This Week in Global Development

This week the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to not pay billions of dollars in foreign aid to USAID and State Department partners — lifting a temporary reprieve granted by Chief Justice John Roberts.  On the topic of USAID, the U.S. African Development Foundation mounted a direct challenge to the Trump administration. Wednesday saw USADF staff physically prevent...

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 awar...

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 decis...

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 Org...

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 ra...

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 recorded in Davos, Switzerland.  Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsl...

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...

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.

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.

In his first week in office, U.S. President Donald Trump has implemented several executive orders, including a 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign assistance funding . The executive order states that the “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests” and the Trump administration plans to review aid programs to decide what should stay and what should go. Trump also ordered...

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.

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 Organiza...

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...

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.

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 comp...

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,...

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 traditio...

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 top...

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 shap...

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...

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 g...

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. 

For this special episode of our weekly podcast series recorded at COP29, Devex climate reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz sits down with Kulthoum Omari-Motsumi from the Africa Adaptation Initiative, Patrick Verkooijen of the Global Center on Adaptation, and Tagaloa Cooper from the South Pacific Regional Environment Program. 

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 conversatio...

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, du...