Policy Updates

On May 29, 2024, the French Ministers of Economy, Ecological Transition, Europe and Foreign Affairs as well as the Secretary of State in Charge of Development and International Partnerships jointly announced that France overachieved its climate finance target for 2022.

The announcement was based on data released by the OECD's for 2022. The data showed that, in 2022, France provided EUR7.6 billion (US$8.2 billion) in climate financing, of which EUR2.6 billion (US$2.8 billion) was for adaptation. The ministers stated that this represents an excess of approximately 25% of the EUR6 billion climate finance target set by the French presidency in 2020.

The statement noted that France is one of the main contributing countries to the financing of climate action in low- and middle-income countries, and that its contribution goes beyond its proportional share of responsibility.

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 21^st 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.

On May 21, 2024, at the occasion of the World Water Forum, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would be hosting the One Water Summit on September 23, 2024, in the margins of UNGA79.

The summit will be organized in close collaboration with Kazakhstan, the President of the World Bank, the UN, and many other partners. The objectives will be to build a major international alliance on water, bringing together governments, local authorities, industry, the private sector, associations, and NGOs to invest in the new water economy.

The summit aims to contribute to the ongoing UN discussions and process to enhance global water governance, accelerate action on UN SDG #6 on water and sanitation, and act as an incubator for solutions, in preparation for the next UN Water Conference in 2026. The French presidency also stated that it will place the issue of water at the heart of the agenda of the 4P, launched June 2023 in France, with the aim of reconciling the agendas of combating poverty and protecting the environment.

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.

On May 14, 2024, the AFD published its annual results, which indicated that in 2023, the AFD committed EUR13.5 billion (US$14.6 billion) in new financing, amounting to a 10% increase compared to 2022.

The report noted that 52% of commitments benefitted non-sovereign actors, including civil society, communities, private sector, public companies and banks.

EUR7.5 billion (US$8.1 billion) was committed by the group to fight against climate change and its effects, including EUR3 billion (US$3.3 billion) for adaptation and EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) was committed for biodiversity, already exceeding the funding goal set for 2025.

The report stated that funded projects have enabled 70 million people to have better access to health care, the creation or rehabilitation of 4,000 kilometers of land routes, and the conservation of 33 million hectares of biodiversity.

AFD Director General Rémy Rioux published a supplementary commentary with the Center for Global Development on a renewed vision of international cooperation for development.

On May 6, 2024, France was appointed to co-chair the Loss and Damage Fund alongside South Africa.

The Loss and Damage Fund was created following COP28 to address needs emerging from the impact of climate change. The first Board of Directors meeting was held from April 30 to May 2, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The first decision on the agenda was to appoint the two co-chairs, appoint a representative to organize the work of the board, and the establishment of the fund as a FIF with the World Bank. The next meeting is due to take place in July 2024.

The board members elected French Inspector General of the Treasury Jean-Christophe Donnellier as co-chair of the Fund's Board on behalf of 'developed countries', for a one-year term. France, as a substantial contributor, will benefit from the co-chairmanship as well as its seat on the Board.

On March 21, 2024, the French Ministry of Finance and Economy announced a contribution by FFEM and Conservation International of EUR2.5 million (US$3 million) to support biodiversity and respond to climate related crises in Amazonia.

The support is in addition to the previous commitment of EUR13 million (US$14 million) provided by the French Treasury to the region. It marked the first government funding entirely dedicated to safeguarding the Earth's vital reserves, which are crucial areas containing irrecoverable carbon stores and biodiversity in ecosystems like forests, mangroves, and peatlands. The reserves are pivotal in mitigating the most dramatic effects of climate change.

The project is an example of the Alliance for the Conservation of Rainforests that France helped to launch in 2019 with a threefold strategy: preserving, restoring and sustainably managing forests and their ecosystems. To achieve these objectives, the project is slated to collaborate with governments and with the Indigenous peoples and local communities who live in and are from the forest.

FFEM is dedicated to the global environment preservation through the co-financing of innovative pilot environmental projects in developing countries. It supports initiatives that generate local environmental, social and economic benefits. Created in 1994 by the French government, FFEM has co-financed 400 projects totaling EUR500 million (US$542 million) in grants, 70% of which are located in Africa and the Mediterranean region.

On March 14, 2024, the French AI Commission delivered a report to French President Emmanuel Macron, containing 25 recommendations for France to take advantage of the technological revolution of AI.

France announced in November 2023 that it will host the AI Safety Summit in December 2024.

The report includes objectives to be led by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Europe and the Ministry of Health on:

• Making France a pioneer of AI for the planet by reinforcing environmental transparency, research into low-impact models, and utilizing AI in the service of energy and environmental transitions;
• Structuring a coherent and concrete diplomatic initiative aimed at establishing a global governance of AI;
• Facilitating data flow, sharing of practices, and evaluation to leverage the benefits of AI in healthcare, improving the provision of care and the daily lives of healthcare professionals; and
• Encouraging individual use, large-scale experimentation, and evaluation of AI tools to strengthen the public education service and improve the daily lives of educational teams.

On February 27, 2024, 102 French NGOs signed an op-ed published in Le Monde.

The article called out France’s February 2024 budget cut of EUR742 million (US$804 million). CSOs argued the cut goes against Macron's 2021 Development Law, which set France on the path to acheiving a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio. The article stated that by reducing its financial commitments, France had reduced its influence on the international stage at a time when it should be reaffirming its support to multilateralism and CSOs.

The article also underscored the impact that the cut would have on the poorest countries, highlighting projects across sectors that would be reduced or cut due to diminished funding.

Led by Coordination Sud President Olivier Bruyeron, signatures included:

• UNICEF France President Adeline Hazan;
• ONE France President Najat Vallaud-Belkacem;
• Action contre la Faim President Aïcha Koraïchi;
• Oxfam Director General Cécile Duflot;
• WWF Director General Véronique Andrieux;
• Secours catholique Director General Adélaide Bertrand;
• Mouvement pour le planning familial Director Sarah Durocher;
• Handicap International Director Manuel Patrouillard;
• Global Citizen Vice-President for International Advocacy Friederike Röder;
• Equipop Executive Director Aurélie Gal-Régniez;
• CARE France co-directors Emanuela Croce and Alexandre Morel;
• AMREF Health Africa Josselin Léon;
• Friends of the Global Fund Executive Director Hélène Berger; and
• Action Santé Mondial Director Patrick Bertrand.

On December 9, 2023, during COP28, the Dutch government launched an international coalition to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, comprising 13 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Spain.

Research by the Dutch government found that half of all Dutch fossil fuel subsidies are tied to international agreements. This international coalition was created with the intention of phasing out fossil fuel subsidies while preventing greenhouse gas emissions shifting to other parts of the world.

The coalition noted three main pillars:

• Transparency: all member countries publishing an overview of their fossil fuel subsidies by COP29 in 2024;
• International agreements: identifying and addressing international barriers to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies; and
• National action: encouraging international dialogue to share knowledge, develop national strategies, and join action to minimize carbon leakage.

In the coalition’s joint statement, various international organizations including the IMF, OECD, WTO, and World Bank were asked to develop a comprehensive methodological framework to identify the scope of international fossil fuel subsidies and to develop guidance for national phase-out strategies.