Policy Updates

On October 10, 2026, the government of Bangladesh and the EIB set out plans for a EUR250 million (US$286 million) program to improve women's health and strengthen district hospitals for approximately 47 million women and girls.

The program, known as the Women's Health Initiative, proposed using funds approved in 2021 to support Bangladesh's COVID-19 immunization program, mid-term pandemic preparedness, and general health system resilience. This new program aims to expand access to essential health services during 2027-2031.

The initiative proposed expanding maternal and newborn care, cervical and breast cancer services, and access to emergency obstetric and newborn care. It also planned to strengthen primary healthcare, referral services, district hospitals, and critical care to deliver reliable, high-quality care and respond more effectively to future emergencies.

The UNFPA supported the government of Bangladesh in developing the program and is expected to provide technical expertise during implementation.

On October 5, 2026, Ambroise Fayolle, vice president of the EIB, announced that the EIB planned to double its climate adaptation finance to EUR30 billion (US$34.3 billion) through 2030.

The EIB will face a complex year ahead, however. Discussions remain heated around the size of the next MFF, while seven EIB shareholder countries, including France, Spain, Poland, Italy, Finland, Estonia, and Greece, prepare to hold national elections amid rising support for far-right parties. Though these elections have the potential to shape the direction of the EIB board, Fayolle said he was not overly concerned about them and preferred to wait until they occurred before assessing their impact.

On September 25, 2026, a political declaration intended to strengthen global pandemic preparedness failed to secure unanimous support at a high-level UN meeting, after the US and EU objected to provisions on technology transfer, financing, and pathogen and product sharing.

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, speaking for the EU, said the declaration contained valuable commitments but also setbacks on issues the bloc considered essential, including technology transfer terms and the balance between domestic and international financing.

US CDC Director Erica Schwartz cited unresolved concerns over undefined ideological language and the unfinished PABS annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

The declaration will stil proceed to the UN General Assembly for a vote, though departing from the practice of securing member-state endorsement before formal adoption. UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said broad support existed for the text, but that some concerns remained, to be addressed in the General Assembly.

On September 24, 2026, it was announced that government donors had pledged a total of USD$2.1 billion to the GPE at a UN General Assembly side event. This figure fell short of the fund's USD$5 billion target, as many past donors pulled back support, either partly or entirely.

The pledging event, part of GPE's "Multiply Possibility" campaign co-hosted by Italy and Nigeria, aimed to mobilize USD$5 billion in ODA and an additional USD$10 billion through domestic co-financing from partner countries, for a combined USD$15 billion to reach 750 million children in 96 countries by 2030.

GPE reported securing USD$2.1 billion in confirmed and anticipated pledges from sovereign and private donors, plus USD$1.4 billion in co-financing, including USD$1 billion from development finance institutions and USD$400 million from philanthropic and private-sector partners, bringing the total mobilized to USD$3.5 billion. Partner countries separately pledged USD$471 billion in domestic education spending through 2030.

On September 23, 2026, it was announced that countries and partners had committed more than USD$715 million to reproductive health programs, including funding from the UK, Denmark, Norway, and the EIB, to help the UNFPA narrow a US$186 million funding gap for contraceptives across its 54 program countries.

The UK government pledged GBP204 million (US$270 million), the largest single commitment, followed by Denmark's US$54 million contribution. Norway committed NOK210 million (US$23 million), and the EIB provided a EUR200 million (US$232 million) guarantee.

On September 23, 2026, the European Commission announced EUR505 million (US$587 million) in financial support for Lebanon for 2026 and 2027, the second tranche of the EUR1 billion package that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced during her visit to Beirut in May 2024.

The funding aimed to help Lebanon advance key reforms, strengthen its economic recovery, enhance security and border management, and maintain essential services for vulnerable populations. It also aimed to help Lebanon address the consequences of regional instability, conflict, and displacement.

The package targeted three areas.

• First, it supported basic services, including education, health, social protection, and water access, and financed cash assistance for vulnerable families and people with disabilities, as well as access to primary healthcare. It also supported durable solutions for refugees from Syria, including safe, voluntary, and dignified returns, while helping Lebanese authorities progressively take over essential services.
• Second, it supported Lebanon's reform agenda in the justice sector, oversight and regulatory bodies, Parliament, and human rights, alongside efforts to strengthen the security sector, border management, private sector resilience, and economic recovery in conflict-affected areas.
• Third, it supported civil society organizations working on the rights of women, young people, minorities, and people with disabilities, as well as initiatives promoting democratic participation, transparency, and anti-corruption efforts, and helped protect Lebanon's cultural heritage.

On June 25, 2026, the European Commission disbursed €3.2 billion (US$3.6 billion) in macro-financial assistance to Ukraine as the first tranche of the €90 billion (US$102.6 billion) Ukraine Support Loan for 2026–27, and said the first funds from a €6 billion (US$6.8 billion) defense package for drones would follow in the coming days.

At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the first instalment of macro-financial assistance under the Ukraine Support Loan, which is designed to provide predictable and flexible budget support and defense-related financing through 2026–27. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the EU and member states have provided more than €200 billion (US$228.0 billion) in combined support.

The €3.2 billion (US$3.6 billion) payment is the first of three MFA tranches foreseen in 2026, totaling €8.35 billion (US$9.5 billion), under a May 2026 Memorandum of Understanding that sets reform preconditions. Disbursements are tied to satisfactory progress on measures that mobilize domestic revenue, improve the sustainability and quality of public expenditure, and strengthen public financial management.

For this instalment, Ukraine fulfilled seven policy conditions, including extending the military levy; submitting draft legislation to tax income earned via digital platforms; removing VAT exemptions for low-value imported parcels; advancing public investment management reforms; aligning customs legislation more closely with the EU acquis; strengthening customs governance; and reinforcing the medium-term public financial management reform plan.

The EU stated that the MFA supports Ukraine’s macro-financial stability, essential state functions, and priority spending needs, including recovery and reconstruction, while Russia’s war continues to impose high economic and fiscal costs.

On May 13, 2026, the European Commission adopted the Global Health Resilience Initiative, a strategy to scale up prevention, preparedness, and response to future health threats and to address resilience gaps in health systems.

The European Commission said the initiative sets a strategic framework for future EU action to enable faster responses to health threats and crises through a strong multilateral system and cooperation with partners. The strategy aims to reinforce EU strategic autonomy and competitiveness and to support partner countries’ transition away from aid dependence toward health sovereignty.

The initiative has five priority areas:

• Promoting a more effective and less fragmented global health architecture
• Supporting resilient and country-led health systems, with an emphasis on primary health care
• Reinforcing international prevention, preparedness, and response, including improved availability of medical countermeasures such as therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostics
• Diversifying global supply chains and manufacturing of key health products
• Bolstering societal resilience by fostering trust in science and countering health dis- and misinformation.

The Commission stated the EU has already mobilized EUR6 billion (US$6.9 billion) for health investments under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe instrument and had made health a key pillar of the Global Gateway, the EU external investment arm. The initiative includes nine flagship measures at national, regional, and global levels, with implementation expected to begin in 2026-2027.

At the One Health Summit in Lyon, France, on April 7, 2026, the European Commission announced plans to pledge EUR700 million (US$812 million) to the Global Fund's 8th replenishment, EUR46.5 million (US$54 million) to strengthen health security in Africa and Europe, and EUR50 million (US$58 million) in research and development for AMR and neglected tropical diseases.

Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela made the announcements under the scope of the new Global Health Resilience Initiative, announced by President Ursula von der Leyen in the 2025 State of the Union address.

Of the Global Fund pledge, EUR185 million (US$215 million) will be immediately available under the current long-term budget, with country-level grants implemented from 2027 to 2029. Team Europe, comprising the Commission and EU Member States, pledged more than EUR3 billion (US$3.5 billion) in total to the 8th replenishment, representing around one third of all donor contributions since the Global Fund's creation in 2002.

The EUR46.5 million (US$54 million) health security investment aims to strengthen the One Health workforce, AMR surveillance, prevention, and control, and laboratory capacity across Africa over five years, in partnership with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies.

Of the EUR50 million (US$58 million) in research and development funding, EUR30 million (US$35 million), managed by KfW, supported the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator and the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, while EUR20 million (US$23 million) was contributed to AFD for implementation by DNDi to develop dengue medical treatments.

The European Commission announced the EastInvest Facility on February 25, 2026, a financing platform expected to provide at least EUR28 billion (US$33 billion) in public and private investments to nine EU member states bordering Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

The EastInvest Facility brings together the EIB Group, the EBRD, the NIB, the CEB, and national promotional banks from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. The facility aims to provide easier access to loans and advisory support for private and public project promoters in EU eastern regions to boost economies, develop trade, and enhance security.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will open the Brussels launch event hosted by Executive Vice-President Rafaelle Fitto. Participants include President of the EIB Nadia Calviño and Prime Ministers Kristen Michal of Estonia, Inga Ruginienė of Lithuania, Evika Siliņa of Latvia, and Ilie Bolojan of Romania. During the launch, financial institutions and national promotional banks will sign a declaration of intent to coordinate lending and advisory support in the eastern border regions.