Policy Updates

On November 21, 2024, the Lowy Institute published the annual Pacific Aid Map which confirmed Australia remains the largest donor to the Pacific region.

The 2024 Pacific Aid Map provided complete data from 2008-2022, the second major donor in the Pacific region is China, which overtook the US. Other Western donors reduced their ODA to the Pacific region largely due to overarching budget constraints and redirected funding to Ukraine.

In 2022, Australia provided AUD2.2 billion (US$1.5 billion) whilst China provided US$256 million. The publication indicated that China has continued to revise its approach, including shifting towards grants and away from lending programs.

In general, loans to the Pacific region have increased from 12% in 2009 to 40% in 2022, driven largely by an increased focus on infrastructure in the region.

On November 6, 2024, the results of the 2024 US Presidential Election were announced, with former US President Donald Trump (Republican) as the winner, leaving many development experts to speculate on how the upcoming Trump administration will impact US development policies and funding.

From his previous term in 2016-2020, Trump was not supportive of the multilateral system, including the UN. Many of his previous decisions were reversed by the Biden administration, such as budget cuts to USAID, and will likely be reinstated upon his return to office.

Trump's presidency could impact Global Health in particular by once again withdrawing from the WHO, reinstating the Global Gag, and cutting funding for UNFPA. Climate funding, an already contentious issue on Capitol Hill, faces an uncertain future.

Localization is one of the areas where there may be bipartisan agreement. Faith-based organizations and private sector partners working with the DFC are also groups that may find favor in the next administration.

On October 31, 2024, a joint event by the CGD and the MFAN saw US development experts recommend priorities and policies for the next US administration. The discussion was framed by a set of detailed recommendations released by MFAN.

The document, Building on a Legacy of Progress: Opportunities to Reform U.S. Foreign Assistance, covers a range of issues, including improved coordination with other national and global partners, creating a stronger path for country partners to transition to self-reliance, catalyzing innovation and strategic risk taking, and elevating transparency and evidence for better accountability.

The event included remarks by two former USAID Administrators, Mark Green and Gayle Smith, followed by a panel of senior former US government officials who reflected on their own experience, the need for a stronger US development experts to recommend priorities and policies for development approaches that meet the times, and their priorities for the future.

On October 26, 2024, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced that USAID will provide an additional US$572 million to help displaced people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

The assistance will provide emergency assistance of food, water, shelter, and health care through USAID partners.

The region has been hit with multiple crises, including violence, flooding, and starving children. Other factors, including costs of transporting aid, blockades by extremists, the prohibition of cash transfers, and violence against citizens, hinder the provision of humanitarian assistance.

Power called on all donors to contribute assistance and work towards a safe environment so that assistance can be provided.

The contribution brings US funding to the region to US$1.2 billion in FY2025.

On October 23, 2024, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced a series of investments for Cambodia during an official visit to Cambodia.

The assistance includes US$29 million through the US Feed the Future program to strengthen agricultural programs, including climate-smart technologies, new efforts to help with the conservation of biodiversity of the lower Mekong River basin, support to civil society and the media, and a grant from the US Department of Labor to help disabled and vulnerable workers.

In a separate appearance, Power announced US$17 million in health assistance. The resources include a 5-year program to fight tuberculosis, one of USAID's largest-ever direct awards to a Cambodian organization. The US also committed US$1 million to end childhood lead poisoning and US$17 for a range of demining activities.

On October 10 and 11, 2024, the G7's Health Ministerial Meeting took place in Ancona, Italy. The discussion focused on three overarching priorities: Global Health Architecture and Pandemic Preparedness and Response, healthy and active aging, and the One Health Approach.

The G7 Health Ministers Communiqué, released at the end of the meeting, highlights the G7's commitment to supporting SDG #3 through universal health coverage, primary health care, and sexual and reproductive health. This also includes maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health, strengthening the global health architecture by investing in PPR, promoting regional manufacturing of health products, and equitable access to quality health services.

The communiqué emphasized the health-related impacts of conflicts with a reference to the crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. Furthermore, in the communiqué, the G7 Ministries committed to continue to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, whose replenishment processes will occur in the upcoming months.

The Civil 7 engagement group, a platform through which civil society can engage with the G7, reacted with a communiqué in which they expressed an appreciation for the re-commitment to ending HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through robust support for the Global Fund in its replenishment next year. This support is crucial to ending the three epidemics as agreed upon in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Finally, the G7 Health Ministers also adopted a policy brief on the opportunities presented by AI for both healthcare providers and patients.

On October 4, 2024, the US concluded a series of announcements to pledge US$1.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to crisis areas which will provide food assistance, WASH, healthcare, nutrition, shelter, and psychosocial services.

The assistance includes:

• US$336 million for the people in Gaza and the West Bank;
• US$535 million for a regional response for the people of Sudan and surrounding regions and US$5 million for Sudanese refugees in Libya; and
• US$424 million for the people in Sudan and the surrounding refugee-hosting countries.
• US$157 million for populations impacted by the conflict in Lebanon

The resources will come from USAID and the US State Department.

On October 2, 2024, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced additional humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Ukrainian populations and refugees in the surrounding region during a visit to Ukraine.

The resources will be provided by both USAID and the US State Department and will help populations prepare both for winter as well as providing food, shelter, health, WASH, and protection assistance, including GBV prevention and support. UN partners and NGOs will also receive some of the resources to help provide life-saving assistance.

With this announcement, the total US humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region has been US$3.8 billion since February of 2022.

On September 25, 2024, the First Lady Jill Biden helped launch a new initiative to create a lead-free future. In a partnership between USAID and UNICEF, Biden announced a US$150 million effort, the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future.

Lead exposure affects 1 in 3 children globally and can cause brain damage in children, which can cause a range of effects, including developmental delays, learning issues, and lower IQs. Saying that lead poisoning is a problem that can be solved, Biden stressed that everyday exposure is creating irreversible damage to children.

The partnership has mobilized US$150 million, which is ten times the current global investment, from a range of public and private sources. The resources will be used for better testing to inform new regulations against lead-based products and to push for lead-free alternatives and operations.

On September 18, 2024, the White House released the US Strategy on Global Development which outlined a whole-of-government approach to build on the 75 years of US investments in global development.

The strategy has five main objectives:

• Reducing poverty through inclusive economic growth and quality infrastructure;
• Investing in health, food security, and human capital;
• Decarbonizing economies and increasing climate resilience;
• Promoting democracy, human rights, and governance while also addressing fragility and conflict; and
• Responding to humanitarian assistance needs.

The strategy noted the need to build stronger systems to address the lost development gains from COVID-19 and to accelerate progress toward meeting the SDGs. The strategy highlighted the need to build stronger partnerships while recognizing the leadership role that the US is committed to.