Policy Updates

On May 20, 2024, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares presented a new development cooperation program, titled Masar Al’an (‘Masar Now’) at an official event held in Madrid.

The Spanish foreign ministry and AECID seek to strengthen sustainable development in the MENA region. It encompasses an initial budgetary envelope of EUR4 million (US$4 million) in 2024, aimed at strengthening socio-economic opportunities for youth and women, promoting gender equality, protecting biodiversity, and fostering climate change adaptation in sectors such as rural development and fisheries.

AECID will work in collaboration with UN agencies as well as EUI, including the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Institute for the Mediterranean.

On May 20, 2024, Australia's DFAT reported that Australia provided a total of AUD619 million (US$400 million) as climate finance in FY2022/23, with nearly half provided to the Pacific Islands region and bilateral programs, including Papua New Guinea, about a quarter provided to Southeast and East Asia, and most remaining funding provided through global program contributions and as core funding for multilateral organizations.

62% of the funding was provided for adaptation, with only 22% for mitigation.

In 2023, Australia contributed AUD100 million (US$65 million) to set up a Pacific Resilience Facility and a further $50 million (US$32 million) was committed to the GCF.

The Australian Institute of International Affairs suggested that Australia should now support efforts in the G20 to have the Pacific Islands Forum added to the G20 guest list of permanent invitees. This would add a strong voice on climate issues affecting the Pacific island states, and would also strengthen calls for easier access to green global funds for the most vulnerable countries.

On May 20, 2024, the Crawford Fund launched the final program for its annual one-day Parliamentary seminar on agricultural research, titled Food and Nutrition Security: transformative partnerships, local leadership and co-design, to be held in Canberra on August 14, 2024.

Dr. Line Gordon, Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and professor of sustainable food systems at Stockholm University, is a keynote speaker at the conference. Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR will also be speaking on transformational outcomes.

The conference is a hybrid event.

On May 17, 2024, it was announced that the US has begun to deliver needed humanitarian assistance through a temporary pier into Gaza, which it characterized as a supplemental channel for emergency assistance and not a substitute for land deliveries.

This effort is being led by USAID and the US Department of Defense, and involves Cyprus, Israel, the UN, the UAE, the UK, and the EU. The conflict conditions in Gaza have engendered a dire need for food, shelter, medicine, and other emergency assistance.

The decision to set up the humanitarian maritime corridor was motivated in part by the slow delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Assistance delivered by truck has been reduced to approximately 100 trucks a day since the beginning of the conflict, approximately one-sixth of full operation. USAID's initial contributions through the pier will be hundreds of metric tons a day, including nutrient rich food for the most vulnerable children and adults. Other assistance includes shelter, water, and hygiene kits.

On May 17, 2024, Team Europe and Nepal announced an EUR65 million (US$70 million) partnership to increase electrical connectivity in rural areas surrounding Kathmandu.

Co-financed with an EUR25 million (US$27 million) loan from the EIB, EUR14 million (US$15 million) from the KfW, and EUR1 million (US$1 million) from the EU, the project will support infrastructure development linking Kathmandu and outlying municipalities.

The project also aims to increase access to electricity from renewable energies, including hydropower from the Trishuli river. In total, the river has to potential to provide up to 650 megawatts with capacity improvements from current projects.

On May 17, 2024, the Swedish Government introduced a significant aid package totaling SEK120 million (approximately US$11 million) directed towards UNICEF, UNFPA, and WFP to help alleviate the pressing needs of the Gazan population.

Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell emphasized the gravity of the situation, highlighting the severity of the crisis and Sweden's role as one of the largest donors of humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Gaza. He noted that Sweden is further increasing the humanitarian support with a focus on addressing hunger and protecting women and children, and advocated for greater humanitarian access and the release of hostages.

This latest initiative brings Sweden’s total humanitarian contributions to Gaza to over SEK520 million (US$49 million), reinforcing its role as a major supporter of humanitarian efforts in the region. The most recent funds are slated to be allocated as:

• UNICEF: SEK20 million (US$2 million) to support children's needs, counter malnutrition, and provide access to clean water and healthcare. Additionally, UNICEF will focus on education, psychosocial support, and financial assistance for families;
• UNFPA: SEK20 million (US$1.9 million) to maintain SRH services, including maternity and neonatal care. Efforts will also target the prevention of SGBV and support for survivors; and
• WFP: SEK80 million (US$8 million), with SEK29 million (US$3 million) specifically for Gaza and SEK51 million (US$5 million) as core support. This wil help ensure food and nutritional assistance reaches those facing imminent famine in northern Gaza and improve logistics of assistance delivery.

On May 16, 2014, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen concluded a trip to Ethiopia and Tanzania, where he announced nearly CAD195 million (US$143 million) to several development projects focused on education, SRHR, climate, peace, and security.

The funding included:

• CAD65 million (US$48 million) to UNFPA to implement the Protecting the Dignity and Rights of Women and Girls project in Ethiopia, which will support family planning services and prevention and response to SGBV;
• CAD30 million (US$22 million) to the International Finance Facility for Education to implement a new financing mechanism for global education, which will support lower-middle income countries to fund quality education;
• CAD25 million (US$18 million) to ACELI Africa to implement the Agri - SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism, helping high-impact agricultural SMEs and promoting economic growth and food security;
• CAD21 million (US$15 million) to CARE Canada for the Her Resilience, Our Planet project, which promotes climate-resilient agriculture and supports the empowerment of women to address climate change;
• CAD20 million (US$15 million) to the [[AU] to help implement its 2063 agenda and strategic plan to advance sustainable and inclusive development;
• CAD15 million (US$11 million) to UNICEF’s Improving Adolescent SRHR in Tanzania initiative, to enhance access to gender-responsive SRHR information and services for adolescents; and,
• CAD14 million (US$10 million) to the UNDP’s demobilization and reintegration project in Ethiopia.

On May 16, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD65 million (US$48 million) in funding to address urgent civilian needs in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict, including food, medical assistance, and other essential services.

The funding includes CAD25 million (US$18 million) to UNRWA, previously announced in June 2023, as well as an additional CAD40 million (US$29 million) in new funding distributed to UNWRA and other trusted partners, including the CRC. The funding will support the distribution of food, water, emergency medical assistance, protection services, and other critical assistance.

Hussen also announced that Canada has delivered a payment of CAD25 million (US$18 million) to UNRWA as part of its previously announced existing multi-year commitment with the agency to help meet the education, health, and safety assistance needs of Palestinian refugees in the region.

Canada reiterated its condemnation of Hamas and their attack on October 7, 2023, as well as Canada’s demand for the immediate release of hostages, the urgent need for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza, and its commitment to a two-state solution.

On May 16, 2024, the four Dutch coalition negotiating parties– PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB - agreed to an outline agreement titled Hope, Courage, and Pride, stating that the new Dutch government will cut two-thirds of the current development budget over 2025-2027, or EUR5.9 billion (US$6.4 billion) over the period.

The outline focuses on ten key areas, primarily concerning improving Dutch citizens' livelihoods and social well-being and restricting asylum seekers and migration. The outline states that the Netherlands will contribute to food security and water management in other countries to improve stability, as well as support the regional hosting of asylum seekers to prevent further migration to the Netherlands.

The cuts are slated to start with EUR350 million (US$380 million) in 2025, increasing to EUR550 million (US$598 million) in 2026, and reaching EUR2.5 billion (US$2.7 billion) annually from 2027.

Opposition GroenLinks MP Danielle Hirsch contrasted the cuts with the statement's assertion that the Netherlands is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Eleven development organizations in the Netherlands released a statement expressing their disapproval and concerns about these unprecedented cuts. Partos asserted that these cuts will damage the Netherlands’ international standing and interests. It calls on the coalition to avoid these cuts and continue investing in international cooperation.

Informants van Zwol and Dijkgraaf completed their task with the outline agreement. and recommended appointing van Zwol as the next formator. Van Zwol expects to appoint ministers and state secretaries within four to five weeks to form the new cabinet and flesh out the outline agreement.

On May 16, 2024, international NGO Christian Aid released a new report, titled Between Life and Debt, that outlined the devastating debt crisis engulfing Africa and calling on the UK government to address the crisis through legal intervention.

The report, which draws on testimonies from Christian Aid partners in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia, revealed that:

• Total external debt service by all African countries was US$85 billion in 2023 and US$104 billion in 2024;
• In 2023, African countries spent over 50 times more on external debt than they received in aid from the UK (and 50% more than total assistance to the region);
• 25 African countries spend more on debt than education; and
• 32 African countries spend more on debt than healthcare.

The report asserted that the debt problem is largely due to Western private lenders, who have lent to Africa at extremely high interest rates, far higher than other sovereign lenders like China. Total external debt service by all African countries to private creditors was US$39 billion in 2023 and US$47 billion in 2024, and that private creditors charge the highest interest rates of 6.2%.

Christian Aid argued that the UK government has the unique power to help remedy the crisis, given that most private creditors, due to colonial history, are governed by British law. The organization called on the UK to step up and take action to change UK law to compel private creditors to cancel debts and stop the crisis.