Policy Updates

On July 16, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD41 million (US$30 million) in funding to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, including CAD36 million (US$26 million) in development funding and more than CAD5 million (US$4 million) in humanitarian funding to support gender equality, economic empowerment, reproductive health, family planning, and health services.

The funding included:

• CAD11 million (US$8 million) to the Sabores de Honduras: Empowering Women and Youths in Coffee and Honey Value Chains project;
• CAD6 million (US$4 million) to the Tula Foundation’s Empowering Indigenous Adolescents and Women for Equitable SRHR in Guatemala project to reduce the rates of teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality among the Indigenous population;
• CAD5 million (US$4 million) for the Inclusive Economic Development project to increase the economic empowerment of women and youths in Guatemala;
• CAD5 million (US$4 million) for the Justice, Governance and Fight Against Impunity in Honduras project to increase access to justice for women and other vulnerable populations;
• CAD5 million (US$4 million) for the Improving Livestock Sustainability and Climate Adaptation project to empower members of cattle ranching families, particularly women, youths, and Indigenous Peoples;
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) for the Feminist Partnerships to Strengthen the Agenda for Gender Equality project to improve responses to threats against women’s rights and gender equality, particularly in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; and
• CAD5 million (US$4 million) in humanitarian assistance to provide emergency food assistance, health, and protection services to the most vulnerable people in the region.

On June 26, 2024, Canada announced CAD19 million (US$14 million) in total funding to support Haiti, including an additional CAD6 million (US$4 million) to the UN Trust Fund for the MSS mission in Haiti as well as nearly CAD13 million (US$9 million) to support three projects to strengthen the Haitian National Police and improve security conditions for civilians.

Canada’s support to the MSS is in addition to the nearly CAD81 million (US$59 million) announced for the Trust Fund in February 2024. Canada is also working to provide training to officers being deployed and to establish mechanisms to prevent human rights abuses, including SGBV.

The three projects that will help strengthen the Haitian National Police and improve security conditions for Haitian civilians were listed as:

• CAD5 million (US$4 million) through the Canadian Commercial Corporation to support the Specialized Tactical Training Program for the Haitian National Police;
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) for the Organization of American States for its Securing Marine and Land-Based Trade Program in Haiti; and
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) for the UN Office of Drugs and Crime for its Container Control Program in Haiti.

From June 17 to 20, 2024, Canada hosted the 54^th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the CDB and announced more than CAD11 million (US$8 million) in funding for economic development in the Caribbean.

The funding included:

• CAD5 million (US$4 million) to the Inter-American Development Bank for the Compete Caribbean+ project to enhance private sector productivity and foster regional economic growth;
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) to the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica for the Jamaica Urban Solutions for the Environment project to increase climate resilience through gender-responsive and nature-based solutions for urban areas vulnerable to climate hazards; and
• CAD2 million (US$1 million) in top-ups to UNFPA for the program EQUAL SRHR to improve the protection of women and girls in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, including those who are Venezuelan migrants, by advancing SRHR and protection from GBV.

On June 20, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD85 million (US$62 million) in funding to AVMA, a new initiative to enhance health security and equitable access to vaccines across Africa.

Despite having approximately 20% of the world’s population, Africa accounts for less than 0.1% of the world’s vaccine production.

Led by Gavi, AVMA aims to provide financial incentives to help vaccine manufacturers in Africa build and increase sustainable production capacity to improve the region’s resilience to pre-existing, new, and emerging pandemics and other health emergencies. By 2035, AVMA aims to incentivize the production of over 800 million vaccine doses.

On June 13 and 16, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced CAD5 billion (US$3.6 billion) and CAD52 million (US$38 million) at the G7 Summit and the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, respectively, in support of Ukraine.

The CAD5 billion (US$3.6 billion) contribution will contribute to the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans for Ukraine. Through the initiative, G7 countries intend to bring forward the revenues from frozen Russian sovereign assets, providing Ukraine with approximately CAD69 billion (US$50 billion).

The CAD52 million (US$38 million) contribution was allocated in support of Ukraine’s recovery and rebuilding efforts. This included:

• CAD20 million (US$15 million) to support Ukraine’s urgent efforts to replace damaged energy equipment and infrastructure; and
• CAD15 million (US$11 million) for civilian services, including:
  • Supporting vulnerable children and youth, and the reintegration of displaced children returning to Ukraine through children protective services;
  • Improving access to justice for survivors of war crimes;
  • Increasing families’ and civil society’s awareness about the missing persons process; and
  • Supporting male survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, including prisoners of war.
• CAD15 million (US$11 million) to help Ukraine's recovery, including:
  • Supporting the IMF to help Ukraine acquire the technical assistance and training needed for economic reforms and eventual accession to the EU;
  • Improving Ukraine’s capacity to safely clear mines and other remnants of war; and
  • Providing Ukraine’s government with technical assistance from Government of Canada experts in the justice and energy sectors.

On June 14, 2024, the second day of the G7 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced nearly CAD687 million (US$501 million) to strengthen sustainable agricultural, climate resiliency, and foster gender equality in low- and middle-income countries.

Within the funding was CAD200 million (US$146 million) to IFAD, including:

• CAD100 million (US$73 million) to reduce poverty and food insecurity while strengthening climate resilience, with a focus on poor, vulnerable, and rural communities; and
• CAD100 million (US$73 million) as a repayable contribution to IFAD’s Private Sector Financing Programme to support investments in the agricultural sector in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia.

Canada also announced new funding for the Indo-Pacific region, which is home to the largest number of climate-vulnerable people in the world. Funding included:

• CAD360 million (US$262 million) in repayable contributions to the ADB to establish the Canadian Climate and Nature Fund for the Private Sector in Asia to mobilize private capital toward inclusive climate change mitigation and adaptation projects; and
• CAD7 million (US$5 million) through the IDRC to build on Canada’s existing partnership with the UK to expand the IDRC’s AI for Development program for responsible AI innovation and capacity building in the Indo-Pacific.

Lastly, Canada announced new funding to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people, including:

• CAD100 million (US$73 million) in the International Finance Corporation’s Facility for Gender Equality, Resilience, Opportunity, and Inclusion Worldwide, which is expected to mobilize an estimated CAD470 million (US$342 million) in private capital for investments that empower women and promote gender inclusion; and
• CAD20 million (US$15 million) to TradeMark Africa and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation to help eliminate the gender-based barriers that prevent women from fully participating in opportunities afforded by the African Continental Free Trade Area.

On June 13, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participated in a G7 working session on Africa, climate change, and development as well as a side event on the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, where he announced over CAD1.6 billion (US$1.2 billion) to promote sustainable development and inclusive global clean energy transition.

The announced funding included:

• CAD720 million (US$524 million) over five years for a new concessional finance facility at FinDev Canada to mobilize capital for sustainable development, including from the private sector;
• CAD510 million (US$371 million) in repayable contributions and technical assistance grants to the Inter-American Development Bank Group to establish the Canadian Net Zero and Climate Resilience Accelerator Fund. The funding is intended incentivize private-sector investments that will help economies in Latin America and the Caribbean become less carbon-intensive, more climate-resilient, and more inclusive;
• CAD274 million (US$200 million) to purchase hybrid capital from the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This is slated to enable up to CAD1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) in additional lending to low- and middle-income countries to improve education and health to reduce food insecurity and carbon footprints;
• CAD120 million (US$87 million) in sovereign loans and a CAD7 million (US$5 million) technical assistance grant to South Africa in support of its Just Energy Transition Partnership to transition to secure and affordable clean energy while addressing economic inclusion gaps; and
• CAD45 million (US$33 million) in repayable loans to the Private Infrastructure Development Group to expand financing options for sustainable and gender-inclusive infrastructure in Africa and Asia.

On June 7, 2024, Canada’s IDRC announced CAD23 million (US$17 million) to support inclusive and sustainable aquaculture food systems to address climate change and food insecurity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region.

The IDRC partnered with the Canadian government to launch AQUADAPT, a four-year project to improve small-scale aquaculture’s climate productivity and sustainability. The partnership aims to develop nature-based solutions to sustainably manage aquatic ecosystems and support robust nutritious systems, quality jobs, and resilient food production in a changing climate. AQUADAPT will include 11 research alliances and 35 institutions across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

On June 6, 2024, Canada’s IRPP called for urgent government action to support Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya minority.

One million Rohingya have sought refuge in Bangladesh, and experts believe that Myanmar’s remaining Rohingya population faces a possible genocide.

In a 2018 report, Canadian special envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae stated that Canada could potentially help prevent a genocide of Myanmar’s Rohingya. However, as the conditions of the group continue to deteriorate amid the ongoing civil war, international leadership on the crisis has been criticized as weak.

The IRPP noted several actions that Canada should take, including demanding greater humanitarian access to the Rohingya and working toward more international support for refugees. The think tank recommended that the Canadian government double the funding it committed to ensuring the delivery of urgently needed lifesaving measures, including food and water, and work directly with local Rohingya-led organizations, rather than being dependent solely on NGOs. It asserted that Canada should also champion the global effort and collaborate with other donor countries to address the crisis.

On June 5, 2024, the IRPP urged Canada to go beyond humanitarian gestures and develop a new, comprehensive strategy to approach relations with African countries as a strategic partnership, given the brimming economic opportunity on the continent.

The think tank advocated for Canada to swiftly implement a comprehensive strategy that sets new diplomatic and economic priorities with the continent. It criticized Canada for announcing CAD900 million (US$654 million) for humanitarian assistance in Budget 2024, but no funding for the CA-ECS, announced in 2022. The IRPP noted that the lack of commitment reinforces the narrative that the African continent is solely dependent on humanitarian assistance, rather than seen as a valued collaborator in Canada’s international strategic vision.

The IRPP highlighted a trillion-dollar economic opportunity for Canada if it approaches the continent as a dynamic partner. It asserted that while Canada should continue to take action and invest in urgent humanitarian needs, it must also invest further in Africa’s development initiatives to address climate change and support economic development and human rights.

The IRPP concluded with the recommendation that Canada support advancements in long-term governance, infrastructure development, and debt restructuring, as well as tap into Africa’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem and emerging digital economy to foster sustainable development across multiple sectors.