Policy Updates

Each week, Donor Tracker's team of country-based experts bring you the most important policy and funding news across issue areas in the form of Policy Updates.

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Canada announces US$96 million to Sudan, neighbouring countries amid armed conflict

April 15, 2024 | Canada, Global Health, WASH & Sanitation, Nutritious Food Systems, Gender Equality, Education | Share this update

On April 15, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen participated in the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and its Neighbours, where he announced CAD132million (US$96 million) in international assistance funding to Sudan and neighbouring Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.

The announcement included nearly CAD101 million (US$73 million) in humanitarian assistance and nearly CAD32 million (US$23 million) in development assistance amid the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. The funding is slated to provide crisis-affected people with emergency health services, food and nutrition assistance, protection services for gender-based violence survivors, and other assistance including shelter, water, and sanitation services. The development assistance will support critical programming in SRHR and education infrastructure.

Press release - Global Affairs Canada

Canada announces US$18 million for International Youth Internship Program

March 25, 2024 | Canada, Education, Agriculture, Climate | Share this update

On March 25, 2024, Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD25 million (US$18 million) in funding for Canada’s International Youth Internship Program.

The program allows youth ages 18 to 30 years, especially those who identify as Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQI+, or living with disabilities, to be paired with organizations in LICs and LMICs to work in sectors such as education, social services, human rights, agriculture, aquaculture, and more.

The program has been operating for over 25 years and allows youth to gain skills and experience in the field of international development. The new funding will run from 2023 to 2028 and allow more than 800 eligible youth to complete internships in over 40 LICs and LMICs.

News article - Global Affairs Canada

Canada announces US$49 million for international development projects in Mozambique

March 18, 2024 | Canada, Global Health, Education, Gender Equality, Family Planning | Share this update

On March 18, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD66 million (US$49 million) in funding for six international development projects to support sexual and reproductive health and rights, mental health, and education for women and girls in Mozambique.

Projects included:

  • CAD20 million (US$15 million) to the University of Saskatchewan for their Sexual and Reproductive Health for Young Women in Inhambane project, which aims to improve sexual, reproductive and maternal health and rights in the province of Inhambane;
  • CAD20 million (US$15 million) to Pathfinder International for Impacto II: Supporting Family Planning Services in Mozambique, which aims to improve gender equality, self-determination, and access to sexual and reproductive health services in the Tete and Manica provinces;
  • CAD13 million (US$10 million) to the UNDP through Action for Girls and Young Women’s SRHR, which removes barriers that prevent young women from accessing sexual and reproductive health rights services;
  • CAD7 million (US$5 million) to the WHO’s Improving Data for Better Health Systems project, which aims to improve the quality of data to facilitate decision-making on sexual, reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health;
  • CAD5 million (US$4 million) to the University of Washington for the project Empower Mental Health, focused on strengthening existing health care and community-based systems of mental health care for underserved populations in the provinces of Manica and Sofala; and
  • CAD1 million (US$1 million) to the Voluntary Service Overseas for their Empowering Adolescent Girls to Learn and Earn project, which aims to expand the basic literacy and numeracy of 3,000 out-of-school adolescent girls.
Press release - Global Affairs Canada

Canada resumes funding to UNRWA

March 8, 2024 | Canada, Global Health, Education, Agriculture | Share this update

On March 8, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced that Canada is lifting its temporary pause on funding to the UNRWA.

Canada announced a temporary suspension of UNRWA funding on January 26, 2024, following allegations of the involvement of some UNRWA staff in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. As UNRWA has taken immediate measures to strengthen oversight and accountability, Canada resumed funding due to the vital role UNRWA plays in providing over 2 million people in Gaza with humanitarian relief, as well as other operations supporting 4 million people elsewhere in the region.

Press release - Global Affairs Canada

Cooperation Canada publishes Global Landscape Analysis, outlines innovative development strategy

February 28, 2024 | Canada, Gender Equality, Climate, Global Health, Education | Share this update

On February 28, 2024, Cooperation Canada launched their Global Landscape Analysis of the international cooperation sector, a report of IDRC's Futures Initiative, which encompasses extensive research to provide a comprehensive outlook of the trends, challenges, and emerging issues impacting international development cooperation for the coming decade.

The report focused on five issue areas that present pressing challenges to international development: political, environmental, social, economic, and technological. It examined geopolitical shifts impacting issues, including climate change, gender equality, education, healthcare, and civil liberties.

The report was intended to be the first step to achieving the project’s goal of defining three transformative scenarios for global development cooperation. The report recommended that CSOs adopt innovative strategies in the face of a volatile international development cooperation landscape, including:

  • Strategic foresight: Implementing a systemic approach to anticipate challenges, explore alternative futures, and identify strategic opportunities;
  • Integrative thinking: Bringing siloes and developing holistic approaches that engage diverse stakeholders and systems;
  • Impact communication: Demonstrating impact and effectively communicating results and tangible outcomes, in the face of shrinking funding pools; and
  • Diversification of revenue streams: Diversifying revenue sources to bolster financial resilience in the face of challenges such as diminishing contributions from ODA and shrinking civic space.
Report - Cooperation CanadaWeb Page - Cooperation Canada

Canada announces US$70 million for development projects in Jordan

February 22, 2024 | Canada, Education, Gender Equality, Climate, Nutritious Food Systems | Share this update

On February 22, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD95 million (US$70 million) in new development assistance for seven projects in Jordan.

The funding will include CAD72 million (US$53 million) for education projects and CAD23 million (US$17 million) for renewable energy and biodiversity projects.

The projects were listed as:

  • CAD33 million (US$24 million) to the Government of Jordan for the second phase of the Education for Jordan Prosperity project, which aims to build a stronger, equitable, and inclusive education system;
  • CAD18 million (US$13 million) to Cowater International for the second phase of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Project, which will increase the employability of women and marginalized groups in the climate-smart agriculture and renewable energy sectors;
  • CAD18 million (US$13 million) to the Queen Rania Teacher Academy for the Developing Jordan’s Public School Educators project, which will improve the quality of Jordanian education through the training and professional development of teachers;
  • CAD12 million (US$9 million) to the World University Service of Canada for the Burden of Child Care Reduced and Addressed for Women in Jordan project, which will improve access to quality child-care services and increase women’s employment opportunities;
  • CAD7 million (US$5 million) to UNESCO for the Technical Assistance for Transforming Technical Vocational Education and Training project, to support safe and inclusive education for Jordanians and refugees;
  • CAD5 million (US$4 million) to the UNDP for the Protecting Marine Biodiversity in Aqaba project, which will help conserve and restore marine and land biodiversity; and
  • CAD3 million (US$2 million) to the German Society for International Cooperation for the Labour Market Oriented Vocational Training project, which will better integrate women and youth into the Jordanian labor market.
Press release - Global Affairs Canada

Canada announces US$19 million in funding for International Youth Internship Program

February 6, 2024 | Canada, Education, Gender Equality, Climate, Global Health | Share this update

On February 6, 2024, as part of Canada’s International Development Week, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD25 million (US$19 million) in funding for the International Youth Internship Program.

The program allows youth living in Canada to partake in professional development experiences abroad in the field of international development. The funding will go to six program partners, who will select over 800 eligible youth to complete internships in more than 40 LICs.

Areas of work include climate adaptation, gender equality, SRHR, disability support, mental health support, education, restoration of peace and security, and more.

Press release - Global Affairs Canada

Canada announces US$7 million to address unemployment crisis in Iraq

December 20, 2023 | Canada, Education | Share this update

On December 20, 2023, Canada announced CAD10 million (US$7 million) to support youth employment in Iraq through vocational and technical training over five years, which will be distributed through a partnership with two groups: the World University Service of Canada and the Canadian Leaders in International Consulting.

The announcement is intended to support Iraqi youth suffering from a deepening unemployment crisis, linked to previous conflict in Iraq, that undermines the country’s current and future economic security.

The funding is part of Canada's overall Middle East strategy to tackle extremism and build post-conflict strategies.

News article - CBC

Canada, UK announce US$51 million AI partnership in Africa

November 2, 2023 | UK, Canada, Education, Climate, Global Health | Share this update

On November 2, 2023, Canada’s International Development Research Centre announced at the UK AI Safety Summit in London that it is partnering with the UK FCDO to launch a new phase of the AI for Development program, with an initial focus on Africa.

The new CAD70 million (US$51 million) partnership is intended to leverage the capacity of AI to reduce inequalities, strengthen health, education, and food systems, as well as adapt to climate change.

News article - International Development Research Centre

Canada pledges US$314 million to SDGs

September 21, 2023 | Canada, Nutrition, Education, Gender Equality, Climate, Global Health, Agriculture | Share this update

On September 21, 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concluded his participation in the 78th UN General Assembly and announced CAD427 million (US$314 million) to support the SDG 2030 Agenda.

The funding from Canada included:

  • CAD125 million (US$92 million) to support projects in line that advance quality education, health care, and gender equality, including SRHR;
  • CAD78 million (US$57 million) to UN programs including UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA, and UNDP;
  • CAD169 million (US$125 million) to promote global climate adaptation and leadership, with a focus on women and girls;
  • CAD7 million (US$5 million) to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing and support ocean governance and protection; and
  • CAD48 million (US$35 million) to promote stability and sustainable development in Haiti, with a focus on child nutrition and enhancing the justice system.

During the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, Trudeau announced Canada’s intent to allocate an additional 700 million in SDRs, representing approximately CAD1.3 billion (US$958 million), to the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust. The trust will provide concessional loans to LICs.

Press release - Office of the Prime Minister of CanadaPress release - Office of the Prime Minister of Canada

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US$ amounts are cited directly from sources; in the absence of an official conversion, they are calculated using the previous week's average of the US Federal Reserve's daily exchange rates.

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