Policy Updates

On April 18, 2024, two main agencies involved in delivering the bulk of US emergency food assistance, USAID and the USDA, announced that they will begin to tap into US$1 billion in the Commodity Credit Corporation to distributed agricultural commodities around the world.

USAID identified 18 countries where the US will begin to purchase, ship, and then distribute needed commodities bought from US farmers, including the DRC, Ethiopia, Haiti, South Sudan, and Yemen. The planned collaboration between the two agencies was announced in October 2023 and will allow USAID to receive purchased commodities from USDA and then distribute them through USAID's channels.

On April 16, 2024, the White House issued its 2024 US global health security strategy, which reaffirmed its position that disease threats are a risk to all populations, including Americans.

The strategy outlined how the US will work with partners around the world to best prevent, detect, and quickly respond to outbreaks around the globe. Since 2022, USAID has expanded its reach to partner countries in over 50 countries, working with a range of stakeholders to prevent and prepare for pandemics.

The strategy focuses on increasing the political commitment to addressing health security, including investments in the Pandemic Fund, and recognizing the link between global health security, global health and broader development goals.

On April 15, 2024, USAID announced a new US government-wide strategy on international basic education, bringing together ten US government entities to reaffirm its commitment to an inclusive and quality education worldwide.

The strategy spans from 2024-2029 and is intended to expand the reach of the previous strategy, particularly for those most marginalized. It stated the intent to learn from the lessons of COVID-19 and make educational systems more resilient and inclusive. The strategy will implement four approaches, including local ownership, capacity strengthening, equity and inclusion, and data based decision-making.

On April 14, 2024, the C7 published a statement ahead of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Capri from April 17-19, 2024, where the group called on the foreign ministers to take concrete action to promote human rights as well as the common interests of humanity and the planet.

The C7 advocated that the G7 ministers reaffirm their commitment to developing long-term peace-building strategies that address persistent structural challenges at the basis of conflicts, ensure food security even in fragile settings, and address a profound transformation of food systems. The group also called upon their governmental counterparts to ensure safe and regular migration channels and commit to protecting migrant rights.

On April 11, 2024, the US announced that it will provide an additional US$25 million in assistance to refugees in the Uganda. The resources from both the Department of State and USAID will go to the UN High Commission on Refugees and the WFP.

The resources will be used to support food, health care, and education, as well as other emergency support to refugees whom have fled South Sudan, the DRC, Somalia, and Sudan. The US noted that Uganda has the highest number of refugees in Africa, having received more than 130,000 refugees in 2023.

The US separately called out a 2024 ruling of the Ugandan court, which had upheld a controversial anti-homosexual law, stating that the US was committed to ensuring that all assistance would be delivered without discrimination.

In advance of the Paris International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and it Neighbors, Power also announced an additional US$100 million in emergency assistance for the 25 million people who have been affected by the civil war in Sudan. Five million people are close to famine and eight million have been displaced. USAID also called out the violence being perpetrated on the people of Sudan by both sides of the armed conflict. The emergency assistance will include food, nutrition, and other services. This brings total US humanitarian assistance for Sudan to over US$1 billion.

On April 12, 2024, USAID Administrator Samantha Power testified before both chambers of Congress, making the case for the Biden Adminstration's FY2025 budget for USAID, which comprises US$28.3 billion in accounts that are either fully or partially managed by USAID.

Powers testified that in light of the humanitarian needs across the globe, USAID will need both the US$10 billion in the proposed budget along with the pending supplemental request of US$10 billion. She defended the rest of the budget request, while acknowledging that the proposed cuts in the FY2025 budget will have serious implications for USAID's development allocations.

In the testimony, Power also responded to questions about the conflict in Gaza. She stated that, based on a report from IPC, a famine was underway in Gaza, marking the first time a senior US official identified the food crisis in Gaza as a famine. Power faced protests from spectators in the hearing room.

On April 10, 2024, during Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s Official Visit with State Dinner to the US, Japan emphasized its commitment to international cooperation in addressing pressing global challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Collaboration with the US spanned various areas, including climate change, infrastructure investment, and global health initiatives. Both nations expressed their intention to work together to ensure a successful outcome at the 29^th UNCCC and to certify quality infrastructure projects through the establishment of a Blue Dot Network Secretariat.

In the realm of global health, Japan welcomed the opening of the US CDC Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific in Tokyo, aimed at strengthening core global health security capacities across the region. Additionally, discussions between the USAID and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs centered on advancing shared global health priorities, reflecting a commitment to enhancing health outcomes in vulnerable populations worldwide.

Japan and the US also reaffirmed their dedication to diplomacy, development, and humanitarian assistance, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. This commitment is demonstrated through initiatives such as the Japan - US - Mekong Power Partnership and contributions to strengthen critical infrastructure and climate resilience in partner countries. The two nations pledged to collaborate on strengthening the international financial architecture to support low- and middle-income countries in addressing global challenges, including climate change and sustainable development.

On April 3, 2024, due to deepening humanitarian needs in Lebanon, USAID announced an additional US$67 million in assistance to the people of Lebanon and Syrian refugees in the region.

The resources are slated to provide food, WASH, health care, and psychosocial and humanitarian support.

The ongoing humanitarian crises in the region have been exacerbated by the conflict in Gaza, which has internally displaced 91,000 Lebanese people. Food assistance will be delivered through the WFP. Health services will be provided through International Medical Corps and Relief International.

USAID, which already has provided over US$202 million in food assistance in FYs 2022 and 2023, called upon other donors to help meet the needs of the most vulnerable as demand outpaces resources.

On March 26, 2024, in a rare bipartisan vote, the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee passed legislation to promote locally led development.

Formally titled the Locally Led Development and Humanitarian Response Act, the bill garnered support from Democrats and Republicans and a companion bipartisan bill in the US Senate.

One of the bill's prime sponsors stressed that it was well past time to rethink how USAID delivers assistance by seeking to empower local actors and allow local communities to determine their own future. The bill must still clear the Senate to come into effect, but the sponsors believe the legislation will help USAID's localization efforts, including meeting its target of 25% direct funding to local entities by 2025.

The bill, H.R. 7710, contains a number of provisions to speed up the shift to localization, including providing proposals in languages other than English, an increase in the de minimus indirect cost rate, changing of some procurement rules, and requiring USAID to annually assess its progress on localization.

On March 25, 2024, amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Open Canada is criticized the government of Canada for its inaction to address the public health and nutrition crisis, as well as the government’s lack of focus on the African continent as a whole.

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan followed the outbreak of war in April 2023, with 8 million people displaced, roughly half the population (approximately 25 million people) in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, a cholera outbreak, and a widespread famine predicted by June 2024.

Open Canada criticized the government for its passivity in the crisis, with neither Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nor Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly having spoken publicly about Sudan since shortly after the outbreak of war. While Canada evacuated its Sudanese embassy in April 2023, it did not follow other donor countries in maintaining the presence of a senior official in the region to assist in conflict resolution or support key international humanitarian and development organizations. Open Canada also noted that, unlike the EU, UK, and US, Canada has not imposed sanctions on Sudan.

The group also criticized Canada's apathetic approach to the region more broadly. Canada announced a new Foreign Policy Engagement Plan for Africa in 2022, however, the strategy has since been transitioned into a “framework” with the Canadian government yet to release any details of the plan. Open Canada called on the Canadian government to implement a proper engagement strategy in Africa, particularly amid the growing humanitarian, development, and security crisis in Sudan.