In a recent broadcast of the Markus Lanz Show on March 19, 2025, claims were made regarding German Development Cooperation projects. The show suggested that educational initiatives for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon were not occurring due to a lack of interest from the Lebanese government. Additionally, it was alleged that there was no oversight from state development cooperation on whether lessons took place.
KfW, a German development bank, has responded to these claims. According to KfW, they have been supporting education for Syrian children in Lebanon since 2014 on behalf of the German Federal Government. Currently, around 111,000 Syrian pupils are attending public schools in Lebanon. KfW stated that regular checks are conducted in classrooms during lessons.
Lebanon hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees within its population of 4.5 million people.
The broadcast also criticized a second loan for cycle paths in Peru despite an allegedly ineffective first loan which resulted in only five kilometers of cycle paths being built.
KfW clarified that their financing efforts focus primarily on expanding the metro system in Lima, Peru's capital city with a population of 11 million. The cycle path expansion is part of a broader transport strategy aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and providing affordable mobility options for poorer populations. Germany subsidizes these paths with EUR 20 million and committed an additional EUR 24 million in 2022 to support further expansions across other Peruvian cities as part of an integrated transport system.
Several European and German companies are involved as subcontractors and suppliers for the Lima metro project, securing contracts worth approximately EUR 100 million and supporting jobs within Germany.
Another allegation made during the show concerned pipes from KfW projects intended for water supply in Gaza being used for rocket construction.
In response, KfW stated they have no information suggesting misuse of materials provided through cooperation with the UNRWA Refugee Agency. They emphasized that material imports were coordinated with Israeli authorities and usage was closely monitored.
Further details can be found on the website of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).