Policy Updates

On June 30, 2025, Canadian Secretary of State Randeep Sarai announced Canada’s support for new blended finance initiatives totaling US$17 million at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.

The pledge included:

• CAD10 million (US$7 million) for a blended finance accelerator to support gender-responsive investment in emerging markets;
• CAD5 million (US$4 million) to help developing countries improve domestic resource mobilization in the digital economy; and
• CAD2 million (US$1 million) to support SDG-aligned national financing strategies with the UNDP.

Canada also endorsed the Sevilla Platform for Action on private capital mobilization.

On June 29, 2025, Canadian Secretary of State Randeep Sarai concluded her visit to Ghana, announcing CAD13 million (US$9 million) in new funding to expand the EMPLOY project, aimed at improving vocational and technical skills training for Ghanaian youth, particularly women.

The initiative supports economic empowerment through education in trades such as solar panel installation and machinery operation. The visit also highlighted Canada’s broader partnerships in climate-smart agriculture, gender equality, and green entrepreneurship.

On June 25, 2025, German Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan announced a EUR600 million (US$688 million) contribution to Gavi to support global immunization through 2030, at Gavi's replenishment conference held in Brussels.

Alabali-Radovan emphasized that investing in vaccine access is both a humanitarian and economic priority, underscoring Germany’s long-standing role in strengthening global health systems. The funding will help immunize hundreds of millions of children and build more resilient healthcare infrastructure in low-income countries.

On June 24, 2025, the German government presented the draft 2025 budget which considers reducing its ODA budget as defense spending increases to meet NATO commitments, with ODA expected to drop to EUR10.3 billion (US$11.8 billion), down from EUR11.5 billion (US$13.1 billion) in 2024 and EUR13.8 billion (US$15.8 billion) in 2022.

Meanwhile, Germany plans to raise defense spending to 2.4% of GDP in 2025, exceeding the NATO target. The shift comes amid concerns about future US support under Trump's administration and aims to strengthen European security.

However, humanitarian organizations have raised concerns that these cuts could further undermine Germany’s longstanding commitments to global development and crisis response.

On June 20, 2025, Norwegian Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust announced that Norway is providing NOK120million (US$12 million) in humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced persons in Sudan, Syria, and the Sahel/Lake Chad region, channeled through various UN organizations.

NOK60million (US$6 million) will support WFP and UNHCR in Sudan and the Sahel, addressing urgent needs for protection, food, water, shelter, and healthcare amid severe displacement and hunger crises. In the Sahel, NOK30million (US$3 million) will go to the UN Humanitarian Fund for West and Central Africa, with half allocated to Chad, where over a million Sudanese refugees face critical conditions.

In Syria, NOK30million (US$3 million) will be distributed among WHO, UNICEF, and WFP to improve health, water, and food services, supporting both returnees and those still in need after years of conflict. Norway’s support aims to strengthen basic services and stabilize affected regions.

On June 20, 2025, the Norwegian government published a white paper that showed that Norway is on track to achieve most UN SDGs by 2030, with strong progress in infrastructure, energy, education, gender equality, and effective institutions.

However, high material consumption remains a significant challenge, as Norway’s consumption levels exceed both global and European averages. The white paper reviewed Norway’s current position, highlighted key challenges, and outlined strategies to reach the SDGs. It also identified nine sub-goals that require substantial progress, largely relating to sustainability, biodiversity and climate protection, and waste reduction.

The Norwegian government’s digitalization strategy for 2024–2030, Digital Norway of the Future, is designed to accelerate green and digital transformation across all sectors, with investment in research, development, and innovation seen as vital to achieving a low-emission society. The white paper stressed the importance of broad engagement, involving citizens and all societal actors in joint efforts towards the SDGs.

On June 17, 2025, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs published the second Strategic Investment Plan for Development for 2024–2027, defining priorities relating to French technical assistance actions in the areas of taxation and public financial management, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

The plan's budget exceeds EUR60million (US$69 million) and aligns with the Presidential Council for International Partnerships, Interministerial Committees for International Cooperation and Development, a number of European and multilateral initiatives, and the EU Global Gateway program.

The plan's objectives were outlined as the aim to broaden the tax base by strengthening tax citizenship, integrating the informal economy, and innovating in digital and land taxation as well as modernize tax and customs administrations through digitalization, skills development, and combating illicit financial flows.

The plan funds bilateral projects via AFD and Expertise France as well as multilateral actions with IMF, WB, and OECD, with cross-cutting goals focusing on gender equality, green transition, and inclusive governance in vulnerable countries.

On June 17, 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a CAD2 billion (US$1.4 billion) assistance package to support Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction during the closing of the 2025 G7 Summit in Quebec.

The funding was positioned as a signal of Canada’s continued leadership and commitment to Ukraine amidst ongoing Russian aggression. While broader G7 unity appeared strained—with key figures like US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaving early—Canada used the platform to reinforce its role as a reliable ally.

From June 16 to 18, 2025, AFD Group CEO Rémy Rioux visited Ukraine and Moldova, signalling AFD's strengthened commitment to Ukraine’s reconstruction and European integration ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome on July 10 and 11, 2025.

Rioux highlighted that in Odessa, AFD supports the REHAB 1 program, implemented by EF, to improve mental health and rehabilitation services for civilians and veterans. In Kyiv, Rioux and French officials met Ukrainian ministers and advisers to prioritize financing for reconstruction, decentralization, and European convergence.

In Lviv, Rioux signed AFD’s first Ukrainian grant, totaling EUR5million (US$6 million), with the mayor for urban mobility, improving access to the Unbroken rehabilitation center for over 150,000 displaced people. This project, supported by GIZ, the European Commission, and EBRD, paves the way for future direct loans to Lviv.

In Moldova, Rioux met Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov, and Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu to confirm AFD as a leading bilateral partner and a key implementer in the European Growth Plan, which totals EUR1.9billion (US$2.2 billion) over 2025–2027. The INSPIREE program, AFD's first investment in Moldova and co-financed with the KfW, is planned to boost energy security by renovating public buildings.

From June 9-13, 2025, the 3^rd UN Ocean Conference was hosted in Nice, France, ending with over 170 countries adopting a joint declaration committing to urgent measures for ocean conservation and sustainable use.

The event featured 55 heads of state and government as well as upwards of 15,000 participants from civil society, business, and science. The Nice Ocean Action Plan, combining this declaration with voluntary pledges, was said to mark renewed global political will for marine protection.

Key commitments included:

• A European Commission pledge of EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) for ocean conservation;
• A pledge by French Polynesia to create the world’s largest marine protected area;
• A pledge by New Zealand of US$52 million for Pacific Ocean governance;
• A pledge by Italy of EUR6.5 million (US$7 million) to strengthen Coast Guard surveillance in marine protected areas and on oil platforms;
• A pledge by Spain to establish five new marine protected areas, aiming to safeguard 25% of its marine territory;
• A pledge by Germany of EUR100 million (US$115 million) for Baltic and North Sea munitions clearance;
• The launch of a Coral Bond for reef conservation by Indonesia, WB, and partners.

37 countries, led by Panama and Canada, launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, while Canada pledged US$9 million to the Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance. UN agencies and global partners also launched a co-design process for One Ocean Finance to unlock billions in new financing from ocean-dependent industries and blue economy sectors.

Nineteen more states ratified the Marine Biodiversity Treaty, bringing total signatures to 136 and ratifications to 50 states, plus the EU. Ten more ratifications are needed for the Agreement to enter into force. The 4^th UN Ocean Conference, in 2028, will be co-hosted by Chile and the Republic of Korea.