Partnerships for Recovery

Australia is at the forefront of responses to COVID-19 in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, and contributing to global efforts.

Expanding on our Pacific Step-up commitments, we are providing additional funding of $314 million

($281 million in 2022-23) to address the economic and social costs of COVID-19 in the Pacific and Timor-Leste to help our partners respond, recover and rebuild.

We are delivering results and making a difference. We are accelerating our end-to-end support for vaccines, providing life-saving assistance to Ukraine, and responding rapidly and effectively to natural disasters.

We are working to maintain economic stability in our region and investing in a sustainable shared recovery. We are empowering women and girls to deliver better outcomes for all. We are supporting high-quality, climate resilient infrastructure.

We will remain a strong and steadfast partner; investing in a secure and prosperous future for Australia and our neighbours.

Infrastructure

Australia is boosting the capacity of the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) to deliver high-quality, sustainable infrastructure in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, doubling the AIFFP’s lending headroom from $1.5 billion to $3 billion. This builds on finalised financing of over $700 million in investments in airports, ports, submarine cables and solar farms. Together with our partners, we are prioritising transformational and climate resilient energy, water, transport, telecommunications and other infrastructure. Australia is committed to helping our Pacific family avoid unsustainable debt burdens.

Climate finance

Climate change will shape the development trajectory of countries, bringing heightened risks, as well as opportunities, for economic transformation. Australia is doubling its climate finance commitment by providing

$2 billion over 2020-25 to developing countries in the Indo-Pacific region. In recognition of the region’s specific vulnerabilities, at least $700 million of this will flow to the Pacific. Our approach will support a technology-led clean energy transition for a low emissions future, including through unlocking additional private sector finance. We will retain a strong focus on adaptation and resilience, supporting food and water security, stronger and more inclusive disaster preparedness, and climate resilient infrastructure.

Gender equality

Gender equality is front and centre in every facet of our work, with an estimated $1.5 billion to support gender equality across the development program.

Pacific Women Lead $170m 2021–26

Of this $1.5 billion, more than $500 million will be spent in the Pacific. Pacific Women Lead is the major investment that highlights Australia’s commitment to partnerships for gender equality in our region. Pacific Women Lead continues to promote women’s leadership, realise women’s rights, and increase the effectiveness of regional gender equality efforts in the Pacific.

Southeast Asia Women Together $300m 2022–27

Women Together is a new signature package of $300 million over five years to support gender equality in Southeast Asia. It will focus on building women’s economic empowerment, increasing women’s leadership in regional peace and stability and realising women’s and girls’ rights focused on violence prevention.

Building resilience to shared challenges 2022–23

Estimated total ODA by region, including baseline ODA plus temporary, targeted and supplementary measures

$4.09 billion baseline ODA

• $1.16b for Global and Other
• $305.1m for South and West Asia
• $1.03b for Southeast and East Asia
• $1.50b for the Pacific

Plus $460 million in temporary, targeted and supplementary measures in 2022-23

• $281 million to address the economic and social costs of COVID-19 in the Pacific & Timor-Leste
• $98.3 million for vaccines in the Pacific and Southeast Asia
• $61.5 million to support economic recovery in Southeast Asia
• $13.6 million for Pacific Labour Mobility
• $5.7 million for ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Program highlights

Health security

The Government will make a further $375 million, five year strategic investment in our region’s health security, which will strengthen health systems and help us prepare for emerging infectious disease outbreaks.

The Government is committed to supporting comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Pacific and Timor-Leste; making a significant contribution towards the needs of countries in Southeast Asia; and playing our part to ensure global vaccine equity. We have shared over 25 million vaccine doses with our region to date, as part of our commitment to share 60 million doses.

The Government has pledged $100 million over five years to accelerate the development of vaccines against infectious disease threats, through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and a further $85 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment to guard against new COVID-19 variants and help lift global vaccination rates, bringing our total commitment to $215 million.

Stability

Multiple challenges, including COVID-19, extreme weather events and conflict threaten stability around the world. We continue to respond rapidly to crises in the Pacific - most recently in Tonga and Solomon Islands.

Funding of $144.9 million for protracted crises will increase Australia’s ability to respond to the most pressing humanitarian crises globally such as in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

In Ukraine, Russia is targeting civilians, causing immense suffering, through its unprovoked, unjust and illegal invasion. Australia is providing $65 million in humanitarian funding to help meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian people, with a focus on protecting women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

In Afghanistan, one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises has left an estimated 24.4 million Afghans in need of assistance. We are contributing $100 million in humanitarian assistance to respond, with targeted support for women and girls.

Economic recovery

Additional temporary and targeted funding of $314 million (2022-24) for the Pacific and Timor-Leste will address the economic and social costs of the pandemic in the region, in pursuit of our Pacific Step-up objectives. It will support critical health, education and social protection services; provide technical expertise; assist with vaccination certification and testing capacity; and provide continued support to the aviation sector.

The Katalis program ($40 million, 2020-25) will help maximise the mutual benefits of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement - supporting two-way trade and investment, and promoting inclusive economic growth in Indonesia. Katalis will play an important role in driving a sustainable economic recovery, including by exploring opportunities for Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector to support Indonesia’s development of an electric vehicle industry.

Table 1: Australian ODA allocations by country, regional and global programs

2021–22 and 2022–23 Budget Estimate

Due to rounding, discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

¹ Reduction due to Palau’s graduation from ODA eligibility as of 1 January 2022.

² The COVID-19 Response Fund has now concluded and the ongoing COVID-19 response is being taken forward through global and regional health programs. The COVID-19 Response Fund did not count towards 2020-21 and 2021-22 humanitarian expenditure.

Table 2: Australian ODA by country and region of benefit

2021–22 and 2022–23 Budget Estimate

¹ Reduction due to Palau’s graduation from ODA eligibility as of 1 January 2022

Table 3: Australian ODA delivered by other government departments

2022–23 Budget Estimate

Table 4: Australian ODA temporary, targeted and supplementary (TTS) measures

* The Department of Health provided $31.475 million of ODA-eligible in kind donations in 2020-21 from Australia’s domestic stockpile as part of the Government’s international COVID-19 response. This included $21.9 million of emergency health supplies provided to India.

** As announced by the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on 01 March 2022 (https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australian-support-ukraine) and 20 March 2022 (https://www.pm.gov.au/media/additional-support-ukraine)

*** Contribution to COVAX Advance Market Commitment provided by Department of Health