As we conclude 2024, it’s a moment to reflect on the challenges we’ve faced and the progress we’ve made together. 2024 was a year where Cooperation Canada’s mission – to work in partnership with others for a fairer, safer and more sustainable world – felt more important than ever. In the face of rising geopolitical instability and complexity, and entrenched global economic, social and political injustices, we were motivated to work with our members and partners to drive positive change in Canada and around the world.
Bold and strategic Canadian leadership in a complex world
We focused considerable energy and attention on active engagement with Canadian parliamentarians, and the Government of Canada, to push for bold Canadian global leadership on international cooperation. We worked alongside our members to advocate strategically and persistently for Canada to step up investments in international assistance in Budget 2024, and welcomed $350 million in new Canadian funding commitments to respond to rising humanitarian needs around the world.
We engaged many parliamentarians over 2024 on the life-saving and life-changing work of Canadian international cooperation, including at our International Development Week Hill Day in February 2024, sharing stories and evidence of the impact of Canadian leadership and engagement in international cooperation.
Amidst rising violence and humanitarian needs in Gaza, we worked alongside members to call on Canada to support a ceasefire, worked in partnership with others to raise the alarm on Sudan, including through a public statement and media engagement, and called on Canada to respond to the ongoing and dire crisis in Haiti. We worked with partners to progress thought and practice leadership on an integrated ‘triple nexus’ approach to international assistance – one that responds better to the lived realities of people through humanitarian, development and peace support in an integrated way.
As Canada looked to refresh its approach to its engagement in Africa and the Indo-Pacific, we mobilized members to ensure that their expertise, insights and partnerships informed Canada’s approach to these key regions of the world. We were privileged to work with others, including the Canadian Partnership on Women and Children’s Health, on polling on Canadians’ views on international assistance.
And we continued to engage actively with Global Affairs Canada to foster best practice in partnerships between the government and its partners, including through Canada’s Civil Society Policy Advisory Group and Chief Financial Officers Working Group.
Empowering civil society and shifting power in international cooperation
The Anti-Racist Cooperation Hub continued its important work to equip international cooperation actors to implement anti-racist practices in their work, including through its annual progress report and report on creating safer spaces for racialized leadership and staff in international cooperation. Digna advanced its work to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in international assistance. We were honoured to play a role in the incubation of Resilient Societies, an activist-led hub working to protect and promote civic space globally. And we continued to host the Humanitarian Response Network of Canada, which embarked on a strategic review and launched a new Strategic Plan 2024-2029, positioning the network to support network members to learn and collaborate to enhance their humanitarian impact.
A future-oriented approach to international cooperation
We were thrilled to organize a fantastic International Cooperation Futures Forum and are grateful that so many partners from Canada and around the world were able to join us! We drew on strategic foresight approaches to look ahead to the future of international cooperation through our Global Cooperation Futures Initiative – check out this fantastic initiative which will inform and guide our work moving forward.
Looking ahead
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Cooperation Canada team. Your unwavering dedication, passion, and commitment to our mission have been the driving force behind everything we’ve accomplished in 2024. Each of you has played a crucial role in shaping our collective success, and I am deeply grateful for your hard work, collaboration, and resilience throughout the year.
As we prepare for 2025, we remain steadfast in our commitment to work with others for a fairer, safer, and more sustainable world. As Canada takes the G7 Presidency, we at Cooperation Canada look forward to leading the Civil 7 (C7) and ensuring the perspectives of global civil society inform G7 commitments.
We extend our deepest gratitude to our members, partners, and supporters. Your dedication and commitment to collective action and engagement has been instrumental in our achievements and impact this year.
As we look out to 2025, we at Cooperation Canada are optimistic about what we can achieve when we work together, and look forward to collaborating with our members and partners in the year ahead!
