This week we closely followed the latest developments on the U.S. government’s attempt at dismantling USAID. We learned that the Trump administration has decided to cut 1,600 USAID personnel based in the United States, while also placing nearly all direct hires worldwide on administrative leave by midnight Sunday. Simultaneously, the Trump administration terminated nearly 10,000 foreign aid awards under USAID and the U.S. State Department, including those delivering critical humanitarian aid. An...
Feb 27, 2025•35 min
From refugee camps to Oxfam's helm, Danny Sriskandarajah has witnessed firsthand how real change can happen—not in boardrooms, but on streets and in communities. Drawing from his book "Power to the People," he challenges the development sector's top-down mindset by showcasing how citizen action, from anti-corruption movements to neighborhood repair cafes, creates lasting social transformation. In an era where just 3% of humanity lives in truly open societies, Sriskandarajah presents a compelling...
Feb 24, 2025•47 min
This week we were closely following the lawsuits filed against the Trump administration for freezing U.S. foreign assistance. One of the lawsuits targets Elon Musk, stating that the billionaire has decimated the U.S. Agency for International Development without the authority to do so. However, the government appears to be determined to fight back against those who are ready to challenge its decisions. We also look back at the Munich Security Conference, where we were media partners. From convers...
Feb 21, 2025•34 min
This week we were closely tracking the legal battles surrounding USAID's closure, with lawsuits filed by both former contractors and NGO partners as the fallout from the agency's shutdown continues to reverberate across the global development community. USAID is not the only institution in the sector being affected by the new U.S. administration. We also reported that the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration has edited out any references to sexual reproductive rights and diversity, eq...
Feb 14, 2025•31 min
This week our entire newsroom has been on the story of how the Trump administration has dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development. The administrative leave of much of USAID's workforce, including senior executives and almost all international staff, coupled with the layoff of thousands of contractors, has cast a long shadow over the future of U.S. foreign aid as we know it and raised concerns across the development sector about the continuity of critical programs. On Feb. 5, our t...
Feb 07, 2025•25 min
Ville Tavio, Finland’s minister for foreign trade and development and a member of the right-wing Finns Party, which he described as "somewhat like a Finland First party,” addressed misconceptions about conservative hostility toward international development during a special episode of This Week in Global Development from Davos, Switzerland.
Feb 06, 2025•21 min
Widespread confusion and uncertainty continue to ripple through the development sector following the U.S. government’s stop-work order on foreign aid programs. The directive has already resulted in mass layoffs this week, particularly among contractors and implementing partners reliant on USAID funding, while nearly 60 senior USAID officials have been placed on administrative leave. The U.S. State Department issued a waiver Wednesday for “life-saving humanitarian assistance,” but ambiguity remai...
Jan 31, 2025•35 min
Sania Nishtar, the CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, sees the organization’s new five-year strategy, dubbed “Gavi 6.0,” as an opportunity for a reset. She provided Devex with an exclusive preview. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
Jan 27, 2025•26 min
This Week in Global Dev: #81: What does Trump's first week in office mean for global development? by Devex
Jan 23, 2025•29 min
On a special special episode of This Week in Global Development, Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, warned of major consequences for people with HIV if U.S. under President Trump cuts funding to programs such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
Jan 23, 2025•22 min
Migration is surging worldwide — as is the backlash to it. Perhaps nowhere is this backlash more evident at the moment than in the United States, where newly minted President Donald Trump has said he will deport all of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the country. Amy Pope doesn’t think that is practical, or productive. Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration, which falls under the United Nations, told Devex that such a mass deportation wo...
Jan 22, 2025•23 min
Special Olympics' Chief of Global Youth & Education, Jackie Jodl, joins Raj Kumar for a podcast episode looking at how sports and education can drive societal change, the state of social inclusion for people with intellectual and learning disabilities, and the opportunities and risks presented by AI. This episode is sponsored by Special Olympics.
Jan 21, 2025•41 min
As we kickstart 2025, we speak to Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar about the trends he believes will shape global development this coming year. We examine how significant shifts, including reduced government funding in traditionally generous countries and the evolving role of philanthropy, will impact the sector. We also revisit our exclusive interview with USAID chief Samantha Power and highlight key takeaways from the agency's latest report on localization. What does the incoming ...
Jan 17, 2025•27 min
In one of her last interviews before leaving office, Samantha Power spoke with Devex for a special edition of its This Week in Global Development podcast about navigating that push-and-pull, and how she expects the Trump administration’s USAID to face similar challenges. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
Jan 14, 2025•47 min
As the world gets ready for a second Trump presidency, significant uncertainty surrounds the United Nations as the organization prepares to implement substantial funding cuts. With the new administration predicted to prioritize national security over humanitarian and human rights principles, China may seek to fill the void left by the United States. Faced with domestic economic pressures and competing priorities, European countries across the continent continued to make cuts to their aid budgets...
Jan 10, 2025•30 min
This week’s podcast kicks off with a look at the legacy of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday. Following his four-year presidency, Carter devoted four decades to humanitarian efforts, founding The Carter Center in 1982 to promote peace and improve global health. One of his most significant contributions was his campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which has now been eliminated in 17 countries. The team also delves into a new plan to establish an...
Jan 03, 2025•29 min
What does it take to transform an idea from one that serves hundreds to millions, if not billions? Sanjay Purohit has spent his career aiming to crack this code. As the CEO and Chief Curator of Centre for Exponential Change, Purohit knows firsthand that scaling social impact requires more than just good intentions—it demands a complete reimagining of how we approach societal change. Since 2016, he's been pioneering "Societal Thinking," an approach that's reached over 500 change leaders across 20...
Dec 23, 2024•53 min
This week we delve into the key trends that have shaped the global development landscape. From the impact of declining aid budgets in high-income countries to Donald Trump’s reelection, we examine how these forces are influencing the sector and consider their implications for the year ahead. We also explore the potential of cash transfers to revolutionize the aid sector and challenge the traditional global financial architecture. In the United States, a landmark bill is poised to significantly e...
Dec 19, 2024•35 min
This week, we take a look at the Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance, known as CIVIC, a new, forthcoming World Bank Group initiative designed to support civil society organizations and social economy players. This venture seeks to foster more collaboration in line with the bank’s localization agenda, enabling civil society to play a crucial role in addressing global challenges. On the topic of the World Bank, the financial institution announced $23.7 billion in contributions to the Inte...
Dec 13, 2024•41 min
As key appointments in the Trump administration come into focus, what will they mean for U.S. foreign aid? With high-profile picks such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary and Marco Rubio for secretary of state in the spotlight, all eyes in the development community are on Trump’s yet-to-be-announced choice to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development — a decision poised to shape the future of U.S. global engagement. In this episode of our weekly podcast series, Devex Presiden...
Dec 06, 2024•34 min
This week we reflect on the United Nations COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, which wrapped up over the weekend. We take a closer look at the outcomes, analyzing nations’ commitment to a new $300 billion annual global climate finance target and exploring whether it’s sufficient to support the needs of the lower-income countries most impacted by climate change. While some steps have been taken to assist these states, significant doubts remain about the sufficiency of what nations agree...
Nov 25, 2024•33 min
As COP29 comes to a close, we take a look at what negotiators are still racing to resolve in the final hours of the ambitious two-week conference. From building carbon markets to establishing private sector partnerships to meet the funding gap, we also contemplate whether the discussions will lead to meaningful action and address the issues posed by climate change. This week, we were also on the ground in Brazil, closely following the conversations taking place at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeir...
Nov 22, 2024•35 min
For this special episode of our weekly podcast series, Devex EVP and Executive Editor Kate Warren sits down with leaders from Bayer and Mars who discuss the challenges and opportunities for the private sector in addressing climate change.
Nov 21, 2024•43 min
Leaders push for climate adaptation funding in the face of escalating risks by Devex
Nov 16, 2024•35 min
Agriculture is both a driver of climate change, with around 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from direct on farm emissions, and a potential game changer in mitigating it, if carried out sustainably. Yet currently agriculture receives only 4.3% of total mitigation and adaptation finance, making it an underutilized part of the solution to climate change. “Maybe an important conversation to have in Baku is to say, of the finances that we have available, are we all focussing on the sect...
Nov 15, 2024•39 min
While the African continent has seen significant economic growth in recent years, it continues to grapple with critical infrastructure challenges that hamper business expansion, service delivery, trade, investment, as well as sustainable development. In the latest episode of This Week in Global Development, Devex Executive Vice President Kate Warren speaks with Alain Ebobissé, CEO of Africa50, during the 2024 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Washingt...
Nov 11, 2024•25 min
As the COP 29 U.N. climate conference kicks off in Baku, Azerbaijan, we look ahead to the potential implications of the discussions on the global development sector. Labeled as the “finance COP,” one of the expected outcomes of the summit is a new financial goal for high-income countries to deliver to lower-income countries to address the challenges induced by climate change. With Trump’s recent reelection and implications for development, as well as Europe’s ongoing cuts to development funding,...
Nov 11, 2024•21 min
This week, former President Donald Trump was elected for a second term at the White House. His reelection marks a radical shift in U.S. foreign policy priorities for a sweeping range of issues, not least abortion, climate, global health, and LGBTQI rights. The global development community is closely watching how things are unfolding in Washington, D.C. Major reforms to the international financial system are expected, as well as cuts in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development and...
Nov 08, 2024•40 min
This week we discuss the key takeaways from Devex World 2024, our flagship event that took place in Washington, D.C., alongside the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings. From discussions with philanthropist Howard Buffett, who called for increased aid to Ukraine, to a conversation with former executive director of the World Food Programme David Beasley, who believes the U.S. can once again lead on foreign aid, the event brought together key figures in global development. We als...
Nov 01, 2024•31 min
With the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings wrapped up, all eyes are now turning to the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP29, to be held next month in Baku, Azerbaijan. So how do multilateral development banks stack up? Are their policies and programs enough to address climate shocks? Can and should they take on more risk? And is the money that MDBs have promised actually getting to where it needs to go? To explore these questions and more, Devex Senior Re...
Oct 28, 2024•30 min
