Policy Updates

On May 14, 2026, the US announced an additional US$1.8 billion for OCHA’s pooled funds and hyper-prioritized humanitarian activities, bringing total US support for OCHA’s reform and life-saving assistance programs to US$3.8 billion across 21 countries.

The US said the new funding builds on a December 29, 2025 Humanitarian Reset framework agreement with OCHA, signed in Geneva, Switzerland, alongside an initial US$2 billion pledge for country-based and crisis-level pooled funds. The US and OCHA said they had operationalized the agreement by accelerating disbursements and introducing stronger oversight and accountability measures, while mobilizing support from other humanitarian donors.

The US said the initial US$2 billion contribution to OCHA-managed rapid-response pooled funds will deliver life-saving assistance to 21.1 million people in less than four months and that the additional US$1.8 billion will continue to support pooled funds in 21 countries, as well as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

OCHA said the US$1.8 billion would not be subject to the Trump administration’s Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance policy. OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko said no conditions had been placed on the funds and that the UN had not compromised on the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.

On May 13, 2026, the European Commission adopted the Global Health Resilience Initiative, a strategy to scale up prevention, preparedness, and response to future health threats and to address resilience gaps in health systems.

The European Commission said the initiative sets a strategic framework for future EU action to enable faster responses to health threats and crises through a strong multilateral system and cooperation with partners. The strategy aims to reinforce EU strategic autonomy and competitiveness and to support partner countries’ transition away from aid dependence toward health sovereignty.

The initiative has five priority areas:

• Promoting a more effective and less fragmented global health architecture
• Supporting resilient and country-led health systems, with an emphasis on primary health care
• Reinforcing international prevention, preparedness, and response, including improved availability of medical countermeasures such as therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics
• Diversifying global supply chains and manufacturing of key health products
• Bolstering societal resilience by fostering trust in science and countering health dis- and misinformation.

The Commission stated the EU has already mobilized EUR6 billion (US$6.9 billion) for health investments under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe instrument and had made health a key pillar of the Global Gateway, the EU external investment arm . The initiative includes nine flagship measures at national, regional, and global levels, with implementation expected to begin in 2026-2027.

On April 29, 2026, Canadian Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai announced CAD52 million (US$38 million) for new international assistance programming to advance innovative financing, strengthen global impact investing, and expand blended finance solutions for partner countries.

Sarai made the announcement at the G7 Development Ministers’ Meeting in Paris, France. The package includes five initiatives:

• Advancing Canada’s Leadership in Impact Investing Project, implemented by the Canada Forum for Impact Investment and Development, funded at CAD1.9 million (US$1.4 million) over six years: Will strengthen standards, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among Canadian and international impact-investment actors
• Advancing Global Blended Finance with Canada’s Support, implemented by Convergence Blended Finance, funded at CAD7 million (US$5 million) over six years: To support market intelligence and the design of blended finance structures to unlock additional private investment in low- and middle-income countries.
• Allianz Credit Emerging Markets Fund, implemented by Allianz Global Investors, funded at CAD28 million (US$20 million) over 22 years: Will help scale an emerging‑markets debt fund designed to mobilize institutional capital toward sustainable economic growth and climate action, targeting climate‑aligned sectors such as clean energy, sustainable infrastructure and climate‑smart agriculture.
• SOURCE Platform for Infrastructure, implemented by the Sustainable Infrastructure Foundation, funded at CAD4.6 million (US$3.4 million) over two years: Will strengthen the SOURCE platform, a global infrastructure project‑preparation tool used by governments to design, assess and manage high‑quality, sustainable infrastructure projects.
• Global Innovation Fund Growth, implemented by Global Innovation Fund Growth Ltd., funded at CAD10 million (US$7.3 million) over 11 years: Will help grow evidence‑based, high‑impact innovations that improve the lives of people in targeted markets in Africa and South and Southeast Asia, supporting enterprises with strong potential for commercial sustainability and social impact.

On April 20, 2026, Sweden announced a new support package of SEK15.4 million (US$1.7 million) for 2026–2028 focused on democracy and cultural heritage preservation in Ukraine.

Of the total, SEK8.7 million (US$1.0 million) was allocated for 2026. The democracy support component included SEK3 million (US$330,000) to the National Democratic Institute, SEK900,000 (US$99,000) to the Council of Europe, and SEK1.5 million (US$165,000) to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights for 2026. The cultural heritage component included SEK10 million (US$1.1 million) to Gotlands Museum for 2026–2028.

Sweden stated the package built on its long-term efforts to strengthen Ukraine's resilience and democratic development.

On April 20, 2026, Norway announced NOK100 million (US$11 million) in budget support to Palestine to help maintain basic public services, including education, and ensure the payment of salaries to government employees.

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide made the announcement during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Brussels, where Eide also chaired a meeting of the Palestine Aid and Liaison Group together with EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. The budget support comes amid an acute economic crisis in Palestine, exacerbated by movement restrictions and violence, which have severely strained public finances and forced drastic cuts to the state budget, leaving public employees including teachers, health workers, and police receiving only partial salaries.

Norway stated that budget support would help provide financial stability and ensure the Palestinian population continued to receive health care and education, while calling on other countries to contribute. Norway's planned support to Palestine, including to Palestinian refugees, will be approximately NOK1 billion (US$110 million) in 2026.

On April 20, 2026, Sweden announced an additional SEK70 million (US$7.7 million) in humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, bringing Sweden's total targeted humanitarian assistance to Lebanon to SEK135 million (US$14.8 million) in 2026.

The additional funding was provided in light of the continued deterioration of Lebanon's humanitarian situation. Of the new allocation, SEK24 million (US$2.6 million) came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SEK46 million (US$5.1 million) from abbr:SIDA. Sweden had previously announced a SEK65 million (US$7.2 million) humanitarian support package on March 14, 2026, the day after the UN launched its emergency humanitarian appeal for Lebanon.

The assistance focuses on the most vulnerable, providing displaced persons with access to collective emergency housing, hot meals, emergency medical care, and psychosocial support. The funding complements Sweden's core support to the International Red Cross Movement and several abbr:UN organizations operating in Lebanon.

On April 17, 2026, Canada announced CAD5.5 million (US$4 million) in humanitarian assistance to address the ongoing economic and energy crisis in Cuba, with funding allocated to PAHO and WFP

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand and Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai announced the funding on behalf of Global Affairs Canada. Cuba has faced a deepening humanitarian crisis marked by repeated nationwide power grid failures, prolonged blackouts, and acute fuel shortages, severely disrupting access to food, clean water, and health care.

Of the total, CAD5 million (US$3.6 million) was allocated to PAHO to improve access to essential health services, critical medicines, and medical supplies, as well as to strengthen supply chains and support primary health care facilities and referral hospitals. The remaining CAD500,000 (US$365,000) was allocated to WFP to provide food assistance and support essential logistics and fuel needs for the humanitarian response.

On April 16, 2026, the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents announced new funding commitments totaling US$806 million from governments and philanthropic partners to support its TRANSFORM 2030 strategy, a five-year plan to accelerate reductions in preventable maternal and child deaths.

The announcements were made on the sidelines of the World Bank Group-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, DC. The commitments represent more than 80% of the GFF's fundraising goal of US$1 billion by the end of 2026, with additional pledges expected in the coming months.

Commitments announced included:

• CAD190 million (US$139 million) from the Government of Canada;
• EUR45 million (US$53 million) from the Government of Germany;
• US$186 million from the Government of the Netherlands;
• NOK600 million (US$66 million) from the Government of Norway;
• US$150 million from the Children's Investment Fund Foundation;
• US$200 million from the Gates Foundation; and
• US$15 million from the Laerdal Scale Up Fund.

Philanthropic and private sector commitments included US$250 million for the newly launched Sustainable Commodities Access Program, designed to incentivize countries to expand access to high-quality commodities and address supply chain bottlenecks, and US$15 million for a new innovations challenge program to scale up the Safer Births Bundle of Care in 10 countries.

On April 15, 2026, Canada announced more than CAD120 million (US$88 million) in new funding to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and neighboring countries, including humanitarian assistance, development funding, and peace and stabilization support.

Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai made the announcement at the International Sudan Conference in Berlin, Germany. Sudan has faced a deepening humanitarian crisis driven by a civil war that began in 2023, resulting in the largest human displacement crisis in the world, widespread sexual violence, famine, and the collapse of basic services.

Canada's contribution included more than CAD94 million (US$69 million) in humanitarian assistance in 2026, delivered through partners to provide emergency food and nutrition, health care, protection, shelter, and water and sanitation to vulnerable people affected by the crisis in Sudan, South Sudan, and Chad.

An additional CAD25 million (US$18 million) was allocated to development assistance, including CAD18 million (US$13 million) to Save the Children Canada to deliver education for more than 60,000 children and protect children from violence, exploitation, and trauma, and CAD7 million (US$5 million) to the UN Population Fund to expand sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response services across Sudan, including in Darfur and Kordofan. Canada also allocated CAD1.25 million (US$912,000) to expand peace and stabilization efforts, including civilian-led initiatives.

At the One Health Summit in Lyon, France, on April 7, 2026, the European Commission announced plans to pledge EUR700 million (US$812 million) to the Global Fund's 8th replenishment, EUR46.5 million (US$54 million) to strengthen health security in Africa and Europe, and EUR50 million (US$58 million) in research and development for AMR and neglected tropical diseases.

Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela made the announcements under the scope of the new Global Health Resilience Initiative, announced by President Ursula von der Leyen in the 2025 State of the Union address.

Of the Global Fund pledge, EUR185 million (US$215 million) will be immediately available under the current long-term budget, with country-level grants implemented from 2027 to 2029. Team Europe, comprising the Commission and EU Member States, pledged more than EUR3 billion (US$3.5 billion) in total to the 8th replenishment, representing around one third of all donor contributions since the Global Fund's creation in 2002.

The EUR46.5 million (US$54 million) health security investment aims to strengthen the One Health workforce, AMR surveillance, prevention, and control, and laboratory capacity across Africa over five years, in partnership with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies.

Of the EUR50 million (US$58 million) in research and development funding, EUR30 million (US$35 million), managed by KfW, supported the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator and the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, while EUR20 million (US$23 million) was contributed to AFD for implementation by DNDi to develop dengue medical treatments.