Policy Updates

On November 22, 2024, USAID announced a number of new commitments and a progress report on its climate work at COP29.

USAID announced a pledge of US$54 million for blended finance partnerships to provide catalytic investments for climate finance vehicles and investment funds in coastal and marine natural capital. The blended finance package also included US$28 million for Columbia Invest for Climate and US$6 million for a green partnership in Southeast Asia. Further investments supported climate-resilience and reduced emissions in agriculture and food systems in Africa.

USAID added to the investments in the US president’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, investing a total of US$83 million for early warning systems in 30 countries..

Other investments included:

• US$12 million for the Climate Smart and Disaster Ready program in regions across the globe;
• More support for green energy transitions in Asia;
• A joint USAID and NASA investment in Central America to help manage and prepare for climate risks;
• A contribution from Power Africa of US$410 million to the GVCA funding window; and
• An US$11 million commitment from USAID to champion women decision-makers in responding to climate crises.

On October 2, 2024, USAID Administrator Samantha Power announced additional humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Ukrainian populations and refugees in the surrounding region during a visit to Ukraine.

The resources will be provided by both USAID and the US State Department and will help populations prepare both for winter as well as providing food, shelter, health, WASH, and protection assistance, including GBV prevention and support. UN partners and NGOs will also receive some of the resources to help provide life-saving assistance.

With this announcement, the total US humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region has been US$3.8 billion since February of 2022.

On September 11, 224, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the US will provide US$290 million to conflict-affected populations in Ukraine. US$100 million will come from USAID and US$190 million will come from the US State Department.

The US pledges to provide vulnerable groups with food, shelter, and winter preparedness. Additionally, health services, including disease prevention, psychosocial assistance, and vital assistance to women and girls who are survivors of GBV.

The US State Department will also provide emergency assistance, including safe drinking water, education, and legal support while working to reunify families where possible.

The US has provided a total of US$3.5 billion to Ukraine since February 2022, the largest provider of humanitarian assistance.

On August 7, 2024, the US pledged to provide US$424 million in both humanitarian and health funding in response to the ongoing crises in the DRC.

The humanitarian assistance will include emergency food assistance, nutrition, health care, WASH, shelter, child protection services, and GBV prevention.

USAID pledged to provide 50,000 mpox vaccinations to address the current outbreak in the DRC with a further US$10 million in health care assistance.

On August 7, 2024, the USAID and the US DFC announced a package of assistance and guarantees intended to help underserved women succeed as entrepreneurs and support climate adaptation and clean energy.

DFC pledge to provide US$42 million in loan guarantees through a local Dominican bank to catalyze up to US$87 million in local currency.

The US pledged a further US$43 million in grant funding to address several issues to build a more resilient and prosperous country, and will specifically address gender equity and equality needs.

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 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 March 12, 2024, US President Joe Biden's FY2025 budget was sent to Capitol Hill, asking for US$64.4 billion for foreign assistance programs, a decrease compared to his FY2024 request of US$70.5 billion.

FY2024 appropriations have not yet been approved, as Congress has been deadlocked on funding decisions. The FY2024 appropriations, which should have been set by October 1, 2023, have instead been postponed with a series of continuing resolutions to extend budget negotiations. Foreign assistance levels have been the subject of intense debates, including assistance to Ukraine, and proposals by Republicans for serious ODA cuts.

Of Biden's total foreign assistance budget, the bulk of it, approximately US$58.8 billion, will go to the State Department and USAID.

The budget proposal is constrained by the spending deal that Biden reached with Republicans in fall 2023, which capped spending. In the proposal, global health faced the largest cuts with the US' contribution to the Global Fund cut down from US$2 billion to US$1.2 billion, largely due to the fact that US law limits US contributions to no more than one-third of all funding from other donors.

Other funding in the budget includes US$10.3 billion for humanitarian and refugee assistance and US$3 billion for democracy, human rights, and governance. Gender programs are slated to receive US$3 billion. The President's Energy Plan for Adaptation and Resilience is also proposed at US$3 billion, with another US$500 million for the GCF, although the GCF has not received any funds from Congress in recent years.

The budget request also includes US$1 billion for IDA replenishment, of which US$750 million is in guarantees. These guarantees are to unlock US$36 billion in new lending by removing risk from the World Bank's balance sheet.

On February 20, 2024, KOICA’s resident officer in India and USAID's India office signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen development cooperation partnerships in India, a key country in the South Korean government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

The cooperation is intended to support the sustainable development of countries in the Indo-Pacific region through trilateral cooperation between India, the US, and South Korea. KOICA and USAIDare slated to cooperate in four sectors in India:

• Women’s economic empowerment;
• Disaster and climate resilience;
• Digital literacy; and
• Trilateral cooperation.

KOICA and USAID expressed the intention to explore new development projects in India and bolster joint projects between South Korea and the US. The two countries plan to develop a concrete cooperation plan for the empowerment of female social entrepreneurs in India to support the economic empowerment of women in India.

On October 31, 2023, the US White House released an updated US Strategy and National Action Plan on Women Peace, and Security as a response to what it cited as a swiftly changing geopolitical landscape, as well as recent climate and technology changes.

The strategy detailed five main pillars:

• Increasing women and girls' participation in civic leadership and political processes related to peace and security;
• Protecting women and girls from violence, including gender-based violence;
• Providing both policies and programs to support women and girls in conflicts and disasters;
• Better integrate women, peace, and security policies across US policies and programs; and
• Encourage partnerships that improve gender equality in peace and security decision-making.