Policy Updates

On June 27, 2024, the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, which emphasized the EU's commitment to peace, cooperation, and economic prosperity amid a reshaping of the global political landscape marked by strategic competition and instability, was adopted by the European Council.

The EU outlined the following priorities:

• Bolster Europe’s economic competitiveness, including deepening the Single Market in strategic sectors like energy, finance, and telecommunications;
• Strengthen security and defense capabilities within the EU;
• Reinforce EU sovereignty and unity to address strategic competition, climate change, technological advancements, and global instability;
• Strengthen external influence by supporting Ukraine in defending its sovereignty, promoting stability in its neighborhood and beyond, fostering strategic partnerships, and coordinating internal and external policies to address global challenges effectively;
• Uphold human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, and human rights, while safeguarding the rule of law and enhancing democratic resilience;
• Invest in defense readiness, supporting Ukraine, combating crime, and addressing cyber threats, while enhancing cooperation with NATO and other partners;
• Ensure the proper functioning of the Schengen area, addressing irregular migration, and promoting legal pathways;
• Support the international legal order, promoting peace, democracy, and sustainable development, and reforming the multilateral system;
• Boost economic growth, supporting social welfare systems, investing in skills and education, and reducing disparities across the EU; and
• Pursue a merit-based approach to EU enlargement, supporting aspiring members, and undertaking necessary internal reforms.

On June 24, 2024, it was announced that EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen was appointed Chair of the GEM Report Advisory Board, succeeding David Moinina Sengeh.

Urpilainen's appointment underscored her commitment to education, a priority during her tenure as EU Commissioner. Under her leadership, the International Partnerships budget allocation for education showed a significant increase of approximately 13% during 2021-2023.

Urpilainen noted her plans to leverage her experience to support the GEM Report’s strategy, emphasizing impactful global education investments. Her role will include leading the annual Advisory Board meetings in Paris and advocating for the GEM Report's initiatives as well as UN SDG #4 by prioritizing outputs to support international efforts in enhancing educational policies.

The Advisory Board, comprising 35 members from diverse sectors, is slated to finalize a new five-year strategy at an upcoming meeting chaired by Urpilainen.

On June 20, 2024, the EIB approved EUR12.8 billion (US$13.7 billion) in financing to improve sustainable transport, increase the use of renewable energy, build new student housing, improve earthquake and flood protection, and help business expansion.

EUR2.9 billion (US$3.1 billion) will be allocated for urban development, education, health, and water projects. EUR2.1 billion (US$2.2 billion) is slated to support corporate innovation, with a focus on female entrepreneurs in Africa and the Caribbean, as well as business financing in Ukraine.

EIB President Nadia Calviño highlighted that support will go to global and regional flagship projects and that the investments will improve quality of life and reflect the EIB's commitment to strengthen European resilience, productivity growth, and innovation.

On June 11, 2024, the EIB announced that it will provide Ukraine with a EUR100 million (US$107 million) loan to rebuild municipal infrastructure damaged by the war against Russia.

These funds, agreed at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, will be used to rebuild schools, kindergartens, hospitals, social housing and local transport, in addition to ensuring essential services such as clean water and sanitation.

Calls for project proposals are set to be issued, inviting communities to submit applications for the reconstruction of health facilities, housing, education, water sector and shelters. The projects will prioritize liberated territories, areas close to conflict zones, and regions with large numbers of internally displaced persons.

On May 31, 2024, the European Commission approved a second allocation of EUR25 million (US$27 million) to the Palestinian Authority, and granted EUR16 million (US$17 million) to UNRWA to provide basic services, such as health and education, to Palestinian refugees.

The funds allocated to the Palestinian Authority, as part of the PEGASE program, is intended to help the Palestinian Authority meet its commitments to pay salaries and pensions to civil servants in the West Bank. The payment is the second tranche of the EUR118 million (US$126 million) development assistance package approved in December 2023.

The European Commission authorized the EUR16 million (US$17 million) to UNRWA after assessing progress towards reform recommendations. The disbursement brings the total EU ODA to UNRWA in 2024 to EUR66 million (US$70 million), out of a total projected EUR82 million (US$88 million) for the year.

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 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 2, 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would provide EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) to Lebanon from 2024-27.

Von der Leyen made the pledge during a visit to Beirut. The support primarily focuses on health and education, as well as banking and governance reforms.

The pledge comes at a time when EU funding is under scrutiny for its emphasis on curbing migration, specifically as the bloc reallocates funding to EU border control, rather than support for partner countries.

On April 11, 2024, the European Commission and the Belgian Council Presidency hosted the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education.

Grounded in EU pledges from the 2022 TES, the program prioritized green and digital learning, teaching quality, and finance for education among others. Notably, FLN, one of the key foci of the 2022 TES, did not feature in the agenda.

In addition to high-level meetings and discussions, the event included EUR245 million (US$264 million) several pledges from the EU, including:

• EUR110 million (US$119 million) for implementation of Zambia's National Development Plan and Free Education Initiative, which aim to improve quality of early, primary, and secondary education and increase the attendance and completion rates of girls in school;
• EUR75 million (US$81 million) co-financed by the EU and Team Europe for employment-related skills and vocational training with a focus on women and girls' education in SSA. Specific partner countries were not named;
• EUR15 million (US$16 million) and EUR27 million (US$29 million) were allocated to youth mobility projects with a focus on EU-Africa mobility and intra-African mobility and green skills, respectively; and
• EUR18 million (US$20 million) for building research capacity related to medicines and vaccines in Nigeria.

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.