Policy Updates

On January 6, 2025, the Royal College of Nursing conduted research stating that the UK cut health ODA to some of the world’s vulnerable countries at the same time as recruiting thousands of their nurses.

The Royal College of Nursing said Labour has a duty to fix the ODA cuts imposed by the previous government, and to work on increasing the UK’s domestic supply of nurses.

Between 2020 and 2023, direct UK ODA for health-related projects in “red list” countries – those with the most severe workforce shortages – fell by nearly 63%, from GBP484 million (US$684 million) to GBP181 million (US$234 million).

Spending on projects designed to strengthen the healthcare workforce in those countries fell by 83%, from GBP24 million (US$34 million) to GBP4 million (US$5 million).

At the same time, the number of nurses from these countries on the UK’s national register rose sharply. There were 11,386 registered in September 2020, and 32,543 in September 2024.

On January 3, 2025, the IDC announced that the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves did not answer their question on how the Government decided to set ODA spending at 0.5%.

Reeves reiterated that the UK government is still committed to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA, but that the ‘fiscal tests’ for this have not been met. She added that the Government has no plans to update these tests, as they have the endorsement of Parliament. The Chair of the IDC Sarah Champion also did not receive a direct answer to this question when she raised it in a written question in Parliament to the Treasury.

Champion expressed her appreciation for the Chancellor's response but noted that it left many questions unanswered. She questioned the reasoning behind choosing a 0.5% GNI target if 0.7% is considered unattainable, asking whether the figure is arbitrary or central to the Government's ODA strategy. Champion also expressed her anticipation for more detailed clarification from government ministers in the new year.

On December 30, 2024, the Minister for Development announced GBP61 million (US$79 million) for humanitarian assistance in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia as part of the UK government’s Plan for Change by tackling migration flows upstream and addressing the climate emergency and global poverty.

The UK is directing GBP22 million (US$28 million) towards responding to escalating crises in the Middle East and GBP34 million (US$43 million) will go towards alleviating high levels of humanitarian need in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, the DRC, Somalia, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Additionally, up to GBP5 million (US$6 million) will be used to respond to the devastation wreaked by Tropical Cyclone Chido. It is estimated that 1.5 million people have been affected by the recent storms, with crops, infrastructure, health facilities.

The UK will provide GBP5 million (US$6 million) to reach around 350,000 of those affected in Mozambique, focusing on meeting immediate emergency shelter, clean water, and sanitation needs.

On December 18, 2024, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong pledged AUD10 million (US$7 million) of support to the Ukraine energy fund to provide electricity and heat for Ukrainians during her visit to Kyiv.

She also announced that AUD66 million (US$43 million) would be provided to the EBRD, to help Ukraine in its reconstruction and recovery efforts.

Australia additionally planned to reopen its embassy in Kyiv which has been closed since 2022.

On December 17, 2024, the German political parties published their election programs ahead of the February 2025 elections, showing clear differences in their proposals for development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

The two remaining parties of the governing coalition, the left-leaning SPD and the Greens, both embraced independent development cooperation, led by a strong, independent BMZ.

The center-right opposition party CDU/CSU, by contrast, proposed bringing development cooperation, led by the BMZ, and humanitarian assistance, led by the AA, together. The liberal FPD originally put forth the proposal to merge the BMZ and the AA.

The SPD and Greens emphasized Agenda 2030 and multilateralism as guiding principles and highlighted their continued commitment to 0.7% ODA/GNI. The Greens also proposed leveraging additional funding for climate goals. The CDU/CSU and FPD made no such commitments.

All parties, but the CDU/CSU in particular, stressed a shift to align development with German interests. The CDU/CSU noted its ambition to gear development towards migration management, with criteria intended to stem irregular migration flows. The party also sought to link development to geopolitical and security goals, as well as economic aims and the promotion of international trade.

The SPD and Greens noted their desire to maintain Germany's feminist foreign and development policy, and listed their commitments for global health, climate, and agriculture. The CDU/CSU and FPD did not specifically mention policy aims for health, climate and agriculture, but stated that they will focus on women's rights as part of development policy.

On December 17, 2024, the global campaign for assistance and development transparency, Publish What You Fund, released the report Commitments Without Accountability, which compares leading donors' commitments to locally led development, enabling effictive tracking and reporting on implementation.

The study focused on the extent to which donors had increased direct funding to local organizations. Of the five donors, including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, USAID, GAC, the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UK’s FCDO, only USAID had the strategies, policies, comprehensive targets, and measurable public data to track its direct funding target.

The analysis created a Local Funding Matrix which looked at definitions, measurement, strategy, and policy to compare these 5 OECD DAC donors. Only USAID fulfilled all of the criteria; Australia has progressed in developing strategies, policies, and establishing a definition of local.

This work builds on Publish What You Fund's Metrics Matter series which tracked USAID 's progress towards its own 25% target by 2025, of which USAID is currently off track to meet. A third Metrics Matter report will be released in the spring of 2025, which will include all 5 donors.

On December 17, 2024, the WHO Academy in Lyon officially opened, marking a significant step in strengthening the skills and competencies of health professionals to achieve UHC and improve global access to quality healthcare services

The Academy will provide healthcare professionals worldwide with training in the latest medical advancements and help prepare for future health emergencies. The official opening was attended by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, French President Emmanuel Macron, the Director of Institut Pasteur, the Director of the Robert Koch Institute, and the President of the Lyon Metropole.

The new campus is in Lyon's Gerland biodistrict, surrounded by pharmaceutical companies and scientific institutions, such as the P4 laboratory and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. France has contributed EUR120 million (US$129 million) to the WHO Academy, and for its medium-term operations, the WHO plans to mobilize additional funding from member states, the private sector, and foundations.

On December 17, 2024, 20 Swedish ODA organizations strongly criticized the government’s new development strategy, claiming that SEK3 billion (US$290 million) intended for poverty reduction is being redirected to migration control measures.

In an op-ed published in Dagens Industri, the organizations argue that the Tidö Agreement negotiated with far-right support, marks a fundamental shift in Sweden’s ODA priorities. Secretary General of Erikshjälpen Mattias Ingeson and Secretary General of Afrikagrupperna Louise Lindfors, joined by 18 other ODA leaders, stated that instead of assisting those fleeing conflict and crises, evidence suggests these measures have led to violations of human rights and the principles of the Refugee Convention.

The new strategy allocated significant funding to border police and migration management in transit countries. However, ODA organizations contend that this undermines Sweden’s long-standing development principles and argue that tackling the root causes of migration requires prioritizing core development assistance over border control measures.

The protest letter was signed by leaders from prominent Swedish ODA organizations, including Act Swedish Church, Diakonia, ForumCiv, International Rescue Committee, and the Swedish Afghanistan Committee, representing a broad coalition of Sweden’s development sector.

On December 17, 2024, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed former Italian Prime Minister and European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni as co-chair of a high-level expert group tasked with addressing the debt crisis by advancing policy solutions and building political and public support.

The group will be led by UN Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda Mahmoud Mohieldin, co-chaired by Gentiloni, former South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, and Senior Researcher at Boston University's Global Development Policy Centre Yan Wang.

The group will present its recommendations at the FfD4, to be held from June 30 to July 3, 2025, in Sevilla, Spain.

On December 17, 2024, Norway announced a new substantial humanitarian assistance package for Ukraine, allocating nearly NOK1 billion (US$91 million) to seven Norwegian humanitarian organizations.

This funding, distributed through the Nansen Program, will support the efforts of the Norwegian Red Cross, Norwegian Church Aid, Norwegian People's Aid, Caritas Norge, Save the Children, SOS Children's Villages, the refugee and civilian response force, and NORCAP.

These organizations, working closely with Ukrainian authorities and civil society, are providing critical assistance to vulnerable groups, including children, refugees, and internally displaced people. The funding will ensure access to essential services such as food, shelter, electricity, heating, clean water, sanitation, education, healthcare, psychosocial support, and protection against GBV.