Policy Updates

On May 15, 2026, Italy approved EUR1.7 billion (US$2.0 billion) in grants and soft loans under its 2026 development cooperation programming, including a new EUR15 million (US$17 million) emergency allocation for Lebanon.

Tajani chaired the second 2026 meeting of Italy’s Joint Committee for Development Cooperation, which approved the 2026 programming package. Tajani said development cooperation was a core tool of Italy’s foreign policy and said Italy would maintain a high commitment to transparency and good governance in the use of public funds.

Tajani said the 2026 interventions aim to respond to humanitarian crises and reconstruction challenges, including in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Tajani said the new EUR15 million (US$17 million) package for Lebanon followed EUR10 million (US$12 million) approved in April and would focus on emergency support for communities and displaced people in southern Lebanon, including agricultural recovery in collaboration with FAO, with a focus on supporting Christian communities.

The Joint Committee also approved a development package worth more than EUR250 million (US$290 million), including interventions in Ukraine and Latin America, as well as contributions to efforts against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria and to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness.

On May 14, 2026, German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan announced Germany’s EUR100 million (US$115 million) pledge to Education Cannot Wait to support education programs for children and young people affected by war, displacement, and disasters.

Alabali Radovan announced the pledge via video message at the Global Citizen Festival in New York. Alabali Radovan said the right to education applied in times of crisis and war and said education helped protect children and young people from exploitation and violence and supported peace and sustainable development.

On May 14, 2026, the US announced an additional US$1.8 billion for OCHA’s pooled funds and hyper-prioritized humanitarian activities, bringing total US support for OCHA’s reform and life-saving assistance programs to US$3.8 billion across 21 countries.

The US said the new funding builds on a December 29, 2025 Humanitarian Reset framework agreement with OCHA, signed in Geneva, Switzerland, alongside an initial US$2 billion pledge for country-based and crisis-level pooled funds. The US and OCHA said they had operationalized the agreement by accelerating disbursements and introducing stronger oversight and accountability measures, while mobilizing support from other humanitarian donors.

The US said the initial US$2 billion contribution to OCHA-managed rapid-response pooled funds will deliver life-saving assistance to 21.1 million people in less than four months and that the additional US$1.8 billion will continue to support pooled funds in 21 countries, as well as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

OCHA said the US$1.8 billion would not be subject to the Trump administration’s Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance policy. OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko said no conditions had been placed on the funds and that the UN had not compromised on the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.

On May 13, 2026, the European Commission adopted the Global Health Resilience Initiative, a strategy to scale up prevention, preparedness, and response to future health threats and to address resilience gaps in health systems.

The European Commission said the initiative sets a strategic framework for future EU action to enable faster responses to health threats and crises through a strong multilateral system and cooperation with partners. The strategy aims to reinforce EU strategic autonomy and competitiveness and to support partner countries’ transition away from aid dependence toward health sovereignty.

The initiative has five priority areas:

• Promoting a more effective and less fragmented global health architecture
• Supporting resilient and country-led health systems, with an emphasis on primary health care
• Reinforcing international prevention, preparedness, and response, including improved availability of medical countermeasures such as therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics
• Diversifying global supply chains and manufacturing of key health products
• Bolstering societal resilience by fostering trust in science and countering health dis- and misinformation.

The Commission stated the EU has already mobilized EUR6 billion (US$6.9 billion) for health investments under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe instrument and had made health a key pillar of the Global Gateway, the EU external investment arm . The initiative includes nine flagship measures at national, regional, and global levels, with implementation expected to begin in 2026-2027.

On April 29, 2026, Canadian Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai announced CAD52 million (US$38 million) for new international assistance programming to advance innovative financing, strengthen global impact investing, and expand blended finance solutions for partner countries.

Sarai made the announcement at the G7 Development Ministers’ Meeting in Paris, France. The package includes five initiatives:

• Advancing Canada’s Leadership in Impact Investing Project, implemented by the Canada Forum for Impact Investment and Development, funded at CAD1.9 million (US$1.4 million) over six years: Will strengthen standards, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among Canadian and international impact-investment actors
• Advancing Global Blended Finance with Canada’s Support, implemented by Convergence Blended Finance, funded at CAD7 million (US$5 million) over six years: To support market intelligence and the design of blended finance structures to unlock additional private investment in low- and middle-income countries.
• Allianz Credit Emerging Markets Fund, implemented by Allianz Global Investors, funded at CAD28 million (US$20 million) over 22 years: Will help scale an emerging‑markets debt fund designed to mobilize institutional capital toward sustainable economic growth and climate action, targeting climate‑aligned sectors such as clean energy, sustainable infrastructure and climate‑smart agriculture.
• SOURCE Platform for Infrastructure, implemented by the Sustainable Infrastructure Foundation, funded at CAD4.6 million (US$3.4 million) over two years: Will strengthen the SOURCE platform, a global infrastructure project‑preparation tool used by governments to design, assess and manage high‑quality, sustainable infrastructure projects.
• Global Innovation Fund Growth, implemented by Global Innovation Fund Growth Ltd., funded at CAD10 million (US$7.3 million) over 11 years: Will help grow evidence‑based, high‑impact innovations that improve the lives of people in targeted markets in Africa and South and Southeast Asia, supporting enterprises with strong potential for commercial sustainability and social impact.

On April 20, 2026, Sweden announced a new support package of SEK15.4 million (US$1.7 million) for 2026–2028 focused on democracy and cultural heritage preservation in Ukraine.

Of the total, SEK8.7 million (US$1.0 million) was allocated for 2026. The democracy support component included SEK3 million (US$330,000) to the National Democratic Institute, SEK900,000 (US$99,000) to the Council of Europe, and SEK1.5 million (US$165,000) to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights for 2026. The cultural heritage component included SEK10 million (US$1.1 million) to Gotlands Museum for 2026–2028.

Sweden stated the package built on its long-term efforts to strengthen Ukraine's resilience and democratic development.

On April 20, 2026, Norway announced NOK100 million (US$11 million) in budget support to Palestine to help maintain basic public services, including education, and ensure the payment of salaries to government employees.

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide made the announcement during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Brussels, where Eide also chaired a meeting of the Palestine Aid and Liaison Group together with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. The budget support comes amid an acute economic crisis in Palestine, exacerbated by movement restrictions and violence, which have severely strained public finances and forced drastic cuts to the state budget, leaving public employees including teachers, health workers, and police receiving only partial salaries.

Norway stated that budget support would help provide financial stability and ensure the Palestinian population continued to receive health care and education, while calling on other countries to contribute. Norway's planned support to Palestine, including to Palestinian refugees, will be approximately NOK1 billion (US$110 million) in 2026.

On April 20, 2026, Sweden announced an additional SEK70 million (US$7.7 million) in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, bringing Sweden's total targeted humanitarian assistance to Lebanon to SEK135 million (US$14.8 million) in 2026.

The additional funding was provided in light of the continued deterioration of Lebanon's humanitarian situation. Of the new allocation, SEK24 million (US$2.6 million) came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SEK46 million (US$5.1 million) from abbr:SIDA. Sweden had previously announced a SEK65 million (US$7.2 million) humanitarian support package on March 14, 2026, the day after the UN launched its emergency humanitarian appeal for Lebanon.

The assistance focuses on the most vulnerable, providing displaced persons with access to collective emergency housing, hot meals, emergency medical care, and psychosocial support. The funding complements Sweden's core support to the International Red Cross Movement and several abbr:UN organizations operating in Lebanon.

On April 17, 2026, Canada announced CAD5.5 million (US$4 million) in humanitarian assistance to address the ongoing economic and energy crisis in Cuba, with funding allocated to PAHO and WFP

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand and Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai announced the funding on behalf of Global Affairs Canada. Cuba has faced a deepening humanitarian crisis marked by repeated nationwide power grid failures, prolonged blackouts, and acute fuel shortages, severely disrupting access to food, clean water, and health care.

Of the total, CAD5 million (US$3.6 million) was allocated to PAHO to improve access to essential health services, critical medicines, and medical supplies, as well as to strengthen supply chains and support primary health care facilities and referral hospitals. The remaining CAD500,000 (US$365,000) was allocated to WFP to provide food assistance and support essential logistics and fuel needs for the humanitarian response.

On April 16, 2026, the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents announced new funding commitments totaling US$806 million from governments and philanthropic partners to support its TRANSFORM 2030 strategy, a five-year plan to accelerate reductions in preventable maternal and child deaths.

The announcements were made on the sidelines of the World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, DC. The commitments represent more than 80% of the GFF's fundraising goal of US$1 billion by the end of 2026, with additional pledges expected in the coming months.

Commitments announced included:

• CAD190 million (US$139 million) from the Government of Canada;
• EUR45 million (US$53 million) from the Government of Germany;
• US$186 million from the Government of the Netherlands;
• NOK600 million (US$66 million) from the Government of Norway;
• US$150 million from the Children's Investment Fund Foundation;
• US$200 million from the Gates Foundation; and
• US$15 million from the Laerdal Scale Up Fund.

Philanthropic and private sector commitments included US$250 million for the newly launched Sustainable Commodities Access Program, designed to incentivize countries to expand access to high-quality commodities and address supply chain bottlenecks, and US$15 million for a new innovations challenge program to scale up the Safer Births Bundle of Care in 10 countries.