Policy Updates

On May 14, 2024, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of the ADB Group, and the executive director of the International Energy Agency co-hosted the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa.

The aim of the summit was to emphasize 2024 as a turning point for progress on ensuring clean cooking access for all.

Støre noted that nearly four in five Africans cook their meals over open fires and traditional stoves, using wood, charcoal, animal dung, and other polluting fuels that have severe impacts on health, gender equality, and the environment. Women and children are especially affected. Støre announced that Norway will support the financing of clean cooking with more than NOK500 million (US$46 million).

On May 10, 2024, more than 40 Canadian international cooperation organizations issued an open letter to the Canadian government to call for a response to the cross-cutting crisis in Haiti, foster greater coherence in Canada’s foreign policy, and better demonstrate Canada’s feminist approach to promoting peace and security.

The letter, addressed to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other top ministers and backed by representatives from Haitian civil society, presented recommendations for a resolute and lasting contribution to resolving the crisis in Haiti. Haiti’s ongoing political crisis has fostered an environment of violence, SGBV, food insecurity, and socio-economic insecurity.

The signatory organizations called on the Canadian government to champion Haiti’s cause by:

• Support the political transition process: Canada should recognize and support the recently sworn-in Transitional Presidential Council so that it can effectively implement the “Political Accord for a Peaceful and Orderly Transition” to restore constitutional normalcy and legal order. Canada should also insist on broad political representation of all segments of society, particularly women and youth;
• Stand against arms trafficking: Canada should encourage international responses and engage in advocacy with the US to stop arms trafficking to Haiti by providing the security forces with logistical and financial support to help restore public security; and
• Improve development and humanitarian assistance: Canada must reconsider the current project-based approach to development and humanitarian funding, which often fails to reach the most vulnerable people and most affected areas. Canada should work with CSOs to implement the triple nexus approach, combining interventions structured in the humanitarian, development, and peace fields as well as increase and diversify its funding to reach more affected sectors, including agriculture, health, protection of civilians, WASH, shelter, education, economic support, and more.

On May 7, 2024, Norad presented the statistics on Norwegian development assistance in 2023, showing that Norwegian ODA reached a record high of NOK58.6 billion (US$5.4 billion), an increase of 18% or NOK9 billion (US$832 million) compared to 2022.

ODA increased in all regions, significantly affected by the one-time additional allocation of NOK5 billion (US$462 million) to LICs particularly affected by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

By region, the largest increase in ODA was to Europe. In total, European countries received NOK9.1 billion (US$842 million) in funding. Of the total European allocation, the largest share of funding went to Ukraine and Moldova. The funding to Ukraine in 2023 stood at NOK7.9 billion (US$730 million).

Development assistance to the African continent increased by NOK2.5 billion (US$321 million), reaching a total of NOK10.2 billion (US$943 million). Africa remains the region receiving the most development assistance from Norway. The increase in funding to Africa is explained by long-term assistance to agriculture, fisheries, food security and emergency relief.

Development assistance to the Middle East increased by over NOK1 billion (US$92 million), reaching NOK3.8 billion (US$351 million) in 2023. The increase was almost exclusively in emergency assistance. Palestine was the second-largest recipient of Norwegian development assistance in 2023, receiving NOK1.2 billion (US$111 million). The majority of the funding was given as humanitarian assistance and emergency relief.

By partner, multilateral organizations were the largest partner group for Norwegian ODA, followed by CSOs and the public sector. Multilaterals received NOK31.7 billion (US$2.9 billion) in 2023, an increase of NOK6.3 billion (US$582 billion) from 2022. CSOs received NOK13.2 billion (US$1.2 billion) in 2023, compared to NOK10.3 billion (US$952 million) in 2022.

The World Bank Group was the largest partner with NOK7.4 billion (US$684 million) in 2023, of which slightly over one-fifth was core support. The WFP was the second-largest recipient with NOK2.4 billion (US$222 million), approximately half of which was earmarked for emergency relief. Overall, multilateral organizations were the dominant partner group for Norwegian health assistance, with over 80% being channeled through multilateral partners in 2023.

By sector, emergency relief and multisectoral support saw the largest growth from 2022 to 2023, while there was a decrease in refugee expenses and earmarked assistance for education.

ODA to agriculture, fisheries, and food security significantly increased from NOK3.9 billion (US$360 million) in 2022 to NOK6.4 billion (US$592 million) in 2023. Most of the increase of NOK2.5 billion (US$231 million) was funded by the one-time funding package for LICs particularly affected by Russia's war against Ukraine.

Total Norwegian ODA to health stood at NOK6.5 billion (US$601 million) in 2023, up from NOK6.3 billion (US$582 million) in 2022. This is significantly lower than in 2020 and 2021, when development assistance globally was influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Between 2014 and 2023, health assistance slightly increased when measured in 2024 prices, from NOK4.7 billion (US$434 million) in 2014. The largest partners in health assistance in 2023 were Gavi at NOK1.5 billion (US$138 million), UNFPA at NOK1.1 billion (US$101 million) and the WHO at NOK687 million (US$63.5 million). Of the earmarked health ODA, totaling NOK3.5 billion (US$323 million) in 2023, 58% went to programs targeting LICs not geographically earmarked. Africa received the most of the geographically earmarked health support, with around NOK600 million (US$55.5 million).

In 2023, NOK1.7 billion (US$157 million) went to SRHR, down from NOK1.8 billion (US$166 million) in 2022. Multilateral organizations, an important partner group in Norwegian SRHR efforts, received 51% of the earmarked support in addition to the calculated core support, totaling 81% of SRHR support. UNFPA was the largest individual partner and received nearly half of total SRHR support.

On May 3, 2024, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced that the agency will be providing an additional US$200 million for RUFT as well as other specialized food used for acute malnutrition.

Approximately 300 million people worldwide are in need of humanitarian relief, where conflicts, climate change, and lack of access to critical food assistance exacerbates food insecurity. 45 million children face wasting, the most serious form of child malnutrition. USAID's RUFT food product is part of a package of services to prevent and treat child wasting.

UNICEF and the UN WFP are slated to distribute the food goods to areas including Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Haiti. The effort builds upon an earlier commitment spearheaded by USAID that announced US$500 million by a public-private coalition at the 2022 UNGA. USAID has already worked in Gaza and Ethiopia to address nutritional needs.

On May 3, 2024, Canada announced CAD65 million (US$48 million) in international assistance funding to Lebanon, including CAD38 million (US$28 million) in development assistance funding and CAD27 million (US$20 million) in humanitarian assistance funding.

The humanitarian assistance will help provide WASH services, health care including SRH services, and protection services including for survivors of SGBV.

The development funding includes:

• CAD20 million (US$15 million) to the UN FAO to improve the capacities of farmers and increase food security in response to climate change and economic shocks;
• CAD13 million (US$10 million) to UNDP to improve the economic security and prosperity of women-led micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises in sectors with high growth and export potential; and
• CAD5 million (US$4 million) to UN Women and UNDP to address barriers facing women’s representation in decision-making and leadership positions, specifically for women in parliament and municipal councils.

On May 2, 2024, the UK government responded to the ICAI, the UK’s aid watchdog, recommendations for tackling fraud in UK ODA funding.

The FCDO thanked ICAI for reviewing the UK's approach to combating fraud in ODA funding released earlier in 2024. The FCDO partially accepted ICAI’s first recommendation to take a more robust and proactive approach to anticipating fraud. The FCDO noted that it was actively exploring the cost-effectiveness of creating an FCDO Fraud Intelligence Unit and was expanding its Fraud Liaison Officers’ Network to strengthen oversight.

The FCDO also partially accepted the second recommendation to strengthen its fraud in its top 20 ODA recipient countries, noting that it will reinforce the mandatory annual assurance assessment across control and risk areas and expand its Fraud Liaison Officer's network.

The FCDO fully accepted the final two recommendations, which called for new fraud management guidance to be written for capital investments and to increase the Head of Mission’s oversight and accountability for fraud risks relating to centrally managed and other government programs.

On May 2, 2024, noting a recent Human Rights Watch report of vicious military attacks against local citizens, USAID announced that it will provide nearly US$55 million in emergency assistance to the most vulnerable people in Burkina Faso.

Violence and attacks on civilians have displaced almost one-third of the population in Burkina Faso, leaving millions in urgent need of food and other assistance. The assistance, which is slated to be delivered by airlifts and military convoys, will be carried out through UN and other international partners. USAID's assistance to Burkina Faso since the start of FY2023 totals US$158 million.

USAID also called on other donors to assist in providing support to what it described as an overlooked and underfunded humanitarian crisis.

On April 23, 2024, the government of Japan announced that it contributed an additional US$10 million to the WFP for food assistance operations in Gaza.

The funding will enable the WFP to distribute wheat flour to over 520,000 internally displaced people in Gaza, both within shelters and outside. Japan’s contribution forms part of its 'Emergency Grant Aid' and brings its total support to WFP operations in Palestine to US$21 million since the start of the conflict in October 2023.

A representative of the Japanese Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs emphasized the importance of this contribution in addressing the urgent food needs of vulnerable groups in Gaza, including women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

On April 17-19, 2024, the G7's Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Capri, Italy, and released a communiqué summarizing the intents and goals of Italy's G7 presidency.

A new meeting is planned in Fiuggi in autumn 2024. The G7 Minister of Development's meeting in Pescara is scheduled for the end of October. The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs is committed to continually working on some of the most urgent international crises.

The G7 Ministers expressed concern about rising food insecurity and malnutrition stemming from the combined impact of climate change, loss, and degradation of ecosystems, the growing number of conflicts, inflationary pressures, and the reduced fiscal space in many developing economies.

The ministers also emphasized the importance of strengthening PPR and global health, as well as supporting LGBTQI+ rights and SRHR. The communiqué also reaffirmed the need for strengthened international financial institutions and underscore the role of MDBs in achieving the SDGs, including in crisis-affected contexts.

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.