Policy Updates

On April 17-19, 2024, the G7's Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Capri, Italy, and released a communiqué summarizing the intents and goals of Italy's G7 presidency.

A new meeting is planned in Fiuggi in June 2024. The G7 Minister of Development's meeting in Pescara is scheduled for the end of October. The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs is committed to continually working on some of the most urgent international crises.

The G7 Ministers expressed concern about rising food insecurity and malnutrition stemming from the combined impact of climate change, loss, and degradation of ecosystems, the growing number of conflicts, inflationary pressures, and the reduced fiscal space in many developing economies.

The ministers also emphasized the importance of strengthening PPR and global health, as well as supporting LGBTQI+ rights and SRHR. The communiqué also reaffirmed the need for strengthened international financial institutions and underscore the role of MDBs in achieving the SDGs, including in crisis-affected contexts.

On April 19, 2024, the Netherlands pledged EUR68 million (US$74 million) towards World Bank hybrid capital, which is expected to expand the bank’s lending capacity by over US$550 million over the next ten years for global public goods investment.

Dutch Ministers of Finance and Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher and Steven van Weyenberg announced the contribution to support low- and middle-income countries in financing the energy transition, biodiversity protection, and strengthening health systems to prevent future pandemics.

This commitment joins those of 10 other countries to boost the World Bank’s lending capacity, totaling US$11 billion and potentially providing up to US$70 billion in essential funds.

On April 18, 2024, during the World Bank Spring Meetings, Norway announced a NOK250 million (US$22 million) hybrid capital contribution to boost the World Bank’s IBRD.

Through the World Bank's model for mobilizing private capital on favorable terms, the Norwegian contribution will enable up to NOK2 billion (US$181 million) to tackle issues such as climate change, food insecurity, pandemics, and poverty. Hybrid capital is a financial innovation that allows World Bank shareholders, including Norway, to significantly expand the IBRD’s lending capacity through unilateral voluntary contributions of new funds at any time.

Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim noted that at a time with significant and increased needs for development assistance and climate financing, there is a need to mobilize larger investments. For every Norwegian krone provided to the IBRD, the World Bank will be able to unlock eight times the amount in financing.

On April 18, 2024, two main agencies involved in delivering the bulk of US emergency food assistance, USAID and the USDA, announced that they will begin to tap into US$1 billion in the Commodity Credit Corporation to distributed agricultural commodities around the world.

USAID identified 18 countries where the US will begin to purchase, ship, and then distribute needed commodities bought from US farmers, including the DRC, Ethiopia, Haiti, South Sudan, and Yemen. The planned collaboration between the two agencies was announced in October 2023 and will allow USAID to receive purchased commodities from USDA and then distribute them through USAID's channels.

On April 15 and 16, 2024, South Korea announced its plan to provide humanitarian assistance of US$12 million to Sudan and US$7 million to Ethiopia with in-kind rice at the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighboring Countries and High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Situation in Ethiopia, respectively.

South Korea aims to help Sudan and neighboring countries to overcome the humanitarian crisis spurred by the armed conflict in the region.

The humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, combined with 13,852 tons of rice in-kind, is aimed to help alleviate food shortages. In particular, South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has been providing rice to countries in food crises every year through the WFP since its entry into the Food Assistance Convention in 2018.

On April 16, 2024, Canada released its Budget 2024, which included new funding to support Ukraine and bolster Canada’s international humanitarian assistance, but was criticized for a lack of transparency and did not include an increase in longer-term development assistance.

New funding announced included:

• CAD2.4 billion (US$1.7 billion) in loans to Ukraine in 2024 to support civilian services;
• CAD217 million (US$157 million) over five years starting in FY2025/26 for the EBRD to support Ukraine’s reconstruction;
• CAD76 million (US$55 million) for additional peace and security assistance for Ukraine between FY2024/25 and FY2026/27;
• CAD350 million (US$254 million) over two years beginning in FY2024/25 to international humanitarian assistance;
• CAD146 million (US$106 million) over five years starting in FY2027/28 to purchase shares in the Inter-American Development Bank to support clean economic growth and create economic opportunities for women in Latin America and the Caribbean; and
• CAD40 million (US$29 million) in FY 2023/24 for humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Budget 2024 also recommits to leadership on international women’s rights and gender equality, support for global LGBTQI+ rights, and the modernization of international financial institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Agreement Act, the International Development Assistance Act, and the IMF to support responsiveness to emerging global threats.

Canadian international cooperation organizations and coalitions, including Cooperation Canada, Oxfam Canada, UNICEF Canada, and more, released statements lauding the government's commitment to CAD350 million (US$254 million) in new international humanitarian assistance. However, Cooperation Canada criticized the lack of budget transparency surrounding Canada’s IAE as well as the absence of any increase in funding for longer-term development assistance.

While previous budgets presented rough estimates of the IAE, Budget 2024 does not provide a spending forecast. Cooperation Canada noted that it is difficult to know whether Canada’s assistance budget is increasing or decreasing with no information on trends, sectoral or spending-type breakdowns, or multi-year forward spending plans. The coalition estimated the IAE budget for this year to be around CAD7.2 billion (US$5.2 billion) per year, representing a growth of about 5% from 2023's CAD6.9 billion (US$5 billion).

On April 16, 2024, the White House issued its 2024 US global health security strategy, which reaffirmed its position that disease threats are a risk to all populations, including Americans.

The strategy outlined how the US will work with partners around the world to best prevent, detect, and quickly respond to outbreaks around the globe. Since 2022, USAID has expanded its reach to partner countries in over 50 countries, working with a range of stakeholders to prevent and prepare for pandemics.

The strategy focuses on increasing the political commitment to addressing health security, including investments in the Pandemic Fund, and recognizing the link between global health security, global health and broader development goals.

On April 15, 2024, France announced a commitment of EUR110 million (US$117 million) for Sudan, bringing total support to Sudan since the regional conflict began in 2023 to EUR150 million (US$160 million).

The announcement was made during an international humanitarian conference for Sudan and its neighboring countries, held in Paris and co-led by France, Germany, and the EU.

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, co-chaired the conference, which brought together representatives from countries and international organizations, as well as humanitarian actors operating in Sudan.

At the end of the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron met with representatives of Sudanese civil society to discuss the situation and the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people.

On April 15, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen participated in the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and its Neighbours, where he announced CAD132million (US$96 million) in international assistance funding to Sudan and neighbouring Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.

The announcement included nearly CAD101 million (US$73 million) in humanitarian assistance and nearly CAD32 million (US$23 million) in development assistance amid the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. The funding is slated to provide crisis-affected people with emergency health services, food and nutrition assistance, protection services for gender-based violence survivors, and other assistance including shelter, water, and sanitation services. The development assistance will support critical programming in SRHR and education infrastructure.

On April 15, 2024, at the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Its Neighbors in Paris, France, the Netherlands announced a EUR10 million (US$11 million) contribution to support food assistance in Sudan through the WFP.

Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher emphasized the dire situation in Sudan, where 18 million people face acute hunger. Since the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, warring parties have obstructed emergency assistance. At the time of the announcement, 8 million Sudanese were internally displaced, and 2 million have fled to neighboring countries.

The recent pledge supplements the Netherlands’ annual support of EUR55 million (US$60 million) to the UN CERF, which has allocated EUR35 million (US$38 million) annually for support to Sudan. The Netherlands has supported the reception of Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries as well as EU negotiations for a ceasefire and sanctions against warring parties.