17th Reality of Aid report

Welthungerhilfe and terre des hommes demand secure funding for climate change protection measures in the South

The animals are the first to die in times of
drought. © Ho New/Reuters(05.11.2009) The two NGOs, Welthungerhilfe and terre des hommes, are demanding a clear and binding commitment from Germany's new federal government to guarantee funding for climate change measures, and to embed this as a task in its own right within development politics. "The federal government's medium-term financial planning up to 2013 must set aside one percent of Gross National Product (GNP) for development aid, so that the challenges of climate protection can also be met. The coalition agreement does not contain any binding statements on deadlines. The government would therefore be sending a strong signal if it committed itself to them even before the climate change conference in Copenhagen" said Danuta Sacher, Executive Director of terre des hommes.  

Dr. Wolfgang Jamann, Danuta
Sacher. The two NGOs are critical of the fact that the very people who will be worst affected by climate change are those who did not cause it and who are least able to protect themselves from its consequences.  "90% of the human victims of climate change are in the poor countries, which will have to bear 90% of the resultant economic costs as well.  These are small-scale farmers in rural areas who are having to pay for our enormous climate debts", warns Dr. Wolfgang Jamann, Welthungerhilfe's Secretary General.

The funding of climate protection programmes is a question of priorities. About 100 billion dollars per year are needed to fund climate protection measures and adaptation  programmes in the South. In 2008 the western industrial nations spent 265 billion dollars on agricultural subsidies alone. Globally, about 300 billion dollars goes towards subsidising fossil fuels.

Welthungerhilfe and terre des hommes are also demanding that the growing complexity of the international climate fund be ended and that a central decision-making body should be appointed in order to reduce duplication of effort and the need for coordination measures.

The report "The Reality of Development Aid " is designed as a shadow report on the official figures from the Development Assistance Committee/DAC of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It investigates the quantity and quality of German and international development aid.