Whether it’s the power of our volunteers taking action or decision-makers putting in place the resources and policies we need, when we come together and raise our voices collectively, big change happens.
In 2025, we’ll continue to generate the political will to end extreme poverty since #TogetherWeLead.
Our year-long campaign will focus on Canada’s leading role in bringing the world together to make bold commitments and ensure everyone, everywhere, has the opportunity to live, thrive, and reach their full potential.
Our world has changed dramatically in 2025. Global challenges are rising. Climate change, conflict, and economic instability are threatening the lives of millions around the world and jeopardizing decades of progress toward ending extreme poverty worldwide.
Amid these rising challenges, former champions of global health and development are walking away. Many countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom and France have slashed their international assistance budgets. Devastatingly, the United States has dismantled USAID, once the largest international development agency in the world. The tale of the United States’ abdication of global leadership will be told in lives and futures lost.
Canada has the opportunity and responsibility to work with global partners to fill the gaps left by the American withdrawal. As Prime Minister Carney has boldly stated: "if the United States no longer wants to lead, Canada will."
We have a strong foundation on which to build that leadership. Canada’s strength lies in uniting global leadership, supporting the most marginalized, and showing unwavering commitment to global solutions. For decades and across different governments, Canada has provided leadership in crucial moments from helping to end apartheid in South Africa, to standing up for the health and rights of women and girls. This cross-party consensus of supporting democracy, human rights, and health globally has been crucial in shaping Canada’s role in the world and leadership and in benefitting our own economy and stability.
While our investments in international assistance make up less than half of 1% of Canada’s wealth, they have had significant impact. Between 2000 and 2020, for instance, child mortality fell by 50%, and the prevalence of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases were halved. This progress was fueled by political leaders who embraced the idea that people shouldn’t suffer and die just because of where they are born. Canada’s voice and influence on global issues should not be a political issue. It is part of our identity.
As we look to 2025, it’s clear that the need for leadership and action is greater than ever. While the past two decades saw unprecedented progress, the last five years have seen a slowdown on key issues – poverty, education, and nutrition. New challenges such as inflation, debt, war, and political unrest are exacerbating these crises and deepening inequalities. The impact is most severe for the most vulnerable: over 400 million children – two-thirds of the world’s youth – lack the nutrients to thrive and 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read a basic text.
We need a renewed sense of direction, leadership, and unity to face these challenges and make constructive contributions. Polls consistently show that the majority of Canadians support international assistance, reflecting our country’s compassion and commitment. Canada has long used alliance-building and collective action to influence global health and diplomacy. Canada’s leadership in global health, gender equality, and women’s empowerment includes:
Showing up for the world is not just the right thing to do – it’s also smart and strategic foreign policy. The COVID-19 pandemic proved that no country can tackle crises alone. A healthy, thriving world benefits everyone, driving prosperity at home and abroad.
Canada has a unique opportunity to turn its commitment to equity into stronger global leadership. But this requires translating words into action – both at home and abroad. To address today’s global challenges, we must work together. It’s time for bold action, as we work together to create a healthier, more equitable future for all.
This is our moment. #TogetherWeLead.
Leadership is more than words: it needs resources to back it up. That’s why Canada’s Budget 2025 must be a #BudgetForLeadership. People in Canada strongly support global collaboration, and through transformative investments in health, education, and nutrition, Canada can foster sustainable development.
We urge the government to increase the International Assistance Envelope by $650 million annually over the next four years, with a $750 million over five years to fight global hunger and malnutrition by scaling up equitable access to essential and cost-effective nutrition interventions for women and children globally.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has made significant progress in reducing deaths from the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. Since 2002, the partnership has reduced the combined death rate from AIDS, TB, and malaria by 61%. However, much more remains to be done. Canada must reinvest ambitiously in this lifesaving initiative by strengthening health and community systems, addressing the impacts of current global crises on health programs, and advancing human rights and gender equality. This includes breaking down barriers to healthcare and ensuring access to lifesaving care for those who need it most.
Investing in research and development is also essential to drive innovation in diagnostics, treatments, and prevention tools, ensuring continued progress in the fight against these diseases. By investing in organizations such as Unitaid and FIND, alongside the Global Fund, Canada can play a pivotal role in shaping a more equitable effective global health landscape, ensuring that the most marginalized receive the innovative care they need.
Canada has been a global leader in driving global impact, notably during the G7 and G20. With Canada’s G7 presidency this year, we have an opportunity to strengthen our leadership and expand its commitment to quality education for those living in emergencies. By using this opportunity to drive investment and results, Canada can catalyze global momentum to prevent violence, promote gender equality, and build a more peaceful and secure world for future generations. In an increasingly unstable world, with heightened polarization and conflict, education is the key to unlocking a more peaceful, prosperous future or all. That is why when we host the G7 this year, we must drive global leadership through investment in global education to ensure children have the tools to heal, hope, and rebuild, fostering the skills needed to break cycles of conflict and poverty.
Since the pandemic, the world has seen an increase in conflict, crises, climate-related disasters, and humanitarian emergencies. In 2025, it’s estimated that over 2.1 billion people live in fragile contexts, which leads to instability, barriers to access essential services, and increased threats of conflict or violence.
In times of conflict, it is critical that world leaders uphold international law and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to protect civilians—especially children and families—whose lives are upended by violence and displacement. When aid is blocked and protections are ignored, the human toll grows and communities are pushed further into crisis.
Respecting international law and safeguarding humanitarian space is not only a moral imperative—it is essential to global stability, security, and shared prosperity. That is why we are calling on Canada to uphold international law and commit to ensuring humanitarian principles are followed. Canada must stand up and support a ceasefire in Palestine, while ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access for aid.
Those living in low- and middle-income countries should never be an afterthought. Canada must bring the voices of affected communities to the decision-making table and ensure they are heard. Canada must continue to support a value-based approach to global development – one that aims to do things with people, not to people. This requires challenging power and privilege, both domestically and abroad, and building alliances with, as well as giving voice to groups and countries that are often marginalized. This demands a radical shift in who is involved, who has a voice, and who represents Canada on global platforms.
With its values of equity and universality at the core, Canada has the opportunity to strengthen its global champion for equity by leveraging its diverse assets and historical commitment to fairness. As a country, Canada's journey is ongoing – so too is its potential to drive meaningful change on the global stage. The world is waiting for us to lead together.
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