Policy Updates

On June 20, 2025, the Norwegian government published a white paper that showed that Norway is on track to achieve most UN SDGs by 2030, with strong progress in infrastructure, energy, education, gender equality, and effective institutions.

However, high material consumption remains a significant challenge, as Norway’s consumption levels exceed both global and European averages. The white paper reviewed Norway’s current position, highlighted key challenges, and outlined strategies to reach the SDGs. It also identified nine sub-goals that require substantial progress, largely relating to sustainability, biodiversity and climate protection, and waste reduction.

The Norwegian government’s digitalization strategy for 2024–2030, Digital Norway of the Future, is designed to accelerate green and digital transformation across all sectors, with investment in research, development, and innovation seen as vital to achieving a low-emission society. The white paper stressed the importance of broad engagement, involving citizens and all societal actors in joint efforts towards the SDGs.

On June 20, 2025, Norwegian Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust announced that Norway is providing NOK120million (US$12 million) in humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced persons in Sudan, Syria, and the Sahel/Lake Chad region, channeled through various UN organizations.

NOK60million (US$6 million) will support WFP and UNHCR in Sudan and the Sahel, addressing urgent needs for protection, food, water, shelter, and healthcare amid severe displacement and hunger crises. In the Sahel, NOK30million (US$3 million) will go to the UN Humanitarian Fund for West and Central Africa, with half allocated to Chad, where over a million Sudanese refugees face critical conditions.

In Syria, NOK30million (US$3 million) will be distributed among WHO, UNICEF, and WFP to improve health, water, and food services, supporting both returnees and those still in need after years of conflict. Norway’s support aims to strengthen basic services and stabilize affected regions.

On June 17, 2025, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs published the second Strategic Investment Plan for Development for 2024–2027, defining priorities relating to French technical assistance actions in the areas of taxation and public financial management, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The plan's budget exceeds EUR60million (US$69 million) and aligns with the Presidential Council for International Partnerships, Interministerial Committees for International Cooperation and Development, a number of European and multilateral initiatives, and the EU Global Gateway program.

The plan's objectives were outlined as the aim to broaden the tax base by strengthening tax citizenship, integrating the informal economy, and innovating in digital and land taxation as well as modernize tax and customs administrations through digitalization, skills development, and combating illicit financial flows.

The plan funds bilateral projects via AFD and Expertise France as well as multilateral actions with IMF, WB, and OECD, with cross-cutting goals focusing on gender equality, green transition, and inclusive governance in vulnerable countries.

On June 17, 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a CAD2 billion (US$1.4 billion) assistance package to support Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction during the closing of the 2025 G7 Summit in Quebec.

The funding was positioned as a signal of Canada’s continued leadership and commitment to Ukraine amidst ongoing Russian aggression. While broader G7 unity appeared strained—with key figures like US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaving early—Canada used the platform to reinforce its role as a reliable ally.

From June 16 to 18, 2025, AFD Group CEO Rémy Rioux visited Ukraine and Moldova, signalling AFD's strengthened commitment to Ukraine’s reconstruction and European integration ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on July 10 and 11, 2025.

Rioux highlighted that in Odessa, AFD supports the REHAB 1 program, implemented by EF, to improve mental health and rehabilitation services for civilians and veterans. In Kyiv, Rioux and French officials met Ukrainian ministers and advisers to prioritize financing for reconstruction, decentralization, and European convergence.

In Lviv, Rioux signed AFD’s first Ukrainian grant, totaling EUR5million (US$6 million), with the mayor for urban mobility, improving access to the Unbroken rehabilitation center for over 150,000 displaced people. This project, supported by GIZ, the European Commission, and EBRD, paves the way for future direct loans to Lviv.

In Moldova, Rioux met Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov, and Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu to confirm AFD as a leading bilateral partner and a key implementer in the European Growth Plan, which totals EUR1.9billion (US$2.2 billion) over 2025–2027. The INSPIREE program, AFD's first investment in Moldova and co-financed with the KfW, is planned to boost energy security by renovating public buildings.

From June 9-13, 2025, the 3^rd UN Ocean Conference was hosted in Nice, France, ending with over 170 countries adopting a joint declaration committing to urgent measures for ocean conservation and sustainable use.

The event featured 55 heads of state and government as well as upwards of 15,000 participants from civil society, business, and science. The Nice Ocean Action Plan, combining this declaration with voluntary pledges, was said to mark renewed global political will for marine protection.

Key commitments included:

• A European Commission pledge of EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) for ocean conservation;
• A pledge by French Polynesia to create the world’s largest marine protected area;
• A pledge by New Zealand of US$52 million for Pacific Ocean governance;
• A pledge by Italy of EUR6.5 million (US$7 million) to strengthen Coast Guard surveillance in marine protected areas and on oil platforms;
• A pledge by Spain to establish five new marine protected areas, aiming to safeguard 25% of its marine territory;
• A pledge by Germany of EUR100 million (US$115 million) for Baltic and North Sea munitions clearance;
• The launch of a Coral Bond for reef conservation by Indonesia, WB, and partners.

37 countries, led by Panama and Canada, launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, while Canada pledged US$9 million to the Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance. UN agencies and global partners also launched a co-design process for One Ocean Finance to unlock billions in new financing from ocean-dependent industries and blue economy sectors.

Nineteen more states ratified the Marine Biodiversity Treaty, bringing total signatures to 136 and ratifications to 50 states, plus the EU. Ten more ratifications are needed for the Agreement to enter into force. The 4^th UN Ocean Conference, in 2028, will be co-hosted by Chile and the Republic of Korea.

On June 13, 2025, Japan signed a grant agreement with Sierra Leone providing US$20 million to expand electricity distribution infrastructure funding new substations, power lines, and transformers across the Western Area, aiming to improve access and reliability in underserved coastal communities.

The support, delivered through Japan’s Grant Aid program, builds on earlier energy collaboration and aligns with Sierra Leone’s goal of universal energy access.

On June 13, 2025, advocates and health experts called on Japan to take a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific at a Tokyo press conference amid declining US contributions to the global HIV response, emphasizing the urgency of sustained funding to prevent setbacks in HIV prevention and treatment.

Advocates urged Japan to increase financial support and political commitment, particularly ahead of the Global Fund’s 8^th replenishment. With regional HIV risks rising, Japan’s engagement is seen as critical to maintaining progress and ensuring equitable access to services.

On June 13, 2025, the Swedish Government adopted a new humanitarian assistance strategy for 2025–2029, implemented by Sida.

The key priorities include:

• Delivering life-saving assistance and alleviating suffering;
• Ensuring cost-effectiveness, transformative approaches, and innovation;
• Encouraging partnerships with civil society and local actors for fast, targeted response; and
• Strengthening respect for humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law, and access.

Swedish Development Minister Benjamin Dousa stated that Sweden aims to protect the most vulnerable with life-saving initiatives amid growing global crises. The strategy reflects a commitment to principled, impactful, and locally anchored humanitarian assistance.

On June 12, 2025, BOND released an analysis of UK Chancellor Rachel Reeve's June 11 Spending Review, which revealed only minimal reductions in the use of UK ODA for IDRCs despite pledges to refocus UK ODA.

The reductions mean nearly a fifth of the UK’s annual development budget will continue to be spent on IDRCs until the end of the standing parliament. The total for IDRCs over three years was calculated at GBP5.8 billion (US$7.8 billion). The Spending Review did not detail in-donor refugee cost allocations by department, but BOND’s analysis showed a slow reduction in these costs rather than a significant shift. FCDO allocations for IDRCs were calculated at:

• FY2026/27: GBP2.3 billion (US$3.1 billion, 22.9% of ODA);
• FY2027/28: GBP1.9 billion (US$2.5 billion, 21% of ODA); and
• FY2028/29: GBP1.6 billion (US$2.2 billion, 17% of ODA).

BOND warned that this approach severely limits funding for global programs addressing poverty, conflict, and displacement. The continued diversion of ODA to cover domestic asylum costs, despite a commitment to end hotel use for asylum seekers, could signal a lack of urgency and undermines the UK’s credibility as a global development partner.