Policy Updates

On September 24, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced CAD203 million (US$151 million) for SRHR, gender equality, global peace and security, and climate change at the UNGA and the Summit of the Future.

New funding included:

• Over CAD112 million (US$83 million) to help protect the comprehensive SRHR of women and girls worldwide;
• CAD58 million (US$43 million) in projects that empower women and promote gender equality, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. With this funding, Canada will fulfill its CAD100 million (US$74 million) commitment to address issues in unpaid and paid care work in low- and middle-income countries;
• Over CAD16 million (US$12 million) to support Haiti’s transitional government’s election preparedness, increase humanitarian aid, reduce gang violence, and expand access to justice for women and youth detainees while supporting their reintegration into society;
• Prime Minister Trudeau also convened a High-Level Meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti to strengthen efforts to restore democracy, security, and stability in Haiti;
• CAD9 million (US$7 million) to support the UN’s efforts to strengthen development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding assistance globally.
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) to Canada’s Global Forest Leadership Program to respond to increasing wildfires in the face of climate change and advance international leadership on sustainable forest management; and
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) in new wide-ranging investments to strengthen global peace and security, including on land mine clearance, and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly women affected by conflict.

At the UNGA, Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthening democratic institutions globally, and defending Ukraine. Trudeau also welcomed six new members to Canada’s Global Carbon Pricing Challenge, which calls on countries to price carbon to cover 60% of global emissions by 2030.

On September 18, 2024, Canada and Qatar signed an MoU committing the two countries to a collaboration on development programming, focusing on the promotion of good governance, support for women-led solutions, diversity and pluralism, and the protection of human rights.

The MoU also includes a new framework arrangement between GAC and Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation, allowing both parties to collaborate on education projects. This partnership highlights Canada and Qatar’s co-leadership of GenU, a public-private youth partnership hosted by UNICEF.

Among the partnership’s initiatives is Green Rising, which equips young people in over 60 low- and middle-income countries with skills to thrive in the green economy, contributing to the prosperity of their communities.

On September 17, 2024, Canada announced a sovereign loan of CAD120 million (US$88 million) over 10 years to Moldova to address the financial strain facing the country as they welcome Ukrainian refugees.

Canada’s support will help co-finance a World Bank Development Policy Operation loan aimed at supporting the resilience of families and Ukrainian refugees, in addition to fostering sustainable economic growth and climate resilience in Moldova.

On September 4, 2024, Canada’s IDRC launched a call for participants to the Global Forum on Humanitarian Health Research taking place in-person in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2025.

The forum will bring together researchers from settings affected by humanitarian crises, especially low- and middle-income countries, under the theme of Health Research at the Nexus of Humanitarian Crises and Climate Change.

Applications are due on October 7, 2024.

From June 17 to 20, 2024, Canada hosted the 54^th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the CDB and announced more than CAD11 million (US$8 million) in funding for economic development in the Caribbean.

The funding included:

• CAD5 million (US$4 million) to the Inter-American Development Bank for the Compete Caribbean+ project to enhance private sector productivity and foster regional economic growth;
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) to the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica for the Jamaica Urban Solutions for the Environment project to increase climate resilience through gender-responsive and nature-based solutions for urban areas vulnerable to climate hazards; and
• CAD2 million (US$1 million) in top-ups to UNFPA for the program EQUAL SRHR to improve the protection of women and girls in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, including those who are Venezuelan migrants, by advancing SRHR and protection from GBV.

On June 13 and 16, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced CAD5 billion (US$3.6 billion) and CAD52 million (US$38 million) at the G7 Summit and the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, respectively, in support of Ukraine.

The CAD5 billion (US$3.6 billion) contribution will contribute to the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans for Ukraine. Through the initiative, G7 countries intend to bring forward the revenues from frozen Russian sovereign assets, providing Ukraine with approximately CAD69 billion (US$50 billion).

The CAD52 million (US$38 million) contribution was allocated in support of Ukraine’s recovery and rebuilding efforts. This included:

• CAD20 million (US$15 million) to support Ukraine’s urgent efforts to replace damaged energy equipment and infrastructure; and
• CAD15 million (US$11 million) for civilian services, including:
  • Supporting vulnerable children and youth, and the reintegration of displaced children returning to Ukraine through children protective services;
  • Improving access to justice for survivors of war crimes;
  • Increasing families’ and civil society’s awareness about the missing persons process; and
  • Supporting male survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, including prisoners of war.
• CAD15 million (US$11 million) to help Ukraine's recovery, including:
  • Supporting the IMF to help Ukraine acquire the technical assistance and training needed for economic reforms and eventual accession to the EU;
  • Improving Ukraine’s capacity to safely clear mines and other remnants of war; and
  • Providing Ukraine’s government with technical assistance from Government of Canada experts in the justice and energy sectors.

On June 14, 2024, the second day of the G7 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced nearly CAD687 million (US$501 million) to strengthen sustainable agricultural, climate resiliency, and foster gender equality in low- and middle-income countries.

Within the funding was CAD200 million (US$146 million) to IFAD, including:

• CAD100 million (US$73 million) to reduce poverty and food insecurity while strengthening climate resilience, with a focus on poor, vulnerable, and rural communities; and
• CAD100 million (US$73 million) as a repayable contribution to IFAD’s Private Sector Financing Programme to support investments in the agricultural sector in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia.

Canada also announced new funding for the Indo-Pacific region, which is home to the largest number of climate-vulnerable people in the world. Funding included:

• CAD360 million (US$262 million) in repayable contributions to the ADB to establish the Canadian Climate and Nature Fund for the Private Sector in Asia to mobilize private capital toward inclusive climate change mitigation and adaptation projects; and
• CAD7 million (US$5 million) through the IDRC to build on Canada’s existing partnership with the UK to expand the IDRC’s AI for Development program for responsible AI innovation and capacity building in the Indo-Pacific.

Lastly, Canada announced new funding to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people, including:

• CAD100 million (US$73 million) in the International Finance Corporation’s Facility for Gender Equality, Resilience, Opportunity, and Inclusion Worldwide, which is expected to mobilize an estimated CAD470 million (US$342 million) in private capital for investments that empower women and promote gender inclusion; and
• CAD20 million (US$15 million) to TradeMark Africa and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation to help eliminate the gender-based barriers that prevent women from fully participating in opportunities afforded by the African Continental Free Trade Area.

On June 13, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participated in a G7 working session on Africa, climate change, and development as well as a side event on the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, where he announced over CAD1.6 billion (US$1.2 billion) to promote sustainable development and inclusive global clean energy transition.

The announced funding included:

• CAD720 million (US$524 million) over five years for a new concessional finance facility at FinDev Canada to mobilize capital for sustainable development, including from the private sector;
• CAD510 million (US$371 million) in repayable contributions and technical assistance grants to the Inter-American Development Bank Group to establish the Canadian Net Zero and Climate Resilience Accelerator Fund. The funding is intended incentivize private-sector investments that will help economies in Latin America and the Caribbean become less carbon-intensive, more climate-resilient, and more inclusive;
• CAD274 million (US$200 million) to purchase hybrid capital from the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This is slated to enable up to CAD1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) in additional lending to low- and middle-income countries to improve education and health to reduce food insecurity and carbon footprints;
• CAD120 million (US$87 million) in sovereign loans and a CAD7 million (US$5 million) technical assistance grant to South Africa in support of its Just Energy Transition Partnership to transition to secure and affordable clean energy while addressing economic inclusion gaps; and
• CAD45 million (US$33 million) in repayable loans to the Private Infrastructure Development Group to expand financing options for sustainable and gender-inclusive infrastructure in Africa and Asia.

On June 7, 2024, Canada’s IDRC announced CAD23 million (US$17 million) to support inclusive and sustainable aquaculture food systems to address climate change and food insecurity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

The IDRC partnered with the Canadian government to launch AQUADAPT, a four-year project to improve small-scale aquaculture’s climate productivity and sustainability. The partnership aims to develop nature-based solutions to sustainably manage aquatic ecosystems and support robust nutritious systems, quality jobs, and resilient food production in a changing climate. AQUADAPT will include 11 research alliances and 35 institutions across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

On June 5, 2024, the IRPP urged Canada to go beyond humanitarian gestures and develop a new, comprehensive strategy to approach relations with African countries as a strategic partnership, given the brimming economic opportunity on the continent.

The think tank advocated for Canada to swiftly implement a comprehensive strategy that sets new diplomatic and economic priorities with the continent. It criticized Canada for announcing CAD900 million (US$654 million) for humanitarian assistance in Budget 2024, but no funding for the CA-ECS, announced in 2022. The IRPP noted that the lack of commitment reinforces the narrative that the African continent is solely dependent on humanitarian assistance, rather than seen as a valued collaborator in Canada’s international strategic vision.

The IRPP highlighted a trillion-dollar economic opportunity for Canada if it approaches the continent as a dynamic partner. It asserted that while Canada should continue to take action and invest in urgent humanitarian needs, it must also invest further in Africa’s development initiatives to address climate change and support economic development and human rights.

The IRPP concluded with the recommendation that Canada support advancements in long-term governance, infrastructure development, and debt restructuring, as well as tap into Africa’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem and emerging digital economy to foster sustainable development across multiple sectors.