Trudeau’s $400 million international COVID-19 plan is feminist — but is it enough?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced $400 million in COVID-19 related humanitarian aid, but sector leaders say more must be done

Why It Matters

Women and girls are leading the charge on COVID-19 response efforts around the world. Yet many women around the world are seeing an alarming rise in domestic violence. Canada has earmarked $400 million towards humanitarian aid with a focus on women — a move INGO sector advocates say is hugely important.

One of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first major announcements after his government unveiled an ambitious new COVID-19 recovery plan came not in Parliament, but at a United Nations video conference on Tuesday. 

Trudeau said Canada will spend $400 million on humanitarian aid and development this year to combat the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. “Global cooperation is crucial to protect people, save lives and defeat COVID-19,” Trudeau’s office said in a statement following the video conference. “Our investments will also help preserve the hard-won development gains we have made collectively that have lifted millions of people out of poverty these past decades.” 

This money will go to

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