Policy Updates

On October 1, 2026, The US Department of State intends to launch new implementation plans that would overhaul global health assistance for 35 partner countries, shifting toward increased G2G health financing, without having shared the plans with the US Congress, according to a congressional source.

The State Department had already notified Congress of its intention to establish G2G financing arrangements for Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda, offering an early indication of how the new funding model would operate. As of the October 1, 2026 launch, the implementation plans had not been publicly released or provided to Congress.

The plans were drafted in cooperation with partner governments and expanded on memoranda of understanding that US officials began establishing with countries in December 2025. They would determine how billions of US dollars in health financing were spent. The implementation plans had originally been scheduled to take effect in April 2026, but were delayed without explanation. In the interim, the State Department maintained existing global health programs through three- or six-month grants.

On September 30, 2026, on the eve of the U.S. State Department launching its new implementation plan for bilateral healh agreements, it was announced that the Trump administration terminated US global health funding to Zimbabwe, including support for HIV and other infectious disease programs, after Zimbabwe's government rejected an "America First" foreign assistance agreement with Washington.

The US Department of State confirmed the decision in a statement, noting that implementing partners in Zimbabwe would receive a short window to responsibly close out all US government-funded programs. The department said it remained committed to an orderly handover of operations.

The termination followed months of negotiations in which the Trump administration sought new terms from recipient countries in exchange for continued US development assistance. Zimbabwe declined to sign such an agreement. Health advocates and officials from other recipient countries criticized the negotiation process, arguing that the administration pressured governments into accepting unfavorable terms. Limited analysis of the agreements indicated that they reduced tens of billions of US dollars in global health funding worldwide, even as the US Congress continued to appropriate funding for these programs.

On September 28, 2026, Four Democratic members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning that the State Department was considering ending funding for the FEWS NET, which would need to begin terminating staff by September 30, 2026 absent continued funding.

The letter, signed by Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Reps. Angie Craig, Sara Jacobs, and Shontel Brown, said FEWS NET had monitored global hunger hotspots and helped anticipate famine since 1985. The lawmakers said the program gave humanitarian organizations and donors advance time to direct food assistance to emerging crises, helping prevent further deterioration, save lives, and reduce the cost of emergency relief.

FEWS NET had sufficient resources to operate through the end of 2026, but faced staff terminations starting September 30, 2026, without continued State Department funding. The warning comes as a forecasted "Super El Nino" threatened to push tens of millions more people into acute hunger.

On September 25, 2026, a political declaration intended to strengthen global pandemic preparedness failed to secure unanimous support at a high-level UN meeting, after the US and EU objected to provisions on technology transfer, financing, and pathogen and product sharing.

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, speaking for the EU, said the declaration contained valuable commitments but also setbacks on issues the bloc considered essential, including technology transfer terms and the balance between domestic and international financing.

US CDC Director Erica Schwartz cited unresolved concerns over undefined ideological language and the unfinished PABS annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

The declaration will stil proceed to the UN General Assembly for a vote, though departing from the practice of securing member-state endorsement before formal adoption. UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said broad support existed for the text, but that some concerns remained, to be addressed in the General Assembly.

On September 24, 2026, France announced support for UNICEF's Child Nutrition Fund at a UNICEF event held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to mobilize international action against nutritional crises and famine.

French support funded a malnutrition prevention and treatment program in Sudan's Darfur and Kordofan regions, areas affected by armed conflict, though the specific moneraty sum is still to be announced. The program aimed to benefit 100,000 people, including 80,000 children under five and 20,000 pregnant women and mothers of children under two. It emphasized nutritional support during the first 1,000 days of a child's life, a critical window for development. Other donors committed to UNICEF to match France's contribution with an equivalent amount of funding, doubling the impact of France's commitment to Sudan's most vulnerable children.

On September 24, 2026, the UK announced GBP254 million (US$344 million) in new funding to expand voluntary family planning access for more than 15 million women per year across more than 50 countries, aiming to prevent 14 million unintended pregnancies and more than 35,000 maternal deaths by 2028.

The funding flowed through the CHOICES programme, the UK's largest investment in sexual and reproductive rights. UK Minister for Development Kirsty McNeill announced the funding, which supported experts working alongside the UNFPA and the CHAI across more than 50 of the world's poorest countries, including conflict zones.

The investment expanded access to high-quality contraceptives and safe abortion products for millions of women across 54 countries. It also expanded access to innovative, life-saving medicines for mothers and newborn babies.

On September 17, 2026, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) signed a project agreement to implement an urban climate resilience project in Ethiopia, marking the first GCF project implemented by KOICA.

The Building Urban Climate Resilience through Nature-based Solutions in Ethiopia project reflected a shared commitment to supporting country-led climate action. With US$25 million in GCF financing and US$22 million in KOICA co-financing, the project aimed to help Addis Ababa and Jimma address growing risks from floods and heat through nature-based solutions. Planned activities included the restoration of forests, wetlands, and river corridors, as well as investments in greener and more climate-resilient urban spaces.

On September 24, 2026, Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, announced that Norway would provide NOK125 million (US$13.2 million) in additional support to Palestine through UN and World Bank channels, including budget support to the Palestinian public sector.

Minister Eide stated that international support to Palestine was more urgently needed than ever before. He noted that the funding would be delivered through UN agencies and the World Bank, with part of the package allocated as budget support directly to the Palestinian public sector. The announcement reflected Norway's continued engagement in supporting Palestinian institutions amid ongoing needs in the region.

On September 23, 2026, during UN High-Level Week, Ireland's Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, announced EUR40 million (US$47 million) in funding to the GPE, to be disbursed from 2026 to 2030.

Richmond made the announcement in his capacity as Ireland held the Presidency of the Council of the EU. He framed the pledge as part of a broader Team Europe commitment to global education, and said that investing in education was among the most effective ways to reduce poverty, promote equality, and support sustainable development.

On September 23, 2026, the European Commission announced EUR505 million (US$587 million) in financial support for Lebanon for 2026 and 2027, the second tranche of the EUR1 billion package that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during her visit to Beirut in May 2024.

The funding aimed to help Lebanon advance key reforms, strengthen its economic recovery, enhance security and border management, and maintain essential services for vulnerable populations. It also aimed to help Lebanon address the consequences of regional instability, conflict, and displacement.

The package targeted three areas.

• First, it supported basic services, including education, health, social protection, and water access, and financed cash assistance for vulnerable families and people with disabilities, as well as access to primary healthcare. It also supported durable solutions for refugees from Syria, including safe, voluntary, and dignified returns, while helping Lebanese authorities progressively take over essential services.
• Second, it supported Lebanon's reform agenda in the justice sector, oversight and regulatory bodies, Parliament, and human rights, alongside efforts to strengthen the security sector, border management, private sector resilience, and economic recovery in conflict-affected areas.
• Third, it supported civil society organizations working on the rights of women, young people, minorities, and people with disabilities, as well as initiatives promoting democratic participation, transparency, and anti-corruption efforts, and helped protect Lebanon's cultural heritage.