Policy Updates

On October 16, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD23 million (US$17 million) for the Aequitas Impact Investment Fund and over CAD6 million (US$4 million) for the fund’s Technical Assistance Facility to improve access to financial services for underserved global populations.

The 12-year project is in partnership with DID. The Aequitas Impact Investment Fund invests in small-scale financial institutions in LIC and LMICs across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America to help them improve the availability of financial products, such as bank accounts, loans, and insurance.

The project will support entrepreneurs who run micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, including women, youth and small-scale farmers.

On October 10 and 11, 2024, the G7's Health Ministerial Meeting took place in Ancona, Italy. The discussion focused on three overarching priorities: Global Health Architecture and Pandemic Preparedness and Response, healthy and active aging, and the One Health Approach.

The G7 Health Ministers Communiqué, released at the end of the meeting, highlights the G7's commitment to supporting SDG #3 through universal health coverage, primary health care, and sexual and reproductive health. This also includes maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health, strengthening the global health architecture by investing in PPR, promoting regional manufacturing of health products, and equitable access to quality health services.

The communiqué emphasized the health-related impacts of conflicts with a reference to the crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. Furthermore, in the communiqué, the G7 Ministries committed to continue to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, whose replenishment processes will occur in the upcoming months.

The Civil 7 engagement group, a platform through which civil society can engage with the G7, reacted with a communiqué in which they expressed an appreciation for the re-commitment to ending HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through robust support for the Global Fund in its replenishment next year. This support is crucial to ending the three epidemics as agreed upon in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Finally, the G7 Health Ministers also adopted a policy brief on the opportunities presented by AI for both healthcare providers and patients.

On October 9, 2024, Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced an additional CAD15 million (US$11 million) in funding for humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of civilians in Lebanon, as well as a public donation matching campaign up to a total of CAD6 million (US$4 million).

The funding will help leading Canadian and international organizations provide food, water, health and protection services, and other life-saving assistance. Additionally, Hussen announced that Canada allocated up to CAD6 million (US$4 million) in donations to the Canadian Red Cross’ Lebanon Humanitarian Needs Appeal and the Humanitarian Coalition’s Lebanon Emergency Appeal.

Each donation made from September 24 to November 3, 2024, will be matched to a maximum of CAD3 million (US$2 million) for each appeal.

On October 4, 2024, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly and French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot issued a joint statement condeming Russia's war against Ukraine and reiterating their commitment to Ukraine and its people.

They highlighted the upcoming Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine's 10-point Peace Formula which will take place in Montreal on October 30 and 31, with the aim of creating a roadmap with measures to support Ukrainian children who have become victims of the war. This effort is further facilitated through the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which is co-chaired by Canada and Ukraine, and receives support from France.

The statement also reiterated Canada's support for projects run by the UN, UNICEF, the WHO, the UNHCR, the WFP, and the CoE. France announced further financial support for the UN to this end, as well as support for Ukrainian CSOs.

On September 28, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced that Canada will provide CAD10 million (US$7.4 million) in funding for humanitarian needs in Lebanon.

The funds will go towards providing food, water, emergency healthcare including sexual and reproductive health, protection services and other life-saving assistance to civilians in Lebanon. It comes as a response to the recent escalation of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has increased the need for humanitarian aid in the region.

This funding is in addition to Canada's contribution to the UN CERF, which previously allocated US$10 million in response to the crisis in Lebanon. According to official reports, more than 90,000 people were displaced within Lebanon in September.

On September 25, 2024, Canada announced that it will be co-hosting the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine's 10-Point Peace Formula on October 30-31, 2024 in coordination with Norway and Ukraine.

The conference will have the aim of developing a concrete plan to strengthen the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, integrate the Women, Peace and Security perspective into the 10-Point Peace Formula, and identify approaches for post-return rehabilitation and reintegration for Ukrainians.

The conference will bring together Ministers of Foreign Affairs to advance the vision articulated in the Joint Communiqué on a Peace Framework developed at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in June, 2024.

On September 24, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced CAD203 million (US$151 million) for SRHR, gender equality, global peace and security, and climate change at the UNGA and the Summit of the Future.

New funding included:

• Over CAD112 million (US$83 million) to help protect the comprehensive SRHR of women and girls worldwide;
• CAD58 million (US$43 million) in projects that empower women and promote gender equality, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. With this funding, Canada will fulfill its CAD100 million (US$74 million) commitment to address issues in unpaid and paid care work in low- and middle-income countries;
• Over CAD16 million (US$12 million) to support Haiti’s transitional government’s election preparedness, increase humanitarian aid, reduce gang violence, and expand access to justice for women and youth detainees while supporting their reintegration into society;
• Prime Minister Trudeau also convened a High-Level Meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti to strengthen efforts to restore democracy, security, and stability in Haiti;
• CAD9 million (US$7 million) to support the UN’s efforts to strengthen development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding assistance globally.
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) to Canada’s Global Forest Leadership Program to respond to increasing wildfires in the face of climate change and advance international leadership on sustainable forest management; and
• CAD4 million (US$3 million) in new wide-ranging investments to strengthen global peace and security, including on land mine clearance, and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly women affected by conflict.

At the UNGA, Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthening democratic institutions globally, and defending Ukraine. Trudeau also welcomed six new members to Canada’s Global Carbon Pricing Challenge, which calls on countries to price carbon to cover 60% of global emissions by 2030.

On September 20, 2024, Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD151 million (US$111 million) as the latest investment in Canada’s support for GPEI.

The funding comes after an outbreak of polio in Gaza, among other humanitarian crises straining local health systems. With this investment, GPEI and partners like UNICEF and the WHO will deliver polio immunization and health services around the world, especially for the most vulnerable populations, including women and girls in conflict-affected areas.

The investment will focus on stopping the transmission of all forms of poliovirus by vaccinating more than 370 million children annually against polio, improving vaccine uptake and communications activities to support polio vaccination, supporting disease surveillance and containment activities, and strengthening health systems.

On September 18, 2024, Canada and Qatar signed an MoU committing the two countries to a collaboration on development programming, focusing on the promotion of good governance, support for women-led solutions, diversity and pluralism, and the protection of human rights.

The MoU also includes a new framework arrangement between GAC and Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation, allowing both parties to collaborate on education projects. This partnership highlights Canada and Qatar’s co-leadership of GenU, a public-private youth partnership hosted by UNICEF.

Among the partnership’s initiatives is Green Rising, which equips young people in over 60 low- and middle-income countries with skills to thrive in the green economy, contributing to the prosperity of their communities.

On September 17, 2024, Canada announced a sovereign loan of CAD120 million (US$88 million) over 10 years to Moldova to address the financial strain facing the country as they welcome Ukrainian refugees.

Canada’s support will help co-finance a World Bank Development Policy Operation loan aimed at supporting the resilience of families and Ukrainian refugees, in addition to fostering sustainable economic growth and climate resilience in Moldova.