Policy Updates

On April 14, 2024, the C7 published a statement ahead of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Capri from April 17-19, 2024, where the group called on the foreign ministers to take concrete action to promote human rights as well as the common interests of humanity and the planet.

The C7 advocated that the G7 ministers reaffirm their commitment to developing long-term peace-building strategies that address persistent structural challenges at the basis of conflicts, ensure food security even in fragile settings, and address a profound transformation of food systems. The group also called upon their governmental counterparts to ensure safe and regular migration channels and commit to protecting migrant rights.

On April 11, 2024, the European Commission and the Belgian Council Presidency hosted the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education.

Grounded in EU pledges from the 2022 TES, the program prioritized green and digital learning, teaching quality, and finance for education among others. Notably, FLN, one of the key foci of the 2022 TES, did not feature in the agenda.

In addition to high-level meetings and discussions, the event included EUR245 million (US$264 million) several pledges from the EU, including:

• EUR110 million (US$119 million) for implementation of Zambia's National Development Plan and Free Education Initiative, which aim to improve quality of early, primary, and secondary education and increase the attendance and completion rates of girls in school;
• EUR75 million (US$81 million) co-financed by the EU and Team Europe for employment-related skills and vocational training with a focus on women and girls' education in SSA. Specific partner countries were not named;
• EUR15 million (US$16 million) and EUR27 million (US$29 million) were allocated to youth mobility projects with a focus on EU-Africa mobility and intra-African mobility and green skills, respectively; and
• EUR18 million (US$20 million) for building research capacity related to medicines and vaccines in Nigeria.

On March 27, 2024, the MAECE announced that 26 tons of food supplies were successfully delivered to Palestinian population in the Gaza strip.

The joint humanitarian operation was coordinated between the Spanish ministries of foreign affairs and defense and co-funded by the EU, and aimed at shore up food security for people individuals by the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

From 2022-23, Spain tripled its ODA to Palestine. In 2023, Spain provided the Palestinian population with up to EUR50 million (US$54 million) and, from this amount, EUR20 million (US$21 million) were channeled through the UNRWA. In 2024, Spain has contributed with EUR24 million (US$25 million) to UNRWA.

On March 26, 2024, the EIB provided EUR123 million (US$133 million) in financing for Tunisia's Bizerte Bridge project.

The funding was allocated under the EU's Global Gateway initiative. The Bizerte project also received financing from the AfDB of EUR122 million (US$132 million). As it enters the implementation and construction phases, the Bizerte Bridge project aims to reduce congestion in downtown Bizerte, reduce resultant air pollution, and support the economic development of the city and region by improving transport flows.

On March 25, 2024, amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Open Canada is criticized the government of Canada for its inaction to address the public health and nutrition crisis, as well as the government’s lack of focus on the African continent as a whole.

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan followed the outbreak of war in April 2023, with 8 million people displaced, roughly half the population (approximately 25 million people) in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, a cholera outbreak, and a widespread famine predicted by June 2024.

Open Canada criticized the government for its passivity in the crisis, with neither Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nor Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly having spoken publicly about Sudan since shortly after the outbreak of war. While Canada evacuated its Sudanese embassy in April 2023, it did not follow other donor countries in maintaining the presence of a senior official in the region to assist in conflict resolution or support key international humanitarian and development organizations. Open Canada also noted that, unlike the EU, UK, and US, Canada has not imposed sanctions on Sudan.

The group also criticized Canada's apathetic approach to the region more broadly. Canada announced a new Foreign Policy Engagement Plan for Africa in 2022, however, the strategy has since been transitioned into a “framework” with the Canadian government yet to release any details of the plan. Open Canada called on the Canadian government to implement a proper engagement strategy in Africa, particularly amid the growing humanitarian, development, and security crisis in Sudan.

On March 22, 2024, the EIB announced US$125 million in financing for energy infrastructure in Ecuador.

The loan was signed by European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius as part of the EU - LAC Global Gateway Investment Agenda, which was launched to support regional connectivity and infrastructure in health, climate, and more.

Specifically, the loan will support the integration of Ecuadorian and Peruvian energy, specifically the development of interconnectors in Ecuador. Key goals of the project included:

• Increased energy trade between the two states;
• Increased energy security, as each state can better benefit from their hydroelectric systems; and
• Progress toward decarbonization.

On March 21, 2024, the EU announced a contribution of EUR268 million (USS$290 million) at the EU - LAC High-Level Event on Inclusive Human Development and Equitable Access to Health Products.

Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Uprilainen announced the investment, made in cooperation with France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, and Sweden. The finance aims to mobilize EUR1 billion (US$1 billion) to support access to basic social services and rights and increase the transparency and accountability of government agencies.

The contribution was made in line with broader :abbrEU - CELAC cooperation, which aims to mobilize over EUR45 billion (US$49 billion) from 2024-2027 to support the SDGs and other efforts in the region.

On March 20, 2024, the EU and the Belgian Council presidency announced a joint contribution of EUR14 million (US$15 million) for the African Medicines Agency and launched three global health partnership programs.

The support, announced at the high-level event on EU – AU partnership on Global Health for equitable access, comprised EUR10 million (US$11 million) from the Commission and EUR4 million (US$4 million) from Belgium. The support aims to advance the establishment of the African Medicines Agency, particularly as an end to strengthening vaccine production and health innovation.

In addition, the event marked the launch of three Team Europe initiatives on:

• Sustainable Health Security, which aims to increase PPR among African partner countries, with a specific focus on AMR and other infectious diseases, and will receive EUR128 million (US$129 million) from the 2021-2027 budget;
• Support to Public Health Institutes in Africa, which aims to bolster UHC and reduce health access inequalities and received an allocation of EUR50 million (US$54 million) from 2024-2027; and
• Digital Health, focusing on reducing health disparities and advancing UHC and PPR through technological and practical innovation, which received EUR87 million (US$94 million) from 2024-2027.

On March 12, 2024, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen announced a battery of initiatives to support the EU - Cambodia relationship.

Two of these initiatives included Team Europe programs intended to mobilize EUR1.1 billion (US$1.1 billion) and EUR400 million (US$432 million) for green agriculture and factories, respectively. Within these initiatives, focuses included green energy and decent jobs.

Urpilainen also announced four new collaborations between the EU and Cambodia, worth EUR79 million (US$86 million), with sectoral foci including:

• Agriculture, specifically sustainable farming practices that avoid deforestation;
• Sustainable energy in the production of textiles and garments;
• Digital skills, STEM education, and research; and
• Economic and trade development, specifically addressing challenges specific to Cambodia and increasing competitiveness.

On March 6, 2024, the EU announced EUR228 million (US$236 million) in support for projects in Uganda during a high-level business meeting.

With a primary focus on business and economic development, the initiatives also touched on topics including housing, human rights, digital infrastructure, gender equality, and agriculture:

• EUR40 million (US$43 million) was provided for the "Investing in Young Women-Led Entrepreneurs Business in Africa," which was reported as an effort to increase women's economic empowerment in partners across SSA, though specific partner countries were not listed in the press release;
• EUR50 million (US$54 million) was loaned to Uganda with the aim of increasing youth and women's employment while increasing access to jobs in sustainability;
• The EIB announced an EUR25 million (US$27 million) loan for the development of SMEs and aimed for 50% of support to benefit women-led businesses;
• EUR5 million (US$5 million) was also allocated to build awareness and advocacy surrounding human rights abuses in business;
• The EIB loaned EUR25 million (US$27 million) for over 500 telecommunications towers to be built throughout Uganda, with the aim of increasing access to digital technologies;
• The EIB loaned EUR50 million (US$54 million) to the Centenary Rural Development Bank to support women entrepreneurs in small businesses; and
• EUR 12 million (US$13 million) was allocated to both the START Facility and the Agricultural Business Initiative in Uganda to support climate resilience and economic development among agrarian populations.