Policy Updates

On March 24, 2026, Norway announced NOK767 million (US$77 million) in additional humanitarian funding for Ukrainians affected by the war, including NOK260 million (US$26 million) in new support for displaced people in and from Ukraine through UNHCR and other UN partners.

The Norwegian government announced an increase of NOK225 million (US$23 million) to UNHCR's efforts in Ukraine and a further NOK35 million (US$4 million) for its refugee response in neighboring Moldova. Additional funding was directed through the WFP, UNICEF, and the UN's humanitarian country-based pooled funds to support humanitarian work in Ukraine and the refugee response in Moldova.

The new funding for the humanitarian response in Ukraine, totaling NOK725 million (US$73 million), will be allocated as follows:

• NOK225 million (US$23 million) to UNHCR;
• NOK175 million (US$18 million) to WFP;
• NOK110 million (US$11 million) to UNICEF;
• NOK80 million (US$8 million) to UNOCHA's country-based pooled funds;
• NOK50 million (US$5 million) to UNFPA;
• NOK50 million (US$5 million) to WHO;
• NOK30 million (US$3 million) to FAO; and
• NOK5 million (US$500,000) to UNOCHA for coordination.

Additional funding for the refugee response in Moldova, totaling NOK42 million (US$4 million), is allocated as follows:

• NOK35 million (US$4 million) to the UNHCR;
• NOK4 million (US$400,000) to UNFPA; and
• NOK3 million (US$300,000) to UNICEF.

The Australian government announced an AUD2.5 million (US$2 million) climate resilience package and signed three memoranda of understanding with the Federated States of Micronesia on maritime security and policing cooperation during the first official bilateral visit by a Federated States of Micronesia head of state in nearly 30 years.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy welcomed Federated States of Micronesia President Wesley Simina to Canberra on March 24, 2026. Australia and the Federated States of Micronesia signed three memoranda of understanding: one to enhance maritime security cooperation, enabling the Federated States of Micronesia to access support under Australia's increased investment in regional maritime security partnerships, and two to implement the Pacific Policing Initiative, the key policing cooperation mechanism in the Pacific.

Australia and the Federated States of Micronesia also announced an AUD2.5 million (US$2 million) climate resilience package drawn from the existing bilateral development budget. The package will support girls and children with disabilities in accessing safe drinking water and basic sanitation in schools, and fund upgrades to emergency evacuation shelters. Both governments reaffirmed their commitment to climate action, including a Pacific Pre-:abbrCOP in Fiji and a leaders' side visit to Tuvalu.

On March 21, 2026, The Australian government announced AUD5 million (US$4 million) in additional humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict in Lebanon, bringing total Australian humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon to over AUD135 million (US$96 million) since October 2023.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and International Development Minister Anne Aly announced funding will focus on the most vulnerable, particularly women and children. Funding will be delivered through two partners:

• AUD3 million (US$2 million) to the WFP for emergency food assistance; and
• AUD2 million (US$1 million) to UNICEF for nutrition assistance, access to water, and health services.

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).

Canadian Secretary of State Randeep Sarai announced CAD11.75 million (US$9 million) in new funding for humanitarian and development projects in Kenya, the surrounding region, and the Indo-Pacific during a visit to Kenya on March 18, 2026.

The funding package supported the following projects:

• CAD9.5 million (US$7 million) to Equitas for the United to Protect Human Rights project, supporting human rights defenders across East and West Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and the Indo-Pacific from 2026 to 2028;
• CAD1.5 million (US$1 million) to the UNHCR for emergency protection, shelter, health, and livelihood services for refugees in Kenya;
• CAD500,000 (US$365,000) to the WFP for emergency food assistance to crisis-affected populations in Kenya; and
• CAD250,000 (US$183,000) to Manitoba Hydro International to support Kenya in preparing its electricity grid for future low-carbon power generation from 2026 to 2027.

Sarai also highlighted five active IDRC projects in Kenya, totaling approximately CAD3 million (US$2 million):

• CAD250,000 (US$183,000) for responsible AI policy-making in Kenya from 2024 to 2028;
• CAD1.25 million (US$913,000) for inclusive trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area in Kenya, Cameroon, Egypt, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia from 2025 to 2027;
• CAD600,000 (US$438,000) to expand access to clean cooking solutions for women in Ghana and Kenya from 2024 to 2026;
• CAD480,000 (US$350,000) to test drone delivery of essential medical supplies in rural Kenya from 2022 to 2026; and
• CAD250,000 (US$183,000) to develop a financing model for solar energy solutions for primary health care facilities in Kenya from 2024 to 2026.

The UK government has announced the closure of the GHWP, a health workforce development initiative operating in six African countries, citing ODA budget cuts.

The FCDO confirmed the GHWP would close at the end of March 2026. The programme supported healthcare staff development and training in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Somaliland, and had operated in various iterations since 2008. The current three-year contract had previously been expected to be renewed.

The closure followed the Labour government's 2025 decision to reduce ODA to fund increased military spending, following an earlier cut under Boris Johnson's government. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for FCDO Chris Elmore stated that the government would continue to support countries in building resilient health systems and was working to ensure the sustainability of projects beyond the programme's closure.

Ben Simms, CEO of Global Health Partnerships, which ran the programme, warned that the UK risked ceding ground in global health that would be difficult to recover.

Spain's AECID, fourteen autonomous communities, and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces agreed on March 10, 2026, to allocate EUR2 million (US$2.3 million) from the 2026 Humanitarian Action Convention to Venezuela, Haiti, Mali, Afghanistan, and Sahrawi refugee camps, with each project receiving EUR400,000 (US$464,000.)

The interventions align with Spain's strategic plans in the humanitarian field and are aimed at responding to five humanitarian crises. In the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, Spain will support food aid for more than 133,000 refugees. In Venezuela's Delta Amacuro state, nearly 950 indigenous Warao children will reintegrate into the education system. In Haiti, Spain will assist the most vulnerable among more than 6 million people in urgent need of food, health, protection, and assistance. In Mali, Spain will help displaced people in host communities generate income and rebuild their livelihoods. In Afghanistan, Spain will guarantee maternal health care and protection services for women and girls.

In addition to these projects, a contingency fund has been set aside to respond to new emergencies throughout the year. Since the agreement's implementation in 2023, approximately EUR21 million (US$24 million) has been allocated to people affected by protracted crises and emergencies.

On March 9, 2026, the US State Department launched a US$4.5 billion funding platform for global health projects, inviting international NGOs, local NGOs, faith-based organizations, companies, universities, and government entities to apply for up to 100 awards ranging from US$500,000 to US$250 million over five years to complement bilateral health agreements.

The State Department created the platform to support projects that complement, extend, or fill gaps in the implementation of bilateral health agreements signed under the Trump administration's "America First" global health strategy. The platform will cover two initial priority areas: child development, care, and protection and rapid outbreak response. The child development, care, and protection priority offers up to five grants for up to five years with US$53 million in anticipated funding to address needs of children vulnerable to violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. The rapid outbreak response priority offers up to 10 awards for up to five years with US$290 million in funding to support countries with comprehensive responses to infectious disease outbreaks, prioritizing detection within seven days and rapid containment.

The program statement notes that no money can be made available to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, which supports Palestinians, and it prohibits funding that “Encourage Mass-Migration Caravans towards the United States Southwest Border.”

Dr. Jirair Ratevosian, senior global health security expert at Duke University Global Health Institute, noted that the approach allowed the US to encourage ideas from the field and adapt quickly to emerging health threats, while also building a portfolio of investments rather than a single, large program.

On March 9, 2026, EUR246 million (US$286 million) in grants and credit initiatives across Africa, Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and Latin America were approved during Italy's first Joint Committee on Development Cooperation meeting of 2026, chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Edmondo Cirielli.

In Africa, in line with the Mattei Plan, the Committee approved environmental development programs in Ethiopia, agricultural development initiatives in Burkina Faso, and interventions to support food security in Kenya. The Committee also approved a project to strengthen the healthcare system in Chad, which will be implemented by the Italian National Institute of Health. An information note was approved regarding the resumption of operations of the AICS Project Office in Port Sudan, aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of Italian cooperation in the country.

The Committee approved up to EUR100 million (US$116 million) through Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to strengthen food security in Ukraine, and up to EUR28 million (US$33 million) to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the Western Balkans. Regarding Latin America, the Committee cited a program for inclusive and sustainable digital transition and infrastructure projects for the Padre Machado Dispensary Clinic in Caracas, Venezuela.

Among the development initiatives supported by the Regional Fund, established in 2025, the Committee approved a renewable energy and blue economy program in Kenya co-financed by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, a project to support entrepreneurship in Ethiopia co-financed by the Marche Region, and a sustainable tourism initiative in Angola co-financed by the Umbria Region.

Finally, the Committee approved voluntary contributions to international organizations, including IDLO, OECD Caserta, CIHEAM Bari, UNDESA, and UNICRI.

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.