Policy Updates

On October 13, 2025, following the declaration of a national HIV emergency in PNG in June 2025, the Australian government announced it would nearly triple its annual HIV development funding to the country to almost AUD10 million (US$6 million) for the 2025/2026 financial year.

The announcement was made by Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Nita Green during a visit to the newly renovated St Therese HIV clinic in Port Moresby. The increased funding will focus on prevention through awareness campaigns, increased testing, and expanded access to prevention measures. The support will also fund youth-led education programs and tailored services for women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by the virus.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong stated that the support reflects the close partnership between the two countries and the need to work together to safeguard the region. The new funding complements Australia’s ongoing support for regional partners like UNAIDS, Health Equity Matters, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy and Green reiterated Australia's commitment to working with PNG to improve health outcomes and respond to the HIV situation with urgency.

On September 22, 2025 at the UN General Assembly in New York, Australia launched the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel, joined by more than 100 countries and supported by an AUD15 million (US$10 million) pledge to protect and honor humanitarian personnel

The declaration, developed in partnership with countries including Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, and the UK, pledges new measures to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel. The measures include commitments to facilitate access, provide faster visas and work permits, and implement joint training for military personnel and humanitarian workers.

The funding will be channeled through the UNDSS, the OCHA, and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Additional funding will support LAW, the RFF, and HO to maintain the AWSD.

On September 15, 2025, a UN Women report revealed that progress on women's rights is stagnating and regressing due to conflict, aid cuts, and a backlash against gender equality, and called on governments at the UN General Assembly in New York to commit to renewed action, highlighting that the US$420 billion needed annually to advance gender equality is a fraction of the US$2.7 trillion spent on the military.

The report, a gender snapshot monitoring progress on the SDGs, found that 676 million women and girls lived near deadly conflict in 2024, the highest number since the 1990s. Women are also more likely to be affected by rising food insecurity. The report projects that climate change could push an additional 158.3 million women and girls into extreme poverty by 2050.

Director of UN Women’s policy division, Sarah Hendriks, contrasted the US$2.7 trillion in annual military spending with the estimated US$420 billion needed to advance gender equality. The report also noted a digital gender divide, which if addressed, could lift 30 million women and girls out of poverty by 2050 and generate a US$1.5 trillion increase in global GDP by 2030. UN Women is calling for renewed commitments at the UN General Assembly, 30 years after the Beijing Declaration.

On August 27, 2025, Australian Minister for International Development Anne Aly announced an early pledge of AUD266 million (US$174 million) to the Global Fund's 8^th Replenishment in Canberra.

The pledge was framed as a key part of Australia's strategy to combat infectious diseases and build stronger health systems in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The Global Fund's Board Chair Roslyn Morauta welcomed the contribution, noting it as a signal of regional leadership in global health.

With this contribution, Australia became the sixth donor to make an early pledge to the 8^th Replenishment. Since 2002, the Global Fund partnership has invested over US$13.1 billion in the Indo-Pacific region, which it credits with saving 26.5 million lives. The investment aims to build more resilient and inclusive health systems to ensure regional health security and pandemic preparedness.

On August 14, 2025, the resumed 5^th session of the INC-5.2 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 4, 2025, the Australian government announced an additional AUD20 million (US$13 million) in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

The funding will support organizations delivering food, medical supplies for field hospitals, and other support to women and children. The new package includes:

• AUD6 million (US$4 million) to the UN WFP for food supplies;
• AUD5 million (US$3 million) to UNICEF for nutritional support to children;
• AUD5 million (US$3 million) to the ICRC to meet essential needs, including access to healthcare;
• AUD2 million (US$1 million) for relief support with the UK; and
• AUD2 million (US$1 million) to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization for medical supplies.

The announcement brings Australia's total humanitarian commitment to Gaza and Lebanon to over AUD130 million (US$85 million) since October 2023. The government reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and unimpeded aid access into Gaza.

On July 27, 2025, the foreign and defense ministers of Australia and the UK issued a joint statement in Darwin, Australia, reaffirming their shared commitment to the WPS agenda.

The statement, released ahead of the 25^th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, noted that the promise of the WPS agenda remains unfulfilled. The ministers expressed concern that women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by conflict and that their exclusion from peace processes prevents lasting security. The nations also highlighted their concern about the use of conflict-related sexual violence as a tactic of war.

Both nations committed to the full implementation of the agenda, including to:

• Promote women’s leadership in all areas of peace and security;
• Support women-led organizations and human rights defenders in conflict settings;
• Strengthen accountability mechanisms to address sexual and gender-based violence; and
• Collaborate internationally to advocate for the WPS agenda.

On July 21, 2025, analysis from the Lowy Institute interactive Southeast Asia Aid Map highlighted the impact that major US and European ODA cuts are set to have on South-East Asia’s LICs.

Australia continues to provide targeted assistance in areas such as gender, climate, and disability, but its overall ODA contribution remains low compared to other OECD countries. The Lowy Institute warns that without renewed commitments from Western donors, long-term climate adaptation and poverty reduction efforts in South-East Asia may suffer.

Stakeholders are encouraged to review ODA strategies to ensure effective and equitable support for the region.

On July 4, 2025, Australia and Fiji signed an elevated Vuvale Partnership, strengthening cooperation across five key areas. These include:

• People-to-people ties;
• Economic resilience;
• Security;
• Regional engagement; and
• Development.

The agreement deepens labor mobility, trade and investment links, and cybersecurity cooperation. It agrees to increase Australia’s bilateral development assistance to Fiji by AUD40 million (US$26 million) over four years ,focusing on thematic areas such as global health, taking the total to just under AUD500 million (US$326 million) from 2025 to 2029.

On June 9, 2025, Minderoo Foundation announced a pledge of AUD10 million (US$7 million) to support the development of MPAs in high-seas regions of Australia and the Pacific, starting with the Lord Howe Rise–South Tasman Sea area, which features deep-sea ecosystems including coral, seamounts, whales, and sharks.

The funding will support scientific assessments, stakeholder engagement, and MPA design in alignment with international frameworks such as the UN High Seas Treaty and the global 30x30 biodiversity target. The initiative aims to address pressures from industrial activities and to contribute to marine conservation planning in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Incorporating a gender equity and human rights approach, the program emphasizes transparent governance, inclusive decision-making, and collaboration with governments and other partners. Minderoo’s contribution complements existing philanthropic and public funding and seeks to encourage broader support for high-seas conservation efforts.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to inform policy and contribute to long-term ocean sustainability in the region.