Policy Updates

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.

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, 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, 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 15, 2024, Japan hosted the 17^th THMM with China and South Korea, focusing on public health security, healthy aging, and strengthening health systems to achieve UHC.

The ministers discussed improving PPR, tackling AMR, and promoting joint clinical trials and regulatory alignment across Asia. Japan highlighted the importance of strengthening health workforces, fostering innovation, and increasing cooperation between public health institutes. The countries agreed on an updated Memorandum of Cooperation and Joint Action Plan to improve coordinated responses to future global health emergencies.

On healthy aging, the countries shared strategies for preventive care, integrating long-term healthcare systems, and using technologies like care robots and ICT to meet the needs of aging populations. They also emphasized joint research on aging-related care, considering the cultural and demographic similarities of the three nations.

The three countries committed to strengthening health systems to achieve UHC, promoting digital transformation for equitable healthcare access, and supporting initiatives like Japan’s UHC Knowledge Hub, set to launch in 2025. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmed commitment to collaborative health solutions, with South Korea scheduled to host the next THMM in 2025.

On December 15, 2024, the UK announced a GBP50 million (US$64 million) package of international assistance to help the most vulnerable Syrians, including refugees across the region.

Following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that new emergency assistance will be delivered through the UN and NGO agencies to help the most vulnerable Syrians, in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

The UK joined talks in Aqaba yesterday, hosted by Jordan and attended by ministers and representatives of the Arab Contact Group, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, the EU, the UK, France, Germany, and the US, where participants expressed commitment the best interests of the Syrian people, the region, and the world.

On December 13, 2024, the EC announced the launch of a new Humanitarian Air Bridge operation to deliver health, education, and shelter supplies from EU stockpiles to those in need in Syria.

The EU-funded assistance flights will transport nearly 100 tons of supplies from stockpiles in Dubai and Denmark, to be distributed within Syria with support from WHO and UNICEF. EC President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the importance of continued EU assistance to the Syrian people, noting that the additional funding will support food, health, shelter, and sanitation needs through humanitarian organizations.

The EU also pledged an additional EUR4 million (US$4 million) in humanitarian assistance, raising its total humanitarian assistance for Syria in 2024 to EUR163 million (US$176 million).

On December 12, 2024, USAID announced an additional US$29 million in support for Somalia to support resilience and food security in Somalia, where 7 million people require assistance due to natural disasters, disease, insecurity, and poverty.

The funding is part of two 5-year programs aiming to assist 880,000 vulnerable households in South Central Somalia. USAID is partnering with World Vision and Save the Children to provide services including health, WASH, and nutrition, while also strengthening households' ability to cope with future challenges."

On December 12, 2024, the Dutch Parliament approved the 2025 ODA budget with support from coalition and opposition parties, however, opposition parties CDA and SGP warned they may oppose future budgets unless key changes are made.

The budget, proposed by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Reinette Klever, included significant cuts and removed the link between development assistance and economic growth. CDA and SGP stressed that restoring this linkage by 2026 is essential for their continued support.

Parliament also approved reducing annual funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East from EUR19 million (US$21 million) to EUR15 million (US$16 million) in 2025, with plans to phase out support entirely by 2030. While backed by right-leaning parties, the cuts drew strong criticism from progressive MPs, who called it a heartless move that jeopardizes essential support to Gaza.

The approval highlighted tensions between fiscal priorities and humanitarian commitments, foreshadowing difficult negotiations in the coming years.