Policy Updates

The European Commission announced EUR143 million (US$166 million) in humanitarian support on November 24, 2025, as EU and AU leaders met for the 7^th African Union-European Union summit in Angola, responding to continued pressure on relief operations across several crisis zones.

The allocation includes EUR2.5 million (US$3 million) for the Central African Republic, EUR8 million (US$9 million) for Nigeria, EUR30 million (US$35 million) for Ethiopia, EUR30 million (US$35 million) for Somalia, EUR35 million (US$41 million) for South Sudan, and EUR38 million (US$44 million) for the Central Sahel countries.

The emergency funding will support food assistance, water and sanitation, access to healthcare, and helped the most vulnerable communities meet their basic needs.

Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib stated that the EU is stepping up at a moment when global attention has shifted and humanitarian needs remain high, demonstrating continued engagement in places where pressure is rising and support remains essential.

A year-long campaign led by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has secured EUR15.5 billion (US$18.0 billion) to mobilize investments in renewable energy across Africa, along with additional commitments in clean energy generation and household electricity access, announced on November 21, 2025.

The EU led the pledging effort with more than EUR15.1 billion (US$17.5 billion), including contributions from multiple EU member states including Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, and Ireland, as well as significant bilateral contributions by European financial institutions and development finance institutions, and estimated mobilized private investment. Alongside the campaign, the African Development Bank has pledged to allocate at least 20% of their 17th replenishment to renewable energy.

The campaign, organized in collaboration with Global Citizen and with policy support from the IEA, aimed to drive public and private investment in supporting Africa's clean energy transition, expand electricity access, and promote sustainable economic growth and decarbonized industrialization. The effort represented a step toward accelerating the global transition from fossil fuels to clean and sustainable energy.

Von der Leyen stated that the investment would turbocharge Africa's clean-energy transition, providing millions more people with electricity access and creating opportunities for thriving markets, new jobs, and reliable clean energy.

The EU released EUR21.5 million (US$25 million) in humanitarian aid on November 3, 2026, to address the crisis in Venezuela and respond to Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean, with Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality Hadja Lahbib emphasizing support for vulnerable populations facing food insecurity, gang violence, and natural disasters.

The EU allocated EUR14.5 million (US$17 million) to address the Venezuela crisis, including spillover effects in neighboring countries such as Colombia. Priority areas included protection, healthcare, and nutrition assistance for Venezuelans inside and outside the country.

Furthermore, EUR5 million (US$6 million) has been allocated for the emergency response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. EU humanitarian partners have delivered drinking water, sanitation items, and emergency shelter, while the EU prepared humanitarian airbridge flights and deployed relief stocks through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Also channeled through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany have donated relief supplies including shelters, water and sanitation equipment, protective equipment, and energy support.

The EU earmarked EUR2 million (US$2 million) for people affected by rising gang violence in Haiti, where displaced populations have reached record levels. The earmarked funding has supported food assistance and other forms of support to displaced communities.

The allocation added to EUR149 million (US$170 million) the EU provided to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025, which speaks to the wider ambition of the upcoming EU-CELAC Summit.

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 September 8, 2025, at the Second Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa, the AU, EU, and Germany launched two flagship energy programmes, CEPA and ENGAGE, to accelerate the implementation of the African Single Electricity Market, backed by the EU's US$174.9 billion Global Gateway investment package.

The programmes aim to advance the AfSEM and the CMP. These initiatives are key components of the AU's Agenda 2063 and are designed to create a fully integrated, cross-border electricity market, targeting the creation of the world's largest interconnected power market by 2040.

The launch celebrated 25 years of the AU-:abbrEU partnership. Speakers including Dr. Kamugisha Kazaura for the AU, Her Excellency Nardos Bekele Thomas of AUDA-NEPAD, Her Excellency Teresa Ribera for the European Commission, and Dr. Bärbel Kofler for Germany's BMZ, all highlighted the programmes' role in attracting investment to deliver reliable, affordable, and clean energy. Over 600 million people in Africa currently lack access to electricity.

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 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 17, 2025, the EU unveiled the draft seven-year MFF proposing a significant increase in development funding, with the Global Europe instrument set to receive EUR200 billion (US$234.2 billion, which is a large increase from the current EUR92.3 billion (US$108.1 billion) allocation amount.

This 75% boost aims to strengthen the EU’s external action and development finance, despite ongoing debates about prioritizing European interests. Experts have voiced concerns about the lack of a clear definition of what constitutes as ODA, raising questions about transparency and accountability. Additionally, the flexible nature of the proposed budget means that funding levels may not be reliable or guaranteed for long-term development priorities.

The final budget, part of the 2028–2034 MFF, should be decided in December 2027. Stakeholders are encouraged to monitor the final outcome to ensure development objectives remain central to EU external funding plans.

From June 9-13, 2025, the 3^rd UN Ocean Conference was hosted in Nice, France, ending with over 170 countries adopting a joint declaration committing to urgent measures for ocean conservation and sustainable use.

The event featured 55 heads of state and government as well as upwards of 15,000 participants from civil society, business, and science. The Nice Ocean Action Plan, combining this declaration with voluntary pledges, was said to mark renewed global political will for marine protection.

Key commitments included:

• A European Commission pledge of EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) for ocean conservation;
• A pledge by French Polynesia to create the world’s largest marine protected area;
• A pledge by New Zealand of US$52 million for Pacific Ocean governance;
• A pledge by Italy of EUR6.5 million (US$7 million) to strengthen Coast Guard surveillance in marine protected areas and on oil platforms;
• A pledge by Spain to establish five new marine protected areas, aiming to safeguard 25% of its marine territory;
• A pledge by Germany of EUR100 million (US$115 million) for Baltic and North Sea munitions clearance;
• The launch of a Coral Bond for reef conservation by Indonesia, WB, and partners.

37 countries, led by Panama and Canada, launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, while Canada pledged US$9 million to the Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance. UN agencies and global partners also launched a co-design process for One Ocean Finance to unlock billions in new financing from ocean-dependent industries and blue economy sectors.

Nineteen more states ratified the Marine Biodiversity Treaty, bringing total signatures to 136 and ratifications to 50 states, plus the EU. Ten more ratifications are needed for the Agreement to enter into force. The 4^th UN Ocean Conference, in 2028, will be co-hosted by Chile and the Republic of Korea.

On March 27, 2025, at the N4G Summit in Paris, the European Commission pledged EUR3.4 billion (US$3.7 billion) through 2027 to tackle global malnutrition.

The funding will target children under the age of 5, as well as pregnant or lactating mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on severe acute malnutrition in vulnerable populations. It builds on the EU’s previous EUR2.5 billion (US$2.7 billion) pledge for 2021-2023, which it exceeded by EUR1.9 billion (US$2.1 billion).

The EU will also strengthen nutrition governance and research while integrating nutrition into its Global Gateway strategy, linking humanitarian and development efforts.