Policy Updates

On August 19, 2025, Spain's MAEC highlighted its strengthened commitment to humanitarian action, noting it had tripled the AECID's humanitarian budget from EUR45 million (US$52 million) in 2019 to over EUR133 million (US$154 million) in 2024.

This increase resulted in a total 2024 humanitarian budget of over EUR181 million (US$210 million), a 7.4% rise from 2023, and placed Spain among the top 25 global humanitarian donors. Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares stated that the funding reflects Spanish solidarity and is a foreign policy priority. Albares highlighted Spain's presence in major global crises, including those in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, as well as less-visible emergencies in Haiti and Mali.

In 2024, the AECID allocated EUR15 million (US$17 million) from its budget for specific emergency responses, such as for Hurricane Beryl and the migration crisis in Central America. The update on Spain's humanitarian funding comes as the number of people needing assistance worldwide has surpassed 300 million, with over 123 million forcibly displaced.

On August 18, 2025, Gunn Jorid Roset became the new Director General of the Norad, stating that in a turbulent world with other countries cutting assistance, Norwegian development assistance is more important than ever.

Roset emphasized that Norad's role is to ensure Norwegian assistance is used as effectively as possible to fight poverty and promote sustainable development, which she described as an investment in shared welfare and Norwegian interests. She highlighted Norad's work in both long-term development and humanitarian assistance, including its support for Ukraine through the Nansen Programme.

Roset brings 27 years of experience from the MFA, where she most recently served as Director of the Multilateral Department. In her new six-year term, she intends to continue Norad's close cooperation with CSOs, multilateral organizations, and the private sector.

On August 18, 2025, in response to a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide announced an additional NOK1 billion (US$98 million) to help Ukraine secure gas imports through the EBRD before the upcoming winter.

The new funding, provided under the NSPU, is in addition to a NOK1 billion contribution made in March 2025. The support addresses the severe damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from Russian attacks and is expected to secure heating and electricity for approximately one million families during the 2025-2026 winter season.

The funding will be channeled through the EBRD to the Ukrainian state-owned gas company, Naftogaz, for procuring gas from Western sources. This contribution brings Norway’s total support for Ukraine’s gas procurement to NOK4.6 billion (US$450 million) since 2022.

On August 15, 2025, the Norwegian MCE announced the NOGER Initiative, backed by a NOK8.2 billion (US$803 million) mandate from the Norwegian Parliament to support emission reductions in developing countries through the Paris Agreement's Article 6 framework.

The NOGER Initiative facilitates voluntary cooperation, or carbon trading, between countries to achieve emission targets. This mechanism is intended to help both host and buyer countries increase their climate ambitions beyond their current NDCs.

By promoting this cooperation, the initiative aims to accelerate the global green transition and mobilize private investment in green solutions. The initiative builds on Norway's long-standing experience in international climate cooperation.

On August 14, 2025, the German government announced an additional EUR6 million (US$7 million) in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan to address the urgent needs of over 23 million people, channeling the funds through the WFP and other NGOs.

The German government provided the additional funding from the budgets of the FFO and the BMZ. The funds, which will bypass the de facto Taliban government, are intended to provide food and maintain life-saving basic healthcare.

The support will primarily target returning Afghans and communities in border regions, with a special focus on women and children. The German government reiterated its call for the de facto Taliban government to lift restrictions on women's freedom of movement and work and to ensure unhindered access for the needs-based distribution of humanitarian assistance to all people in need.

On August 14, 2025, the resumed 5^th session of the INC-5.2]{title="Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee"} in Geneva, Switzerland, concluded without reaching a consensus on a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, though UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen and UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that all member states agreed to continue negotiations.

Negotiations to establish a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution concluded without an agreement. UN officials, including UNEP Executive Director Andersen and UN Secretary-General Guterres, acknowledged the outcome but emphasized that all countries remained committed to the process. The talks, which included delegates from 183 nations and representatives from over 400 CSOs faced significant differences on key issues.

The US delegation supported an agreement that allows for tailored, country-specific solutions to reduce plastic pollution while opposing prescriptive, top-down regulations. INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso and INC Executive Secretary Jyoti Mathur-Filipp reaffirmed their dedication to moving forward and achieving a future agreement.

On August 13, 2025, a US court ruled that the Trump administration could continue to withhold billions of dollars in foreign assistance, clearing the way for the administration to cut already-appropriated spending for foreign assistance.

The court found that development organizations that receive government funding do not have cause to challenge the funding cuts. The decision overturned a lower court’s March 2025 order that had required the administration to continue processing foreign assistance payments, including nearly US$4 billion for global health activities through September 2025 and more than US$6 billion for HIV/AIDS programs through 2028. The new ruling noted that the administration had already paid out substantially to existing contracts since the lower court's ruling in March 2025.

The panel also ruled that under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, only the GAO, Congress's independent watchdog, could legally challenge the president’s efforts to withhold foreign assistance funding. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was enacted to limit the president's power to withhold funding that has been appropriated by Congress. While the GAO has the power to sue to force the release of funds, it has not yet done so.

On August 13, 2025, reports indicate the UK ministers are considering eliminating their commitment to ensure 80% of bilateral development funding focuses on gender equality by 2030, a portfolio that provisionally totaled US$15.1 billion in 2024.

The commitment was made by the previous Conservative government in 2023 and reaffirmed by Labour ministers in March 2025, despite overall development funding cuts from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI. Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated in July 2025 that the government would review past decisions. A FCDO spokesperson confirmed that a review of existing commitments was underway but reiterated that women and girls remain a fundamental priority for the department.

Critics from organizations including Bond and Plan International UK warned that removing the 80% target could compound the negative effects of recent US rollbacks on funding for gender and diversity programs. Sarah Champion, Chair of the IDC, emphasized that UK commitments are a lifeline for vulnerable women and girls, particularly when other donors are retreating.

On August 12, 2025, the UNDP, with US$10 million in funding from the Republic of Korea, launched the REVIVE project in Afghanistan to support over 350,000 people.

The project will run from July 2025 to July 2026 across six provinces: Badakhshan, Zabul, Daikundi, Faryab, Khost, and Nangarhar. The REVIVE project focuses on creating emergency employment, rehabilitating essential infrastructure, and improving community-level food security, with an emphasis on climate resilience and women’s empowerment.

UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan Stephen Rodriques stated that the project serves as a bridge between crisis and recovery by investing in local resilience and sustainable opportunities.

Chargé d’affaires of the Republic of Korea to Afghanistan Sung-hwan Moon reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting the Afghan people, particularly women, children, and refugees, and highlighted that the project will help communities rebuild livelihoods and move toward a self-reliant future.

On August 9, 2025, the UK announced an additional GBP8.5 million (US$11 million) in humanitarian funding for Gaza, urging Israel to allow more assistance into the territory and reverse its plan to expand military operations.

The funding will be delivered through the OCHA's OPT Humanitarian Fund to provide food, water, and fuel. The pledge is part of the UK's total GBP101 million (US$135 million) ODA budget for the OPT for the financial year, of which GBP60 million (US$80 million) is allocated to humanitarian support. The UK is the largest donor to the fund in 2025.

Minister for International Development Jenny Chapman stated that the humanitarian catastrophe is ongoing and called for a return to a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. Chapman noted that the new funding can only be effective if Israel allows more assistance to enter safely and securely.