Policy Updates

On May 3, 2024, Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy announced a pledge of AUD492 million (US$317 million) to the Asian Development Funds’ 14^th pledging round, covering the period of 2025–2028.

The low-interest financing arm of the ADB focuses on grants to lower-income countries. Conroy emphasized the value of these grants to regional needs such as climate resilient hospitals and education facilities, as well is improving the systems that run them.

Conroy indicated Australia had worked with representatives from Kiribati and the Cook Islands to ensure that more funding would be received by the Pacific. An increase of over AUD500 million (US$323 million) was expected for the Pacific, compared to the previous replenishment.

Australia has also pursued arrangements to ensure access to finance for people in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and the Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh, particularly women and girls. Australia urged the ADB and the World Bank to improve their procurement processes by avoiding approving artificially low-priced, poor-quality projects where higher prices were later demanded during implementation. Conroy encouraged tender processes to focus more strongly on quality and value for money and expressed concerned that low bid prices were discouraging a broader range of bidders from seeking work, particularly in the Pacific countries.

Australia is the second-largest contributor to the fund, behind Japan.

On May 3, 2024, representatives from the Netherlands attended the 30^th ICPD in New York, where Dutch Director-General for International Cooperation Pascalle Grotenhuis and Dutch SRHR Youth Ambassador Sarah Bahgat called for further action on CSE and youth involvement to continue SRHR progress.

Grotenhuis delivered a statement on behalf of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg and highlighted priorities set out by young people. The Netherlands also supported the ICPD Program of Action and co-hosted 300+ young people at the Global Youth Dialogue to reflect on its urgent call to ensure women and girls’ right to decide over their bodies and futures.

Bahgat delivered a statement at the General Debate of the Commission on Population and Development, highlighting the need to tackle information online, deliver CSE in humanitarian settings, and showcase the outcomes of the Global Youth Dialogue.

On May 3, 2024, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, announced that the agency will be providing an additional US$200 million for RUFT as well as other specialized food used for acute malnutrition.

Approximately 300 million people worldwide are in need of humanitarian relief, where conflicts, climate change, and lack of access to critical food assistance exacerbates food insecurity. 45 million children face wasting, the most serious form of child malnutrition. USAID's RUFT food product is part of a package of services to prevent and treat child wasting.

UNICEF and the UN WFP are slated to distribute the food goods to areas including Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Haiti. The effort builds upon an earlier commitment spearheaded by USAID that announced US$500 million by a public-private coalition at the 2022 UNGA. USAID has already worked in Gaza and Ethiopia to address nutritional needs.

On May 3, 2024, USAID announced that it is providing US$190 million to Ukraine for energy assistance to build resilient, reliable, affordable and secure energy supplies to Ukraine.

The program, titled Securing Power, Advancing Resilience and Connectivity, will provide critical technical and equipment over a five-year period. The announced funding adds to the nearly US$1 billion in energy assistance that the US has provided since the start of the war in February 2022.

The US also passed the National Security Supplemental Bill, comprising US$95 billion in 'foreign aid' supplemental appropriations (with US$61 billion for Ukraine), and is slated to provide an additional US$1.4 billion from this bill in economic recovery assistance to Ukraine.

Additionally, USAID will launched "Harvest", a program to invest in micro-, small- and medium grain and oil seed producers in Ukraine's agriculture sector. Harvest is an extension of USAID's Agriculture Resilience Initiative-Ukraine, through which USAID has invested over US$350 million and has leveraged more than that through the private sector and other donors.

On May 3, 2024, Canada announced CAD65 million (US$48 million) in international assistance funding to Lebanon, including CAD38 million (US$28 million) in development assistance funding and CAD27 million (US$20 million) in humanitarian assistance funding.

The humanitarian assistance will help provide food assistance, WASH services, health care including sexual and reproductive health services, and protection services including for survivors of SGBV.

The development funding includes:

• CAD20 million (US$15 million) to the UN FAO to improve the capacities of farmers and increase food security in response to climate change and economic shocks;
• CAD13 million (US$10 million) to the UNDP to improve the economic security and prosperity of women-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in sectors with high growth and export potential; and
• CAD5 million (US$4 million) to the UN Women and the UNDP to address barriers facing women’s representation in decision-making and leadership positions, specifically for women in parliament and municipal councils.

On May 2, 2024, noting a recent Human Rights Watch report of vicious military forces attacks against local citizens, USAID announced that it will provide nearly US$55 million in emergency assistance to the most vulnerable people in Burkina Faso.

Violence and attacks on civilians have displaced almost one-third of the population in Burkina Faso, leaving millions in urgent need of food and other assistance. The assistance, which is slated to be delivered by airlifts and military convoys, will be carried out through UN and other international partners. USAID's total assistance to Burkina Faso since the start of FY2023 is US$158 million.

USAID also called on other donors to assist in providing support to what it described as an overlooked and underfunded humanitarian crisis.

On April 30, 2024, it was announced that, as a part of the G7 Finance Track, the Italian MEF and ISTAT will host the seventh edition of the OECD World Forum on Wellbeing, entitled Strengthening Wellbeing Approaches for a Changing World, in Rome from November 4-6, 2024.

The event is part of the G7 Finance Track promoted by the Italian government. The Forum will be structured into five round tables that will discuss topics, including:

• The development of policy frameworks oriented towards equitable and sustainable well-being;
• The measurement and statistical methodology, as well as the analysis of well-being indicators;
• Climate change;
• Technological innovation and the use of artificial intelligence; and
• The next steps in the well-being agenda.

Other topics to be addressed include gender inequalities, inequalities and poverty, physical and mental health, and the aging population.

On April 29, 2024, Norway was granted a board seat on the board of the Loss and Damage Fund.

The agreement to operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund, which will assist LICs particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, was passed during COP28 in 2023.

The board of the fund has now been decided and consists of 26 members. HICs countries have 12 members on the board, while LICs have 14. Apart from Norway, EU countries, the US, Japan, and the UK each have a full seat on the board.

The first board meeting is slated to take place between April 30 - May 2, 2024, in Abu Dhabi. In total, nearly US$700 million was pledged to start the fund during COP28. Norway has since pledged NOK270 million (US$25 million) to the fund.

Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim noted that climate disasters are expected to increase in the years to come and will continue to affect vulnerable LICs. She noted that Norway welcomes a financing solution, like the Loss and Damage Fund, in which can ensure the needed support for these countries. Tvinnereim underlined that Norway will do its best to make sure the fund is as targeted and efficient as possible.

On April 26, 2024, Sweden pledged EUR371 million (US$396 million) in humanitarian assistance through Sida to address 30 ongoing humanitarian crises and support humanitarian actors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and Sudan.

Assistance will be directed towards regions and populations affected by conflict, displacement, natural disasters, and other emergencies. Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell emphasized that strengthening humanitarian assistance is a major goal in the Swedish government’s reform agenda for humanitarian assistance.

Forssell noted that Sida’s allocation is based on a model that ensures funds are provided where needs are greatest to support effective, appropriate and flexible humanitarian assistance, with the aim of saving lives and alleviating suffering.

The funding brings Sweden’s humanitarian assistance in 2024 total to EUR758 million (US$810 million). Additionally, the Government is providing EUR336 million (US$359 million) in core support to international humanitarian organizations in 2024, most of which has already been allocated. The Swedish government can allocate additional assistance within this framework in response to humanitarian crises, including crisis responses in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan.

On April 26, 2024, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher welcomed the findings of the inquiry into allegations against UNRWA employees of involvement with the Hamas attack against Israel and noted that the Netherlands will consider UNRWA as a potential channel for humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

On January 27, 2024, following the allegations, the Netherlands announced it would freeze future funding to Gaza until the investigation concluded. The independent research conducted by Ms. Catherine Colonna, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights was presented to donors on April 22, 2024. The report found that UNRWA has necessary mechanisms to ensure its neutrality. It also offered 50 recommendations to improve existing neutrality concerns. UNRWA stated that it embraces the recommendations and will implement them immediately.

The Netherlands responded positively to the report. Representatives noted that the government will closely and critically monitor the implementation of the recommendations, partly through its role in the UNRWA advisory committee, and resume considering UNRWA as a potential channel for humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Schreinemacher stated that the Netherlands also aims to diversify its future humanitarian funding to Gaza to decrease dependence on UNRWA. It hopes to strengthen the capabilities of other UN organizations, the Red Cross and Crescent Movements, and INGOs.