Policy Updates

On April 14, 2024, the C7 published a statement ahead of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Capri from April 17-19, 2024, where the group called on the foreign ministers to take concrete action to promote human rights as well as the common interests of humanity and the planet.

The C7 advocated that the G7 ministers reaffirm their commitment to developing long-term peace-building strategies that address persistent structural challenges at the basis of conflicts, ensure food security even in fragile settings, and address a profound transformation of food systems. The group also called upon their governmental counterparts to ensure safe and regular migration channels and commit to protecting migrant rights.

On March 12, 2024, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen announced a battery of initiatives to support the EU - Cambodia relationship.

Two of these initiatives included Team Europe programs intended to mobilize EUR1.1 billion (US$1.1 billion) and EUR400 million (US$432 million) for green agriculture and factories, respectively. Within these initiatives, focuses included green energy and decent jobs.

Urpilainen also announced four new collaborations between the EU and Cambodia, worth EUR79 million (US$86 million), with sectoral foci including:

• Agriculture, specifically sustainable farming practices that avoid deforestation;
• Sustainable energy in the production of textiles and garments;
• Digital skills, STEM education, and research; and
• Economic and trade development, specifically addressing challenges specific to Cambodia and increasing competitiveness.

On March 6, 2024, the EU announced EUR228 million (US$236 million) in support for projects in Uganda during a high-level business meeting.

With a primary focus on business and economic development, the initiatives also touched on topics including housing, human rights, digital infrastructure, gender equality, and agriculture:

• EUR40 million (US$43 million) was provided for the "Investing in Young Women-Led Entrepreneurs Business in Africa," which was reported as an effort to increase women's economic empowerment in partners across SSA, though specific partner countries were not listed in the press release;
• EUR50 million (US$54 million) was loaned to Uganda with the aim of increasing youth and women's employment while increasing access to jobs in sustainability;
• The EIB announced an EUR25 million (US$27 million) loan for the development of SMEs and aimed for 50% of support to benefit women-led businesses;
• EUR5 million (US$5 million) was also allocated to build awareness and advocacy surrounding human rights abuses in business;
• The EIB loaned EUR25 million (US$27 million) for over 500 telecommunications towers to be built throughout Uganda, with the aim of increasing access to digital technologies;
• The EIB loaned EUR50 million (US$54 million) to the Centenary Rural Development Bank to support women entrepreneurs in small businesses; and
• EUR 12 million (US$13 million) was allocated to both the START Facility and the Agricultural Business Initiative in Uganda to support climate resilience and economic development among agrarian populations.

On February 9, 2024, the EIB and Mauritania finalized an EUR20 million (US$22 million) loan to support SMEs with a focus on empowering women and young people in the labor market.

Accompanied by a visit of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Mauritania, the agreement was facilitated by the EU's partnership with the OACPS. The loan will be managed by Mauritania's BCI., with the following priorities:

• 50% or more allocated to youth training and employment;
• 40% to women's economic empowerment; and
• Increased investments in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, among others.

The agreement also included the possibility of unlocking an additional EUR5 million (US$5 million).

On February 9, 2024, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Mauritania with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to strengthen development cooperation programs and human security in the Sahel region, green energy facilities, and migratory regulations.

Sánchez used the trip to sign the new Partnership Agreement Framework 2024-2027 between Spain and Mauritania. This new agreement, which accounts for an overall ODA budget of EUR60 million (US$64 million) to be disbursed during the upcoming four years, will be focused on the following areas:

• Fostering rural development;
• Strengthening public health systems;
• Improving food security and resilience of rural populations;
• Contributing to a human rights approach; and
• Facilitating national strategies implemented at the regional level in the Sahel.

Mauritania is among Spain’s top development partner countries. AECID owns a regional office in its capital, Nouakchott.

On November 11, 2023, the Commission of the EU announced that the Parliament and Council of the EU had reached agreement on the 2024 budget.

Against the backdrop of the midterm review of the bloc's MFF, the 2024 budget included commitments of EUR189.4 billion (US$204.7 billion), a slight increase over the EUR186.6 billion (US$201.7 billion) budget for 2023.

Heading 6: Neighborhood and the World fell to EUR16.2 billion (US$17.5 billion) from EUR17.2 billion (US$18.6 billion) in 2023, a 5% decrease. Notable changes included:

• Humanitarian assistance increased by EUR100 million (US$108 million) to EUR1.9 billion (US$2.1 billion); and
• NDICI-Global Europe fell EUR800 million (US$864 million) to EUR11.5 billion (US$12.4 billion), emphasizing spending priorities of reducing drivers of migration.

On October 19, 2023, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen approved EUR213 million (US$225 million) of agreements with ECOWAS.

The funding contained seven agreements aimed at strengthening ECOWAS' capacity for economic and agricultural support for West African partners. Urpilainen and ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray highlighted both the strength and the equality of the partnership, which aimed to further mutual goals, including:

• EUR34 million (US$32 million) for policy development and implementation support in creating regional migration capacity at all levels;
• EUR50 million (US$47 million) for regional trade capacity in West Africa, with a specific focus on increasing the competitiveness of SMEs;
• EUR12 million (US$11 million) for economic development in SSA;
• EUR25 million (US$24 million) for strengthening of energy infrastructure and increasing the region's share of renewable energies;
• EUR12 million (US$11 million) to support campaigns for sustainable "clean" cooking awareness and implementation;
• EUR20 million (US$19 million) for food security in the region, specifically targeting food storage; and
• EUR60 million (US$57 million) for agricultural development, with a focus on increasing the sustainability and resilience of livestock farmers and agricultural value chains.

On October 19, 2023, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen pledged EUR780 million (US$827 million) in ODA loans and grants for Nigeria through the global Gateway program.

The funding was announced ahead of the 8^th Nigeria - EU strategic dialogue, which convened EU representatives and members of the new Nigerian government to discuss existing partnerships and new opportunities for cooperation. Key components of the support included:

• EUR116 million (US$123 million) in ODA financing agreements for global health, sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture, SRH and MNCH, energy access and renewable energy capacity, and education, all with a focus on supporting women and young people; and
• EUR600 million (US$636 million) in EIB loans for a green transportation project for inland shipping, with support from the AFD, support for SMEs, and renewable energy capacity.

On September 20, 2023, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen announced that the bloc would release EUR140 million (US$150 million) of previously frozen funding for Afghanistan.

The funds were allocated from a larger EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) package of support for Afghanistan that was announced in August 2021. The funding was frozen in December 2021 following the Taliban's decision to bar women from working in CSOs.

The released funding was allocated to support initiatives in education, women's economic empowerment, agriculture, and health. The EU made the decision to release the funds after conducting a six-month evaluation to ensure women remained central to the implementation and disbursement of assistance.

The assistance was allocated through the UN system and other CSOs and multilaterals on the ground in Afghanistan.

On September 9, 2023, the EU and US announced new cooperation on the Trans-African Corridor during the PGII event of the G20.

The EU and US agreed to support Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia in conducting feasibility studies for a greenfield rail line spanning from Angola to Zambia. The partners indicated that development of the rail line would include investments in digital infrastructure and support job growth in the vicinity.

The partners also indicated that cooperation could also take the forms of support to:

• Smallholder agricultural production;
• Renewable energies; and
• Economic development, such as support for SMEs.