Policy Updates

On November 7, 2024, Canada announced a total of CAD231 million (US$166 million) to support a series of flagship initiatives for peace and security in Africa, as well as building stronger and mutually beneficial partnerships by supporting economic empowerment, climate change action, and gender equality.

The funding was announced by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of International Development, and Minister of International Trade and Economic Development on the margins of the Canada-African Union Commission High-Level Dialogue in Toronto, Ontario.

Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced nearly CAD177 million (US$127 million) in funding to advance women’s and youth’s economic and social empowerment, support climate-change adaptation, and skills enhancement through the following projects:

• Supporting the UPSNJP - CAD75 million (US$54 million);
• Leading on funding the Renewed Women's Voice and Leadership in Crisis- and Conflict-affected Contexts - CAD25 million (US$18 million);
• Advancing women and youth’s economic and social empowerment in Senegal - CAD20 million (US$14 million);
• Backing the Climate Resilience through Empowering Women project - CAD15 million (US$11 million);
• Providing resources to AWBG - CAD14 million (US$10 million);
• Contributing to the United Nations Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Kenya - CAD10 million (US$7 million);
• Contributing to FIRST - CAD10 million (US$7 million);
• Strengthening the South Africa Skills Enhancement Program - CAD5 million (US$4 million); and
• Supporting Morocco's WESE - CAD2 million (US$1 million).

Hussen also announced initiatives to strengthening partnership to reduce poverty, provide humanitarian assistance, support economic development, and empowering youth by:

• Creating a new Africa trade and development program at GAC which will support development initiatives that contribute to food security, job creation, gender equality, and environmental sustainability; and
• Enhancing and expanding education and skills training programming to harness economic empowerment.

Additionally, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly announced CAD54 million (US$39 million) in funding for flagship initiatives and projects in the following key focus areas: peace and security, good governance, strengthened people-to-people ties, and enhancing Canada’s diplomatic footprint. This includes by:

• Supporting youth and women in peace processes;
• Supporting community-led conflict-prevention in Darfur and civilian-led political process throughout Sudan;
• Investing in counterterrorism capacity and threat resilience;
• Working to prevent violent extremism and support SGBV;
• Naming a Special Envoy for Africa and for the Sahel; and
• Formalizing Canada’s relationship with the AU Commission through a new memorandum of understanding.

On October 5, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concluded his participation at the 19th Sommet de la Francophonie where he underlined Canada’s commitment to promoting development in French-speaking countries in Africa by announcing more than CAD11 million (US$8 million).

The funding will support initiatives that focus on improved access to education, the empowerment of women and girls, youth nutrition and health, and safety and security, while strengthening Canada’s relations with French-speaking countries in Africa. It aims to advance shared values of peace, democracy, human rights, and inclusion.

On September 18, 2024, Canada and Qatar signed an MoU committing the two countries to a collaboration on development programming, focusing on the promotion of good governance, support for women-led solutions, diversity and pluralism, and the protection of human rights.

The MoU also includes a new framework arrangement between GAC and Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation, allowing both parties to collaborate on education projects. This partnership highlights Canada and Qatar’s co-leadership of GenU, a public-private youth partnership hosted by UNICEF.

Among the partnership’s initiatives is Green Rising, which equips young people in over 60 low- and middle-income countries with skills to thrive in the green economy, contributing to the prosperity of their communities.

On June 13, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participated in a G7 working session on Africa, climate change, and development as well as a side event on the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, where he announced over CAD1.6 billion (US$1.2 billion) to promote sustainable development and inclusive global clean energy transition.

The announced funding included:

• CAD720 million (US$524 million) over five years for a new concessional finance facility at FinDev Canada to mobilize capital for sustainable development, including from the private sector;
• CAD510 million (US$371 million) in repayable contributions and technical assistance grants to the Inter-American Development Bank Group to establish the Canadian Net Zero and Climate Resilience Accelerator Fund. The funding is intended incentivize private-sector investments that will help economies in Latin America and the Caribbean become less carbon-intensive, more climate-resilient, and more inclusive;
• CAD274 million (US$200 million) to purchase hybrid capital from the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This is slated to enable up to CAD1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) in additional lending to low- and middle-income countries to improve education and health to reduce food insecurity and carbon footprints;
• CAD120 million (US$87 million) in sovereign loans and a CAD7 million (US$5 million) technical assistance grant to South Africa in support of its Just Energy Transition Partnership to transition to secure and affordable clean energy while addressing economic inclusion gaps; and
• CAD45 million (US$33 million) in repayable loans to the Private Infrastructure Development Group to expand financing options for sustainable and gender-inclusive infrastructure in Africa and Asia.

On May 23-25, 2024, the G7 Ministers of Finance met at a summit in Stresa, Italy, where the ministers voiced support for contributions to the IDA, WHO, Gavi, and the Global Fund in the resulting communiqué.

The G7 ministers supported efforts towards a successful 21^st replenishment of the IDA by the end of 2024 through an ambitious policy and financing package. Notably, they did not give a concrete signal that the critical US$100 billion threshold requested by the World Bank will be crossed, nor any indication of the US$120 billion expected by African leaders.

The ministers reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening the governance and finance of the global health architecture and voiced support for refinancing processes of several GHIs, such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO, and the Global Fund, and expressed support for the Pandemic Fund. The communiqué called on the donor community to coordinate efforts and increase investments in global health in line with their capacities to ensure sustainable funding and maximize the impact of available resources.

Following the summit, the C7 pointed out the G7's lack of ambition and financial commitment to international development, including climate adaptation. International civil society organizations criticized the lack of any reference to allocating SDRs to global solidarity.

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 14-15, 2024, the C7 summit was held at the UN FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, organized by the Italian Civil Society Coalition that led, coordinated, and moderated the C7 2024 process.

Approximately 400 global representatives took part in the event, as well as international decision-makers, including FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, Italian G7 sherpa Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, Cardinal, President of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Pope’s envoy for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict Matteo Maria Zuppi, and Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign Marina Ponti.

The official C7 communiqué that listed the international civil society recommendation to the G7’s Leaders around seven key issues was released at the event, which included:

• Economic justice and transformation;
• Climate, energy transformation, and environmental justice;
• Global health;
• Principled humanitarian assistance;
• Peace, common security, and nuclear disarmament;
• Human mobility and migration; and
• Food justice and food systems transformation.

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.

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.