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 10 and 11, 2024, the G7's Health Ministerial Meeting took place in Ancona, Italy. The discussion focused on three overarching priorities: Global Health Architecture and Pandemic Preparedness and Response, healthy and active aging, and the One Health Approach.

The G7 Health Ministers Communiqué, released at the end of the meeting, highlights the G7's commitment to supporting SDG #3 through universal health coverage, primary health care, and sexual and reproductive health. This also includes maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health, strengthening the global health architecture by investing in PPR, promoting regional manufacturing of health products, and equitable access to quality health services.

The communiqué emphasized the health-related impacts of conflicts with a reference to the crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. Furthermore, in the communiqué, the G7 Ministries committed to continue to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, whose replenishment processes will occur in the upcoming months.

The Civil 7 engagement group, a platform through which civil society can engage with the G7, reacted with a communiqué in which they expressed an appreciation for the re-commitment to ending HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through robust support for the Global Fund in its replenishment next year. This support is crucial to ending the three epidemics as agreed upon in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Finally, the G7 Health Ministers also adopted a policy brief on the opportunities presented by AI for both healthcare providers and patients.

On October 9, 2024, Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced an additional CAD15 million (US$11 million) in funding for humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of civilians in Lebanon, as well as a public donation matching campaign up to a total of CAD6 million (US$4 million).

The funding will help leading Canadian and international organizations provide food, water, health and protection services, and other life-saving assistance. Additionally, Hussen announced that Canada allocated up to CAD6 million (US$4 million) in donations to the Canadian Red Cross’ Lebanon Humanitarian Needs Appeal and the Humanitarian Coalition’s Lebanon Emergency Appeal.

Each donation made from September 24 to November 3, 2024, will be matched to a maximum of CAD3 million (US$2 million) for each appeal.

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 October 2, 2024, Canadian IDRC announced a new seven-year partnership valued at nearly CAD30 million (US$22 million) to support gender-transformative implementation research in sub-Saharan Africa.

The ANeSA initiative will contribute to improved health and the realization of SRHR. The partnership is funded by IDRC, the Canadian Institute of Health Research, and GAC. It will fund up to 16 Implementation Research Teams and two Health Policy and Research Organizations.

At the recent UNGA meetings, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced over CAD200 million (US$145 million) to support projects, including ones that will advance the SRHR of women and girls, which included funding for ANeSA.

On September 28, 2024, Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced that Canada will provide CAD10 million (US$7 million) in funding for humanitarian needs in Lebanon.

The funds will go towards providing food, water, emergency healthcare including sexual and reproductive health, protection services and other life-saving assistance to civilians in Lebanon. It comes as a response to the recent escalation of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has increased the need for humanitarian aid in the region.

This funding is in addition to Canada's contribution to the UN CERF, which previously allocated US$10 million in response to the crisis in Lebanon. According to official reports, more than 90,000 people were displaced within Lebanon in September.

On September 20, 2024, Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen announced CAD151 million (US$111 million) as the latest investment in Canada’s support for GPEI.

The funding comes after an outbreak of polio in Gaza, among other humanitarian crises straining local health systems. With this investment, GPEI and partners like UNICEF and the WHO will deliver polio immunization and health services around the world, especially for the most vulnerable populations, including women and girls in conflict-affected areas.

The investment will focus on stopping the transmission of all forms of poliovirus by vaccinating more than 370 million children annually against polio, improving vaccine uptake and communications activities to support polio vaccination, supporting disease surveillance and containment activities, and strengthening health systems.

On September 13, 2024, Canada announced that it will donate 200,000 doses of the Imvamune vaccine from Canada’s existing supply to support the global response to the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries.

The announcement reinforces Canada's ongoing commitment to enhance global health security, following an announcement in June 2024 of CAD85 million (US$63 million) to Gavi’s AVMA.

On September 10, 2024, the EC and Canada launched the EU-Canada Health Policy Dialogue, reinforcing their commitment under their Strategic Partnership Agreement to collaborate on AMR, health security, and NCDs.

The dialogue aims to share knowledge, scientific evidence, and best practices to advance people’s health.

Key priorities included:

• AMR: Both parties will strengthen collaboration to combat AMR, ahead of the UNGA’s High-Level Meeting on the topic. The main focus includes AMR surveillance, the One Health approach, and incentivizing new antimicrobial developments;
• Health security: Joint efforts are intended enhance global pandemic preparedness and response, leveraging the WHO’s role and advancing frameworks like the International Health Regulations and Pandemic Agreement. The intersection of climate change and health will be an additional focus; and
• NCDs: Focus areas include cancer and mental health, with plans for knowledge exchange on cancer prevention and mental health service accessibility.

On August 27, 2024, Cooperation Canada issued a joint statement to the Canadian Ministers of International Development and Foreign Affairs calling for greater action to address the ongoing crisis in Sudan.

The open letter acknowledged that 500 days into the violent conflict in Sudan, 26 million people face acute hunger, 10 million are now internally displaced, and the region has seen an increase of GBV.

The statement urged the government to:

• Demonstrate strong political leadership by prioritizing new funding to address forced displacement, uphold human rights, and provide emergency relief, including food assistance, healthcare, and shelter;
• Promote humanitarian access through diplomatic pressure to secure the delivery of emergency goods and services, especially for women and girls;
• Increase the focus on child protection through dedicated resources to support programs that prevent child rights violations, in particular, ensuring the protection of girls from GBV; and
• Increase diplomatic engagement to secure a ceasefire.

The statement acknowledged actions taken by the government to date, including sanctions and CAD132 million (US$98 million) in international assistance. However, it urged the Canadian government to increase coordinated efforts to end hostilities, ensure humanitarian access, and work toward reconciliation.