Policy Updates

On May 20, 2026, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper launched a UK-convened International Coalition to End VAWG, bringing together eight countries to scale up prevention work and strengthen action against domestic abuse, sexual violence, and online abuse.

The coalition was announced at the Global Partnerships Conference in London and aligns with the UK government’s mission to halve VAWG within a decade. Founding members include the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Australia.

Coalition members will share expertise and develop national action plans to prevent violence, protect women and girls, and hold perpetrators to account. The coalition will also support efforts to prevent sexual violence in conflict and other forms of violence within humanitarian crises and that the UK will convene a summit in 2027 for members to set out further commitments and report on progress.

The launch coincided with the publication of the UK’s International Strategic Framework on Women and Girls. The framework will embed women and girls’ rights across diplomacy, trade, security, and development and included a commitment that at least 90% of FCDO bilateral ODA would focus on gender equality by 2030.

The UK government announced a fundamental reform of its development assistance approach, prioritizing fragile and conflict-affected states, women and girls, global health, and climate action, while reducing its ODA budget to 0.3% of GNI by 2027.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper outlined the UK's new three-year development assistance framework on March 19, 2026, shifting focus from donor to investor and emphasizing partnership over paternalism. By 2028-2029, 70% of all geographic support will be allocated to the most fragile and conflict-affected states, with funding protected for Sudan, Palestine, Ukraine, and Lebanon. Annual ringfenced funding of GBP24 million (US$32 million) will address underlying causes of irregular migration.

At least 90% of FCDO aid programs will integrate gender equality by 2030, with central spending on preventing violence against women and girls protected at 2025-2026 levels. The UK reaffirmed support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund. GBP6 billion (US$8 billion) will be invested as International Climate Finance, bolstered by GBP6.7 billion (US$8.9 billion) in climate and nature-positive investments. Core funding to Education Cannot Wait will match the previous pledge of GBP80 million (US$106 million).

On March 8, 2026, International Women's Day, Sweden announced more than SEK71 million (US$8 million) to support women's and girls' resilience in Ukraine through UNFPA and UN Women, with Minister for International Development Cooperation and Trade Benjamin Dousa and Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson leading the announcement.

The support will contribute to psychosocial support for women and girls, improved maternal care, and protection for women's sexual and reproductive health and rights. Dousa emphasized Ukrainian women's role as the backbone of the country's civilian resilience since Russia's full-scale invasion, while Larsson stated that gender equality is a matter of defense and security and that supporting Ukrainian women is a moral imperative.

Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares presented the country's first Feminist Cooperation Strategy on January 13, 2026, reinforcing Spain's commitment to gender equality and transforming power structures that perpetuate discrimination.

The strategy, which the Council of Ministers approved on December 9, 2025, prioritizes equality, empowerment, and the eradication of violence against women and girls from a cross-cutting perspective. Albares emphasized that the document represents a transformative roadmap at a crucial moment when the world faces serious setbacks in gender equality and access to sexual and reproductive rights. Secretary of State for International Cooperation Eva Granados called for international cooperation to be guided by a realistic and explicitly feminist program that accelerates the fight for equality and human rights.

The strategy rests on four pillars: rights, representation, resources, and partnerships. The pillars aim to advance the full and effective realization of the rights of women, adolescents, and girls globally, promote female participation in leadership positions, increase economic and human resources dedicated to combating gender inequalities, and develop strategic alliances to build a more just world. The presentation event at the Ministry headquarters included dialogues with representatives from international organizations, cooperation actors, civil society, and universities.

Australia announced on November 25, 2025 that it will contribute AUD25 million (US$16 million) in funding over five years to strengthen gender-based violence response services through the PAVE initiative, partnering with 11 crisis centers across nine Pacific island countries.

The announcement took place on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The initiative, known as PAVE, will expand essential services for survivors of gender-based violence in the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong emphasized that gender-based violence impacts two out of three Pacific women, more than double the global average, with lasting effects including injuries, disability, unplanned pregnancies, disease, and lost productivity. Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy, International Development Minister Anne Aly, and Assistant Pacific Island Affairs Minister Nita Green highlighted Australia's commitment to Pacific-led solutions and safer communities.

On November 19, 2025, JICA signed a JPY864 million (US$5.6 million) grant agreement with UNDP in Tokyo to support women's economic activities in Afghanistan's border provinces through a 24-month project.

The Project for the Improvement of Women's Livelihoods through the Promotion of Economic Activity in the Border Areas in Afghanistan aims to promote women's economic activities by developing hubs of economic activities, improving access to finance for women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises, and conducting community awareness activities in provinces bordering neighboring countries. Director Hideko Hadzialic of UNDP Representation Office in Tokyo and Chief Representative Tosaka Sota of JICA Afghanistan exchanged signatures for the agreement.

The project will construct and rehabilitate facilities, support improved access to finance and markets, and conduct awareness and training activities over the 24-month implementation period.

On September 25^th, 2025, during UNGA80 in New York, the Government of Norway committed NOK55 million (US$5.5 million) to the UNFPA Supplies Partnership for 2025, to expand access to contraceptives and maternal health supplies in 54 countries.

The new funding is intended to help avert an estimated 378,000 unintended pregnancies, more than 1,000 maternal deaths, and more than 6,000 child deaths. Norwegian Minister of International Development Åsmund Grøver Aukrust stated that Norway is committed to protecting sexual and reproductive rights and ensuring access to vital health services as a prerequisite for sustainable development.

The investment will leverage the UNFPA Supplies Partnership’s Match Fund, which encourages countries to increase their own spending on reproductive health. This has led to a fivefold increase in domestic spending on contraceptives since 2020.

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 August 31, 2025, the UK government announced GBP3 million (US$4 million) in new funding through the UNFPA to provide life-saving support for pregnant women, new mothers, and girls in Gaza.

The announcement came amid a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and famine in parts of Gaza. Minister for the FCDO David Lammy stated that the healthcare system has been decimated and called for an immediate ceasefire and a surge in humanitarian assistance. The UK government urged the Israeli government to allow sufficient aid into Gaza to address the man-made catastrophe.

The new funding is part of a GBP60 million (US$82 million) humanitarian funding package for the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the financial year. The support, delivered through the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency ( UNFPA), will deploy midwives and deliver emergency medical supplies. UNFPA Arab States Regional Director Laila Baker noted that the contribution will support mobile maternity units

On August 25^th, 2025, Spain's MAEC signed three new SDPF with the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, and Honduras to consolidate cooperation aligned with the partner countries' national priorities.

The agreements are part of the reform of Spain’s sustainable development cooperation policy, implementing Law 1/2023 and the Spanish Cooperation Master Plan 2024-2027. The frameworks align with each country's priorities, focusing on social, ecological, and economic transitions.

Key areas of focus include reducing extreme poverty in Honduras, strengthening the rule of law in the Dominican Republic, and advancing gender equality in Paraguay.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares stated that the agreements strengthen Spain's commitment to the 2030 Agenda. New frameworks were also adopted with Peru, Ecuador, and the Philippines. Frameworks with Senegal, Colombia, and Guatemala are in progress, with Jordan to follow.