Policy Updates

On September 26, 2025, at a meeting of the AHLC, Norway and 11 other countries launched the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the PA, with Norway contributing NOK40 million (US$4 million) to a crisis package.

The coalition, which also includes Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK, was established to stabilize the PA’s finances and preserve its ability to govern. The launch took place during an AHLC meeting in New York chaired by Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa attending virtually. The coalition demanded that Israel immediately release all Palestinian clearance revenues, which constitute over 60% of the revenue the PA needs.

The crisis package aims to support essential services like hospitals and schools. Norway’s contribution is in addition to NOK200 million (US$20 million) in budget support transferred earlier in 2025. The coalition will also promote a sustainable and coordinated approach with IFIs to support reforms and ensure accountability, affirming the effort as an investment in regional peace and the two-state solution.

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 January 29, 2025, the Swiss government announced that it will reduce its foreign assistance budget by CHF110 million (US$124 million).

This decision affects multiple UN agencies:

• UNICEF's funding will drop from CHF18 million (US$20 million) to CHF14 million (US$16 million);
• The UNDP will receive CHF34 million (US$39 million), a 20% cut from 2024;
• UNAIDS and UNESCO will lose CHF3 million (US$3 million) and CHF4 million (US$5 million) respectively;
• GPE will be cut by CHF7 million (US$8 million); and
• UN Women will be cut by CHF3 million (US$3 million).

Swiss NGOs will face a CHF8 million (US$9 million) loss in core contributions, reflecting a 10% reduction. In 2024, core funded organizations included Caritas, Médecins Sans Frontières, Helvetas, Hirondelle, Terre des Hommes, Medair, and Solidar Switzerland.

Funding for peace promotion, humanitarian assistance, and assistance for Ukraine will remain unaffected. Budget reductions will also impact bilateral cooperation projects across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.