On the occasion of the early Federal Elections in February 2025, the Global Health Hub Germany has analysed the election programmes of the SPD, CDU/CSU, Bündnis 90/DIE GRÜNEN, FDP, AfD, Die LINKE, and BSW, focusing on their visions for the future of global health policy. The analysis includes the election programmes of political parties that, according to current forecasts (as of 29 January 2025), have a realistic chance of surpassing the five per cent threshold and entering the Bundestag. Despite its anti-democratic and anti-constitutional stance, this also includes the AfD's election programme.

The analysis examines the extent to which global health is addressed in the election programmes. Since ‘global health’ is not explicitly mentioned in all manifestos, we also assessed how the programmes approach multilateral cooperation and/or the funding of development cooperation and humanitarian aid programmes. This enables us to draw conclusions about how the political parties perceive Germany’s role in global health. Finally, we explored to what extent the political parties consider health-related cross-cutting issues such as climate change and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). This is crucial, as party positions in these areas could influence Germany’s stance on global health.

Global health is reflected particularly prominently in the election programmes of the SPD and the Greens. The election programmes of the CDU/CSU and FDP do not contain any specific positions on global health, but do advocate a reduction in funding for international development cooperation. They also call for a reorientation of German development cooperation. Die LINKE calls for increased funding for development cooperation but does not make specific demands regarding global health. The BSW and AfD reject the World Health Organization (WHO) and Germany’s involvement in this area for different reasons.

The CDU/CSU election manifesto demands that development policy and humanitarian programmes and strategies must be subordinate to rationalisation approaches and be subject to strict cost-benefit criteria. Global health is not mentioned in the programme.

"Global health" is not mentioned in the CDU/CSU election programme. However, the election programme does refer to the health-related cross-cutting issue of the effects of climate change on health. With regard to climate change, the CDU/CSU wants to "think climate protection holistically" and also promote climate change adaptation in the health sector at the national level. Germany should also re-establish itself as an international health hub and reduce supply bottlenecks in the provision of medicines.

Germany's global health policy could also be influenced by the CDU/CSU's plans to merge the fields of humanitarian aid and development cooperation, which are currently managed separately by the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). This could lead to a closer alignment of health-related development policy with the strategic goals of German foreign policy. Overall, the CDU/CSU aims to make development cooperation more aligned with geostrategic and migration policy considerations. Additionally, the party seeks to place women and girls at the centre of German development cooperation, advocating for their ‘right to self-determination and family planning’, while maintaining the existing legislation on abortions in Germany.

In its election programme, the SPD recognises the importance of a strong global health policy and is clearly committed to multilateralism, specifically to the WHO. However, aside from a ‘feminist’ development policy orientation, the election programme does not specify how Germany's global health policy should be shaped in the future.

In its ‘Government Programme,’ the SPD clearly commits to multilateralism and international cooperation, explicitly naming the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the central UN organisation in the field of global health.

The SPD seeks to retain an independent development ministry and calls for ‘at least 0.7 percent of gross national income (GNI) to be allocated for official development assistance (ODA quota)’—including for Germany's G7 partner countries. In another part of the election programme, the SPD advocates for increased investment by international financial institutions in ‘public goods’ such as health, to promote greater fairness in the international financial architecture. The SPD supports a ‘Feminist Foreign and Development Policy’ and aims to maintain and further develop it. At the national level, the SPD intends to advocate for women's health and reproductive rights, including the decriminalisation of abortion and its inclusion in basic medical care.

The Greens' election programme includes a commitment to global health policy, with a focus on strengthening the WHO and increasing funding for health-related development cooperation. The programme explicitly mentions strengthening health systems in partner countries and promoting the rights of women and marginalised groups.

In their election manifesto, the Greens view global health as a global ‘challenge’ that they aim to address through ‘international partnerships.’ Consequently, the party is committed to strong multilateralism and support for the United Nations. As a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic, they aim to ‘support partner countries in building their health systems, strengthen the World Health Organisation, and promote long-term research and development cooperation.’ The party underscores the importance of the lessons learned from the pandemic.

The Greens are committed to the ODA quota of 0.7 percent of GNI for development cooperation in order to implement and further develop the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They view their approach to development policy as ‘feminist and decolonial.’ In this context, they advocate for a feminist foreign and development policy and the strengthening of the protection and rights of ‘women, girls, and marginalised groups worldwide.’ At the national level, the Greens support a more gender-equitable healthcare system and the decriminalisation of abortion in Germany. Humanitarian aid funding should be more long-term and flexible, with a greater involvement of local organisations.

Regarding health protection, the Greens also support declaring the WHO guidelines on air quality and noise pollution as the ‘legal benchmark’ at both the German and European levels.

Global health policy is not explicitly mentioned in the FDP agenda for the 2025 federal elections. The "debt ceiling" is to be maintained, and public administration downsized. This could limit the financial resources available for global health policy and development cooperation.

The FDP does not explicitly mention ‘global health’ in its election programme and is not making any demands in this area.

Germany's global health policy could be affected by the FDP's plans to merge the BMZ with the Federal Foreign Office. The FDP is also advocating for a general streamlining of the civil service by reducing the number of jobs in federal administration, which could impact Germany's personnel capacities in global health.

According to the FDP, Germany's development policy should be strategically aligned ‘with the economic and security policy interests of Germany and the EU.’ The FDP wants to ensure that women, the LGBTQ+ community, and marginalised groups can continue to be reached even in the face of state repression in partner countries. At the national level, the FDP aims to advocate for improved ‘gender-specific’ healthcare for women and enhance women's reproductive self-determination, for example, by ‘reforming’ abortion legislation.

In its election manifesto, the AfD strongly rejects Germany's current involvement in global health policy. The party questions the scientific integrity of research and epidemiological development and firmly opposes multilateralism and international organisations such as the WHO. The anti-scientific tendencies and the call for the abolition of NGO funding in the event of ideological non-conformity with the AfD would significantly limit the operational capacity of development and humanitarian organisations.

In its election programme, the AfD advocates for a ‘reform’ of the WHO to end its ‘blatant dependence on private donors’ and instead fund the WHO through membership fees from countries. If such reforms cannot be implemented in line with the AfD's views, the party supports Germany’s withdrawal from the organisation. According to the AfD election manifesto, the WHO Pandemic Agreement curtails ‘personal [...] freedom and self-determination’ and ‘encroaches on national sovereignty,’ which is why the party rejects the planned international treaty. More generally, the AfD opposes UN organisations, asserting that they aim to restrict the competencies of nation-states in pursuit of an alleged ‘world government.’

The AfD also criticises the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (StiKo), particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It frames ‘pandemic research’ within the context of an alleged restriction of civil rights and freedoms, which it claims to be driven by ‘states and non-governmental organisations.’

The AfD considers German development policy to have ‘failed’ and wants to link future international cooperation in the field of development to the willingness of recipient countries to accept ‘citizens who are obliged to leave the country.’ With its demand to return funds for development cooperation from European sources to the national level, the party is distancing itself from existing European agreements. The AfD also rejects so-called ‘gender and WOKE ideology-based [...] development projects [...]’. Regarding sexual and reproductive rights, the AfD opposes ‘all efforts to declare abortion a human right’ and supports ‘the right to life of the unborn child.’ Last but not least, the AfD aims to reduce state funding for non-governmental organisations and cut ‘ideology-based expenditure.’

In its election manifesto, Die LINKE views health as a universal human right and aims to increase funding for development cooperation. In its development policy, the party seeks to focus on human rights and the protection of marginalised groups and advocates for increased funding for the humanitarian asylum system.

Die LINKE wants to strengthen the ‘human right to health’ and supports licence-free post-production of medicines and vaccines whose research was co-financed by taxpayers' money.

The party is committed to the existing Supply Chain Act and explicitly supports compliance with health protection in supply chains. Additionally, Die LINKE would like to allocate more funding to international development policy in the future and is committed to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The party aims to raise the ODA quota above 0.7 percent and calls for adherence to ‘human rights, protection of women, girls, and LGBTIQ+, and protection of children and young people’ in German development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Die LINKE also advocates for the decriminalisation of abortion and its inclusion in basic medical care. At the same time, the party rejects the use of development funds for ‘civil-military cooperation’ or measures aimed at limiting refugee reception.

The BSW's election manifesto reveals a fundamental mistrust of international UN organisations, with the WHO explicitly cited as a negative example. The party also questions whether medical and epidemiological research, as well as German health protection, are truly independent. Instead, the BSW seeks to deprioritise Germany's involvement in global health policy. The party envisions development cooperation and Germany's humanitarian engagement as purpose-driven, directly linking these activities to the goal of reducing migration to Germany.

The BSW does not explicitly address global health in its election programme. However, the manifesto includes a rejection of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which, according to the party, would grant the WHO Secretary-General ‘extended [...] powers.’ The BSW also calls for addressing the WHO’s ‘inglorious role’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the party criticises the WHO’s alleged ‘dependence’ on the ‘financial resources of multinational corporations.’

With regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BSW is calling for a parliamentary inquiry in the German Bundestag to investigate the ‘injustice’ caused by vaccination regulations and official restrictions imposed to combat the pandemic. The party advocates for further investigation into ‘vaccine damage’ caused by COVID-19 vaccinations. Additionally, the BSW is calling for a reform of the Robert Koch Institute to protect it from ‘political influence.’

The BSW wants German development cooperation to focus on improving ‘living conditions in the countries of the Global South.’ The goal should be to enhance the ‘quality of life on the ground’ and address the root causes of migration. According to the BSW, humanitarian organisations in crisis regions should receive better financial support to ‘help’ people locally. The election programme makes no reference to reproductive health and rights.

Summary and current status of the election programmes

Position Paper of the Global Health Hub Germany's Steering Committee on the early Federal Elections (December 2024)