Policy Updates

Each week, Donor Tracker's team of country-based experts bring you the most important policy and funding news across issue areas in the form of Policy Updates.

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USAID announces US$66 million to Zambia to strengthen food security

June 27, 2024 | US, Agriculture, Climate | Share this update

On June 27, 2024, USAID announced US$66 million to Zambia, which is designated by the US as a Feed the Future accelerator county, to mitigate worsening drought conditions, strengthen food security efforts, and build local resilience.

Zambia's crop loss has reached between 60-95% due to drought conditions, increasing food prices by 83%. USAID is providing emergency assistance to address the urgent nutritional crisis, as well as help farmers in Zambia strengthen longer-term resilience.

The US and Zambia are working together to help implement the Feed the Future program, including through implementation of the Feed the Future Accelerator effort.

Press release - USAID

US announces US$1.5 billion to strengthen Ukraine's energy, humanitarian needs, civil society

June 15, 2024 | US, Agriculture, Global Health, WASH & Sanitation | Share this update

On June 15, 2024, during a peace summit in Ukraine with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new US$1.5 billion package of support to the people of Ukraine through energy, humanitarian assistance, and civil society.

The assistance will come through both USAID and the State Department and includes US$500 million in new assistance for the energy sector. US$324 million in previously announced energy funding will be used to address emergency assistance aimed to repair damaged infrastructure, as well as to expand and protect other infrastructure.

US$379 million in humanitarian assistance will provide food, health, shelter, and WASH services to the people of Ukraine. The final part of the package will assist with civilian security assistance to help law enforcement and border guards operate on the front lines.

Press release - USAID

US to provide additional US$315 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan

June 14, 2024 | US, Agriculture, WASH & Sanitation, Global Health | Share this update

On June 14, 2024, USAID and the US State Department announced an additional US$315 million for emergency assistance to the people of Sudan in response to the ongoing regional crisis.

The war, having lasted for over a year, has caused extreme hunger for nearly 5 million people. Overall, about 25 million people in Sudan are in need of immediate assistance, which has internally displaced about 10 million people and has cause food insecurity in Sudan's border countries. The new funding is slated to help address acute malnutrition and hunger-related deaths.

The assistance will provide food, nutrition services, WASH services, and health care, especially focused on children. Other lifesaving assistance will be provided to refugees both in Sudan and in neighboring countries.

Press release - USAID

G7 finance ministers call on donors to coordinate efforts, increase investments

May 25, 2024 | UK, France, Canada, Japan, US, Italy, Germany, EUI, Global Health, Climate, Education, Agriculture, Gender Equality, Nutritious Food Systems | Share this update

On May 23-25, 2024, the G7 Ministers of Finance met at a summit in Stresa, Italy, where the ministers voiced support for contributions to the IDA, WHO, Gavi, and the Global Fund in the resulting communiqué.

The G7 ministers supported efforts towards a successful 21st replenishment of the IDA by the end of 2024 through an ambitious policy and financing package. Notably, they did not give a concrete signal that the critical US$100 billion threshold requested by the World Bank will be crossed, nor any indication of the US$120 billion expected by African leaders.

The ministers reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening the governance and finance of the global health architecture and voiced support for refinancing processes of several GHIs, such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO, and the Global Fund, and expressed support for the Pandemic Fund. The communiqué called on the donor community to coordinate efforts and increase investments in global health in line with their capacities to ensure sustainable funding and maximize the impact of available resources.

Following the summit, the C7 pointed out the G7's lack of ambition and financial commitment to international development, including climate adaptation. International civil society organizations criticized the lack of any reference to allocating SDRs to global solidarity.

G7 Ministers of FinanceC7 statement

C7 releases international civil society communiqué around seven key issues

May 15, 2024 | Italy, Germany, EUI, Japan, Canada, US, France, UK, Education, Agriculture, Gender Equality, Nutritious Food Systems, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, Family Planning, WASH & Sanitation, Climate, Global Health | Share this update

On May 14-15, 2024, the C7 summit was held at the UN FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, organized by the Italian Civil Society Coalition that led, coordinated, and moderated the C7 2024 process.

Approximately 400 global representatives took part in the event, as well as international decision-makers, including FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, Italian G7 sherpa Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, Cardinal, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Pope’s envoy for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict Matteo Maria Zuppi, and Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign Marina Ponti.

The official C7 communiqué that listed the international civil society recommendation to the G7’s Leaders around seven key issues was released at the event, which included:

  • Economic justice and transformation;
  • Climate, energy transformation, and environmental justice;
  • Global health;
  • Principled humanitarian assistance;
  • Peace, common security, and nuclear disarmament;
  • Human mobility and migration; and
  • Food justice and food systems transformation.
C7 communiqué

US joins others to support African-led agricultural growth

May 10, 2024 | Ireland, Canada, US, Netherlands, Germany, UK, France, EUI, Agriculture | Share this update

On May 10, 2024, USAID joined the AU Commissioner and 14 other partners in a statement of support for the African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan at an AU-led soil health summit.

The US also announced US$40 million for the Space in Place approach, which is meant to support farmers with geospatial data and knowledge to ensure the best use of fertilizer for more nutritious foods.

Others joining the statement included the ADB, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, France, the World Bank, France, Canada, the EU, Germany, the Netherlands, the Rockefeller Foundation, Germany, and the UK. Commitments included improved investment policies, more access to fertilizers, enhancing soil inputs and interventions, and building capacity for soil health and fertilizer management.

Press release - USAID

US to provide US$190 million in energy, economic funding, US$60 million for agricultural assistance to Ukraine

May 3, 2024 | US, Agriculture | Share this update

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 launch Harvest, a program to invest in micro-, small-, and medium-sized grain and oil seed producers in Ukraine's agricultural 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.

Press release - USAIDPress release - USAID

USAID and USDA will use US$1 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation for emergency food assistance

April 18, 2024 | US, Agriculture, Nutritious Food Systems | Share this update

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.

Press release - USAID

Civil 7 asks G7 to take concrete action for more peaceful future

April 14, 2024 | Italy, UK, France, Canada, Japan, US, Germany, EUI, Agriculture, Nutritious Food Systems | Share this update

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.

C7 Statement to the G7 Foreign Ministers

USAID provides additional US$67 million in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon

April 3, 2024 | US, Nutrition, Agriculture, WASH & Sanitation, Global Health | Share this update

On April 3, 2024, due to deepening humanitarian needs in Lebanon, USAID announced an additional US$67 million in assistance to the people of Lebanon and Syrian refugees in the region.

The resources are slated to provide food, WASH, health care, and psychosocial and humanitarian support.

The ongoing humanitarian crises in the region have been exacerbated by the conflict in Gaza, which has internally displaced 91,000 Lebanese people. Food assistance will be delivered through the WFP. Health services will be provided through International Medical Corps and Relief International.

USAID, which already has provided over US$202 million in food assistance in FYs 2022 and 2023, called upon other donors to help meet the needs of the most vulnerable as demand outpaces resources.

Press release - USAID

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US$ amounts are cited directly from sources; in the absence of an official conversion, they are calculated using the previous week's average of the US Federal Reserve's daily exchange rates.

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