. India, the world's largest democracy, is also an important partner for the German government in geopolitical terms.

Germany is not giving any development funding to China. China has vast economic and technological resources. It is providing loans to other countries itself, and is investing in infrastructure projects, for instance in Africa. So, since 2010, there has been no more bilateral development cooperation between Germany and China. The remaining cooperation between the BMZ and China focuses on the two countries' efforts to jointly achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda and provide and protect global public goods in areas such as climate action and health. These efforts include, for example, a legal cooperation programme and, in some instances, cooperation for the benefit of third countries.

So why does China still appear in official development assistance (ODA) statistics? This is mainly due to the fact that these statistics include the costs reported by Germany's federal states for the enrolment of Chinese students in German higher education institutions. These costs account for nearly three quarters of all German ODA to China on record. This exchange is in Germany's interest, as many of these Chinese students later contribute to close economic relations, for instance by working for German companies that cooperate closely with China. The share of BMZ budget funding in the total ODA amount, by contrast, was less than 7 million euros in 2023.

The development agencies of Germany's two large churches (Brot für die Welt [Bread for the World] on the Protestant side and Misereor on the Catholic side) also have projects they are running in China. These projects belong to the part of German development cooperation that is initiated and implemented by non-governmental entities on their own – by the churches, political foundations and numerous non-governmental organisations (NGOs), for instance. Non-governmental organisations receive government grants for this type of work, but when it comes to choosing partners, topics and projects, they decide for themselves how they will use the BMZ funding. In line with our democratic constitution, they make a commitment not to engage in any missionary activity or exert any political influence.

Yes. However, these two projects are not BMZ projects. They are run by the churches (in China by the German Catholic Central Agency for Development Aid, and in Rwanda by the German Protestant Association for Cooperation in Development). When it comes to choosing partners, topics and projects, the churches themselves decide how they will use the BMZ funding.

The BMZ also supports many projects of its own that are geared to gender equality, because societies that respect and support the equality of men and women are more stable and resilient. One focus of Germany’s development cooperation is feminist development policy. As part of that focus, support is provided, for instance, to projects to stop violence against women. In order to achieve lasting success on this front, changes in the way that men view their own role are very important. And that is precisely what is meant by “positive masculinity”. Only if men’s attitudes towards women change will it be possible to continuously reduce violence against women.

No German government funding is going to terrorist organisations like Hamas. Nor is the German government providing any unearmarked funding to the Palestinian Authority. German government funding in the Palestinian territories is earmarked for specific projects, and its use is subject to strict criteria.

The strict BMZ safeguards that apply to all projects in the Palestinian territories include close scrutiny – based on a method consisting of several stages – of local partners and their staff, of materials shipped to the Gaza Strip, and of financial flows.

In the current difficult situation, there can be no doubt that Germany must work to ease the suffering of the Palestinians. In the long term, Israelis and Palestinians will only be able to live in peace and security if the other side is able to live in peace and security, too.

Further information about the safeguards applied to development projects in the Palestinian territories can be found in this press release.

There are lots of different figures on the internet.

What is correct is that the (tax-funded) budget of the BMZ, the ministry responsible for Germany's development cooperation, was about 11.22 billion euros in 2024. That amounts to 2.35 per cent of the total national budget. In 2023, the BMZ had 12.16 billion euros at its disposal; that was about 2.5 per cent of the national budget.

International statistics for ODA (official development assistance) include a broad range of budget expenditure beyond the Development Ministry's budget. In 2024, the BMZ's share in total German ODA was 36 per cent. The second-largest share was humanitarian assistance, which is provided by the Federal Foreign Office.

Another significant item included in ODA statistics is the costs incurred by the federal government, federal states and local authorities in Germany for hosting and supporting refugees from developing countries (5.8 billion euros in 2024). Such costs only count as ODA during the first year of a refugee's stay. ODA statistics also include the costs to the federal states arising from the provision of higher education places for students from developing countries (1.8 billion euros in 2024).

The rules governing which costs are included in the statistics – and which are not – are based on international agreement reached within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). According to OECD statistics, Germany's ODA was around 30 billion euros in 2024.

In terms of development funding as a proportion of gross national income, Germany ranks fifth behind Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark. Germany's relatively big development programme is in its own interest. That is also why it has a long tradition, across different coalition governments. As an economy with close international ties worldwide, Germany depends even more than others on fostering sound relations and close partnerships, and resolving global crises peacefully, through cooperation.

Global problems can only be solved through global cooperation. For instance, climate change can only be halted through joint action worldwide. This is an effort that depends particularly on many of our partner countries. If these countries manage to invest immediately in renewable energy instead of taking a detour via fossil fuels, the entire planet will benefit.

The same goes for the global fight against violence and armed conflict, providing support for refugees and offering assistance to their host countries and countries of origin, and also for the fight against global pandemics. All of this will only work with more cooperation, not with less.

Moreover, it is more important than ever for Germany to have allies and trading partners all over the world with whom we work in mutual respect and partnership. Active development policies lay the foundations for this, and they open doors. Germany's prosperity has been built on this openness towards the world. Exports account for one in every two euros made in Germany. If Germany wants to remain a strong exporting nation, if we want to continue selling cars, machinery and medicines to other countries, we cannot afford to retreat into our shell.

No. No money from the BMZ budget is going to BioNTech. The BMZ is not supporting the BioNTech factory. It is assisting the Government of Rwanda in creating a conducive regulatory and economic environment for successful production in Rwanda, both with a view to enabling the new facility to operate well and with a view to being an attractive site for the pharmaceutical industry in Africa overall.

This includes training for pharma industry specialists and capacity building efforts at the national regulatory authority. This effort involves cooperation with Germany's Paul Ehrlich Institute and is geared towards enabling the authority to meet the necessary standards of the World Health Organization for the regulatory surveillance of the BioNTech factory and the vaccines produced there. The development of African vaccine production sites is important in order to make sure that the next global health crisis can be addressed better and more equitably. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of international cooperation to prevent and deal with global health crises.

At BioNTech's vaccine factory, it will be possible to produce a variety of vaccines based on modern mRNA technology, possibly including a malaria vaccine that is still undergoing clinical trials, or maybe, in the longer term, other vaccines that are in particular demand in Africa. The African Union has adopted the target of 60 per cent of all vaccines used in Africa being produced within Africa by 2040. The present figure is only one per cent.

Germany is supporting the establishment of regional vaccine production in Africa. It is not only working together with Rwanda on this, but also with the African Union (AU), Ghana, Senegal and South Africa. Germany's related activities are closely integrated into European initiatives in this field. The support from the BMZ for the creation of a conducive environment for vaccine production in Rwanda currently totals 53.75 million euros. The BioNTech factory is fully funded by BioNTech itself. The company has stated that it has so far invested about 150 million US dollars in the factory.

No. There is no direct development cooperation with Afghanistan, and no money is going to the Taliban. They do not represent a legitimate government in Afghanistan. After the Taliban seized power on 15 August 2021, Germany stopped its bilateral official development cooperation. However, it is still providing assistance to the people of Afghanistan through multilateral organisations such as the UN and the World Bank, and together with non-governmental organisations. There is no cooperation with the Taliban. No money is channelled through Taliban ministries or authorities.