The Munich Security Conference provides German ministers with a platform to influence officials from scores of nations – and at the forefront this weekend is Reem Alabali-Radovan, the country's Economic Co-operation and Development Minister.
Heading the ministry since Friedrich Merz's coalition was installed in May last year has given Ms Alabali-Radovan, who arrived from Iraq as a refugee three decades ago, a high profile, not just in Germany but worldwide.
She is a rare Western economic assistance minister who wants to spend more and develop deeper relationships with developing countries.
“We are seeing other states are pulling out of development co-operation. The US is cutting down USAID,” Ms Alabali-Radovan told The National. “We are now one of the biggest donors in development co-operation, and that means we need to take the lead in future development co-operation.
“We want it more focused, more strategic and based on partnerships of mutual respect and mutual interests.
“As the German Chancellor made clear in his speech, we’re looking for international development partners in the Global South.”
Mr Merz used his keynote address at the conference to call for partners and allies in a changed world where big powers use international policies as bargaining chips. “We are not at the mercy of this world,” he said. “We can shape it.”
One of the areas where Ms Alabali-Radovan hopes to make a difference is Sudan. She is preparing to host the Third International Sudan Conference, a humanitarian assistance meeting, in April.
“The biggest humanitarian crisis right now is Sudan,” she said. “Germany will host the Sudan conference in April and we want to set the scene here and make clear that we're not forgetting about Sudan.
Following the recent visit to Berlin and other parts of Europe by Sudanese grass roots groups, led by deposed prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, the quest is to support Sudanese outside the warring military factions.
“For me, the most important part is the civil society because at the end of the day, what needs to happen after a ceasefire is there has to be a change in power and that needs to come also from within the civil society.”
Ms Alabali-Radovan, 35, must navigate international divergences around the Gaza ceasefire. While European countries have spurned the opportunity to serve on US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, she stressed the need for a co-ordinated response to the crisis affecting Gazans.
During the three-day conference, talks involving officials from the Board of Peace and Europeans sought to define how that support could dovetail.
“The situation in Gaza is an absolute disaster and we need to take action now,” she said. “Germany is not part of the Board of Peace, like many other European countries. At the same time we are very willing to be part of the reconstruction and rebuilding of Gaza, and part of assisting now in the early recovery on the ground.”
She said the local response and contribution cannot bypass the Palestinian Authority and, ultimately, the resolution lies in a two-state solution. “The Palestinian Authority needs to be part of the peace process,” she says. “It needs to be part of the rebuilding of Gaza. In the end we do not want divided Palestinian territories.”
Israeli obstacles to aid delivery have eased but nowhere near enough to meet the needs on the ground. Entering phase two of the Trump-negotiated ceasefire there is much to resolve over how it will deliver. “It's clear that the rebuilding of Gaza needs to take place with the right political framework, which means a two-state solution in the end, which means self-determination of Palestinians, and which means the disarmament of Hamas.
“Hamas cannot play any role. We are very clear on that.”
While the US is pulling out of international organisations and cutting its stipend to the UN, Germany is not taking that approach. It is clear that the crisis will not only be harmful in some of the world's most desperate situations but that the UN must change.
Berlin is ready to work with countries that share its concern to address the humanitarian gaps.
“Germany is now one of the biggest supporters of the United Nations system but we are also making it clear that the UN needs to reform,” Ms Alabali-Radovan says. “I think the next secretary general will need to address how we will finance the UN.
“Key players in development co-operation, like the Gulf states, Turkey and others, need to step up and provide more aid to the system. We need financial reform to the system.
“For us in Germany, it is clear that the crisis nations like Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan need to have renewed focus and other countries on the ground, like the Gulf States and Turkey, are also supporting with a lot of aid.”
