This Week in Global Development

Against the backdrop of the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings , Devex reporters Adva Saldinger, Michael Igoe, and Ayenat Mersie dissect the stories they’ve been hearing on the ground this week. That includes the latest OECD figures showing a staggering 25% drop in official development assistance, the ripple effects of the conflict in the Middle East, and a newfound focus on rebuilding public cons...

The international aid system has long operated on the ideal of "neutrality," but our latest episode of This Week in Global Development, sponsored by the Urgent Action Sister Funds, challenges this deeply embedded notion.  Devex Executive Editor and Executive Vice President Kate Warren is joined by the Urgent Action Sister Funds’ Jean Kemitare and Johnny Tohme, as well as Lucy Martin of the Centre...

This week, we discuss the United States’ new highly targeted approach to humanitarian aid, showcased in a $2 billion agreement with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , or OCHA.  Designed for rapid impact, the funds are strictly earmarked for direct, lifesaving assistance over a short six-month window across 18 crisis-affected countries. We explore the implications of thi...

In this special episode of This Week in Global Development, we explore breast cancer not just as a health challenge, but as a critical development challenge. In low- and middle-income countries, or LMICs, a breast cancer diagnosis can have a devastating ripple effect that extends far beyond the clinic, impacting households, communities, and entire systems.  Hosted in partnership with The Pfizer Fo...

We dig into the key findings of a report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on philanthropic funding. As traditional donors continue to slash their aid budgets, we examine where philanthropy can help plug the global development funding gap and provide resources for areas the private sector is not focusing on. We also discuss the United Kingdom’s new aid strateg...

As governments and funders invest in AI for development, a critical question remains: what actually delivers impact? In this episode of Global Progress in the AI Era, experts explain that funding evidence — not just innovation — will determine whether AI improves lives or reinforces existing gaps.

In this week’s edition of This Week in Global Development, we unpack the precarious state of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief , or PEPFAR. Despite ongoing congressional support, a significant disconnect between allocated funds and State Department disbursements has left major implementing agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention operating on less than...

In this episode of Global Progress in the AI Era, Nick Allardice explains how GiveDirectly is using AI to deliver faster, more direct aid — from anticipatory cash transfers in Bangladesh to near real-time responses in crisis zones. The conversation explores what it takes to move from theory to practice, and how AI is forcing new trade-offs around speed, targeting, and dignity in humanitarian respo...

While HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are declining globally, the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, or EECA, tells a different story. It is now home to one of the world’s fastest-growing HIV epidemics, with over 2.1 million people living with the virus . Alarmingly, about 20% are unaware of their status, and nearly half remain without treatment. Since 2010, EECA has become the only re...

A tale of two continents is unfolding in the global development landscape as Latin America embraces a surge of private investment while Africa grapples with severe economic aftershocks from geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.  At the recent Inter-American Development Bank meetings, an atmosphere of intense optimism prevailed, fueled by the region's 63% renewable energy matrix and the attenda...

As AI models scale globally, social enterprises are increasingly working with frontier AI labs to test, adapt, and improve the technology in local contexts. This episode explores how those partnerships could determine whether AI reinforces existing inequalities — or helps close them.

This week, we are reporting from the Commission on the Status of Women — the world’s largest gathering on gender equality, which is taking place at the United Nations headquarters in New York. We discuss the key talking points at the conference, including what’s at stake amid a global regression in women’s rights, as well as the conversations taking place on the sidelines of the main summit.   Sta...

Too many “AI for good” pilots fail before reaching the people who need them most. To solve this scaling crisis, Kanika Bahl, the CEO of Evidence Action, is stepping down from the helm of the organization to lead a new effort called the AI Access Initiative. Operating as an “AI-native NGO,” the initiative will bridge the gap between frontier tech labs and global development actors.  Rather than fun...

This week, we are reporting from the European Investment Bank’s annual meetings in Luxembourg to better understand the direction in which the institution is heading. We dig into the agenda as Europe continues to balance defense and development spending. EIB President Nadia Calviño says the bank is “carrying the flag of development.” This comes as the bank pledged $1 billion for electrification in...

This week on Devex’s Global Progress in the AI Era podcast, we are breaking down the critical shift from simply accessing artificial intelligence to owning the infrastructure it runs on, with a specific focus on how the global south can finance AI infrastructure on its own terms. From the push for "minimum viable compute" to the deployment of micro data centers, we explore how nations are moving a...

Last week, we were at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to find out how this revolutionary technology can transform global development. From AI regulation to the push for democratized access, we’re breaking down our key takeaways from the summit and exploring how artificial intelligence can maximize impact in the sector. On the topic of the AI Impact Summit, Bill Gates pulled out hours before delive...

Artificial intelligence is moving at breakneck speed, but can global governance keep up? In this episode of our new podcast series, Global progress in the AI era, Devex’s Catherine Cheney sits down with Amandeep Singh Gill, the U.N. secretary-general’s envoy on technology. Together, they unpack the fast-evolving — and often fragmented — architecture of AI regulation. The core question: Can today’s...

We examine the latest developments surrounding the African Continental Free Trade Area , or AfCFTA, which served as a focal point of the recent African Union Summit . The initiative continues its phased reduction of continental tariffs to bolster intra-African trade and industrialization. The development of strategic resource corridors to anchor critical mineral supply chains was also a cornerston...

This week we take a look at a new report from the Center for Global Development , which found that aid cuts have largely failed to spark reform in sub-Saharan Africa. The caveat, though, is that the authors analyzed national budget data from June 2025 — shortly after the U.S. announced its drastic cuts, meaning the analysis doesn’t reflect efforts that have been taken since then.  But still, it ch...

In this episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast, Business Editor David Ainsworth is joined by Managing Editor Anna Gowel and Deputy Managing Editor Fiona Zublin to discuss the launch of Devex’s Power 50 list. The conversation highlights how the development landscape is shifting away from traditional power structures toward influential "movers and shakers" behind the scenes, includin...

In this special edition of our podcast, This week in global development, we explore the critical yet often overlooked issue of oral health with guests Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation , and Esha Gupta, Head of Public Health and Social Impact at Colgate-Palmolive. Despite oral diseases affecting 3.7 billion people and being among the most common noncommunicable diseases, oral health has histori...

This week we report on the U.S. State Department ’s radical expansion of the Mexico City Policy , also known as the global gag rule, which blocks U.S. federal funding to international nongovernmental organizations that provide or inform about abortion. Beyond the traditional reproductive health restrictions, three sweeping new rules now tether all U.S. foreign assistance to strict prohibitions on...

In this special edition of This Week in Global Development , recorded at Davos, we explore a fundamental shift in the development landscape: the move from funding gaps to impact-driven results. As global economic constraints and fragmented cooperation redefine the sector, the conversation is no longer just about how much money can be mobilized, but how leadership and innovation can scale impact in...

This week, we are tuning in from Davos as we report from the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum . With Trump’s attendance and foreign policy dominating the summit, we discuss the most important updates for the global development community, including the Gates Foundation and OpenAI’s $50 million commitment to support AI-infused health programs across Africa . We examine the year’s defining...

This week, U.S. lawmakers reached a deal on a $50 billion compromise foreign assistance bill . Even though the agreement implements a 16% reduction from what was approved by Congress last year, it defies President Donald Trump’s requested 47.7% gutting of the budget. Beyond the numbers, the bill signals a fundamental overhaul of how foreign assistance accounts are managed and structured. From its...