Policy Updates

On August 14, 2025, the resumed 5^th session of the INC-5.2]{title="Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee"} in Geneva, Switzerland, concluded without reaching a consensus on a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, though UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen and UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that all member states agreed to continue negotiations.

Negotiations to establish a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution concluded without an agreement. UN officials, including UNEP Executive Director Andersen and UN Secretary-General Guterres, acknowledged the outcome but emphasized that all countries remained committed to the process. The talks, which included delegates from 183 nations and representatives from over 400 CSOs faced significant differences on key issues.

The US delegation supported an agreement that allows for tailored, country-specific solutions to reduce plastic pollution while opposing prescriptive, top-down regulations. INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso and INC Executive Secretary Jyoti Mathur-Filipp reaffirmed their dedication to moving forward and achieving a future agreement.

On August 13, 2025, a US court ruled that the Trump administration could continue to withhold billions of dollars in foreign assistance, clearing the way for the administration to cut already-appropriated spending for foreign assistance.

The court found that development organizations that receive government funding do not have cause to challenge the funding cuts. The decision overturned a lower court’s March 2025 order that had required the administration to continue processing foreign assistance payments, including nearly US$4 billion for global health activities through September 2025 and more than US$6 billion for HIV/AIDS programs through 2028. The new ruling noted that the administration had already paid out substantially to existing contracts since the lower court's ruling in March 2025.

The panel also ruled that under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, only the GAO, Congress's independent watchdog, could legally challenge the president’s efforts to withhold foreign assistance funding. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was enacted to limit the president's power to withhold funding that has been appropriated by Congress. While the GAO has the power to sue to force the release of funds, it has not yet done so.

On August 7, 2025, the US Department of State announced a US$93 million grant to UNICEF to provide lifesaving food aid to nearly a million children suffering from malnutrition across 13 countries.

The grant will provide 11,000 metric tons of American-made RUTF for approximately 800,000 children through June 2026 in Haiti, Mali, Niger, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Kenya, and Chad and support the transport of an additional 1,200 metric tons of abbrRUTF for 87,000 children. However, UNICEF noted that a further two-to-three-month delay is expected before the products are delivered. UNICEF USA President and CEO Michael J. Nyenhuis welcomed the commitment, which according to a department spokesperson will draw down the entire prepositioned stock of RUTF.

The funding was authorized after months of delays and is UNICEF's first large grant for 2025 from the US. The amount is less than half of what the US government has typically allocated for this purpose. In 2024, the former USAID spent about US$200 million on similar work.

The US has historically funded roughly half of the world's supply of RUTF, and the US funding freeze in early 2025 severely disrupted the global supply chain of nutrition commodities. US funds for 2025 still have not yet been released to manufacturers, the WFP, transporters, or many organizations that operate malnutrition programs. In Nigeria, the WFP has had to shut down 150 clinics, and other assistance organizations reported similar clinic closures and dangerously low supplies across Africa and Asia that put thousands of children's lives in immediate danger.

On August 4, 2025, the Gates Foundation announced a US$2.5 billion commitment through 2030 to accelerate R&D focused on women’s health, this pledge comes as many donor governments, including the US, are reducing their ODA budgets, placing a greater emphasis on private philanthropy to fill funding gaps.

The funding aims to address chronic underinvestment in the sector, noting that only 1% of healthcare research is for female-specific conditions beyond oncology. The investment will support over 40 innovations across five priority areas:

• Obstetric care and maternal immunization;
• Maternal health and nutrition;
• Gynecological and menstrual health;
• Contraceptive innovation; and
• Sexually transmitted infections.

The foundation urged governments, philanthropists, and the private sector to co-invest to close funding gaps. The announcement cited research showing that every US$1 invested in women’s health yields US$3 in economic growth and that closing the gender health gap could boost the global economy by US$1 trillion annually by 2040.

On August 1, 2025, the French health ministry stated it could not legally intervene to stop the planned destruction of US$10 million in contraceptives held in Belgium, which were purchased by the USAID under former President Joe Biden and set to be destroyed by the administration of President Donald Trump, despite strong public outcry to intervene.

The US decision sparked criticism in France, with rights groups and left-wing politicians urging their government to halt the plan. France's health ministry, however, stated it had no legal basis to seize the products, as the products are not drugs of major therapeutic interest and no supply shortage exists in France. Multiple organizations, including MSI Reproductive Choices, offered to purchase the contraceptives at no cost to the US government, but their offers were rejected.

The contraceptives, mostly long-acting products like IUDs and birth control implants, were intended for countries in SSA and stored in Geel, Belgium. A US State Department spokesperson stated the decision to incinerate the unexpired products was based on the Mexico City Policy. The policy, reinstated in early 2025 by the Trump administration, prohibits providing assistance to NGOs that perform or promote abortions, though none of the products held in Belgium align with that description. The destruction was estimated by the US State Department to cost US$167,000.

On July 25, 2025, the US MCC announced significant cuts to its programming following the US administration’s foreign assistance review, stating that stated its portfolio will now align with the administration's 'America First' foreign policy, with specific details on mission and structure to become available following consultations with Congress.

The agency terminated programs in Cape Verde, Gambia, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, the Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, and Zambia. The MCC board is set to determine the continuity of programs in Albania and Liberia in August 2025, and typically approves new compacts and grants at the end of the calendar year. Many canceled programs were smaller threshold grants.

The rationale for the cuts was described as unclear by former officials, especially concerning programs in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Zambia, which were frequent espoused as hurdles to growing Chinese influence. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the numerous program terminations, arguing that they would damage US alliances and cede regional influence.

The agency has lost about a third of staff since the start of the administration, however, the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget bill allocated the same level of funding to the MCC as it received in preceding years, indicating a modicum of bipartisan support.

On July 23, 2025, the US House Appropriations Committee advanced a US$46.2 billion 2026 spending bill for the State Department and foreign assistance, a 22% decrease from 2025 but significantly more than requested by US President Donald Trump.

The bill, advanced on a party-line vote, cuts over US$5.5 billion from economic development and global health programs and nearly US$4 billion from international organizations, reflecting some of the administration's priorities.

However, the legislation defied Trump's wishes for more drastic cuts by salvaging key programs. It provides more than four times the requested funding for international broadcasting and restores funding for programs the administration sought to eliminate, including anti-tropical disease initiatives, nutrition support, and Gavi. Funding for PEPFAR was set at over US$6.2 billion, more than double the administration's request.

Despite restoring this funding, the bill also included a measure to increase the executive branch's power to cancel congressionally approved spending by removing standard language that protects congressionally approved funds. The move drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who warned that the steep reductions in foreign assistance would allow countries such as China and Russia to increase their global influence.

Following the committee's approval, the bill will advance to the full House of Representatives for a vote. To become law, it must also pass the Senate and be signed by the president. The Senate will likely advance its own version, and differences would need to be reconciled before a final vote in both chambers.

On July 22, 2025, the US announced its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, citing concerns over the agency's perceived anti-Israel bias and promotion of divisive causes.

The US State Department stated the withdrawal, effective December 2026, was due to UNESCO's agenda and its admission of Palestine as a member state. This marks the third time the US has left the agency, having last rejoined in 2023 after a 2018 departure under the previous Trump administration. The US first left in 1984 due to security concerns around the Soviet Union before rejoining in 2003.

Alongside its cultural programming, UNESCO supports a number of education, SRHR education, literacy, clean water, and gender equality initiatives. It also helps set standards for ocean protection and AI ethics and protect cultural heritage and education in conflict zones.

UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay noted her regret over the decision but stated it was anticipated. She denied the accusations of anti-Israel bias, pointing to the agency's work on Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism. Azoulay noted that the reasons cited by the US were the same as cited in the previous departure, despite significant changes and reduced political tensions within the organization.

The withdrawal will impact UNESCO's budget, as the US contributes 8% of its funding. However, the agency has diversified its funding sources and stated that it does not anticipate any immediate staff layoffs.

On July 21, 2025, analysis from the Lowy Institute interactive Southeast Asia Aid Map highlighted the impact that major US and European ODA cuts are set to have on South-East Asia’s LICs.

Australia continues to provide targeted assistance in areas such as gender, climate, and disability, but its overall ODA contribution remains low compared to other OECD countries. The Lowy Institute warns that without renewed commitments from Western donors, long-term climate adaptation and poverty reduction efforts in South-East Asia may suffer.

Stakeholders are encouraged to review ODA strategies to ensure effective and equitable support for the region.

On July 18, 2025, US House Republicans approved a US$9 billion recissions package that clawed back approved funding for foreign assistance and public broadcasters, the first such bill signed in decades.

The original White House package sought US$9.4 billion in cuts, including US$8.3 billion for USAID and foreign assistance, and over US$1 billion for public broadcasters. Debates in the week prior to the House vote led to the exemption of US$400 million for PEPFAR after Republican moderates objected.

Some moderate Republicans criticized the process and lack of detail provided by the package, especially regarding a US$2.5 billion cut to the development assistance account that did not feature any information about the scope or sector of the proposed cuts.