Episodes
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In a special edition of the This Week in Global Development podcast recorded on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly, chef and entrepreneur José Andrés spoke with Devex’s Kate Warren to discuss his humanitarian work with World Central Kitchen and the challenges of addressing global hunger.
For Andrés, having a set system for food aid doesn’t work. This explains WCK's unique approach. Rather than shipping in prepackaged food aid to various humanitarian situations, WCK partners with local communities and restaurants to provide culturally relevant, cost-effective meals.
This model, while seemingly obvious, is not the norm in the humanitarian sector. Andrés believes that the tendency to overcomplicate solutions often prevents effective action. "Sometimes big problems, they have very simple solutions, but [it] seems humans, we’re very good at overcomplicating the problems," he said.
"We don't respond [in] every place in the same way," he explained, citing examples of serving fresh fish in Gaza to avoid it going to waste, and bringing in food from European countries to support Ukraine's collapsed distribution systems despite the quantity of grain available.
Andrés emphasized the importance of adapting to local conditions and empowering communities to be part of the solution. “The most important, is having boots on the ground,” he said. For Andrés, there is “nobody better than the local community to help you respond.”
The risks faced by humanitarian workers are a sobering reality for Andrés, who has lost employees in Gaza and Ukraine. He expressed a deep sense of responsibility, noting that “if we were not there, this wouldn't be happening.” However, he believes that the potential to save lives outweighs the dangers, stating, “If not, those people on their own will be alone, forgotten and anyway, dying.”
Andrés sees both the promise and peril of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. While AI has the potential to revolutionize food production, distribution, and waste reduction, he also cautions against its misuse, calling for robust regulations and safeguards to prevent AI from being weaponized against civilians or humanitarian workers.
Looking ahead, Andrés shares his skepticism about the world's ability to achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals within the limited time frame to 2030, citing a lack of accountability and the disillusionment of young people with leadership. He emphasized the need for more support for youth to become agents of change and for real, tangible progress to be made, not just empty promises.
“Doing good and promising good is not good enough. We must do a smart good,” he said. -
This week Devex is in New York covering the 79th United Nations General Assembly as well as the Summit of the Future. In addition to hosting our very own summit on the sidelines of these events, we are also closely following the conversations happening at the U.N. and around the rest of Manhattan that are most important to the global development community.
From reforming the international financial architecture to addressing geopolitical issues — we explore whether the discussions taking place will lead to meaningful change and help achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
What does the Pact for the Future mean for the world? And is the legitimacy of the U.N. on the line?
For the latest episode of our weekly podcast series, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar discusses with Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch the most important updates from the 79th United Nations General Assembly.
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It’s no secret that promises to deliver more humanitarian and development funding to local and national organizations have not been fulfilled.
During the high-level week of the 79th U.N. General Assembly, Devex caught up with Degan Ali, who heads the Kenya-based NGO Adeso. Ali is a leading voice in the aid decolonization movement, which seeks to decenter the voices of Western decision-makers and shift more power to local leaders in the global south.
Ali discussed the lack of trust and credibility given to local NGOs compared to international organizations, challenges in meeting the 2016 “Grand Bargain” target of 25% funding to local organizations, and how bureaucracy and risk aversion in organizations like the U.S. Agency for International Development is hindering localization efforts.
And while she gave USAID Administrator Samantha Power credit for elevating the localization agenda, Ali called the effort to get bilateral organizations to shift to locally led development an “impossible, impossible uphill battle.”
“But where I do feel like there's hope and there's opportunity, is for the [international] NGOs to change and philanthropy to change, and those are the spaces where we need to put a lot of pressure,” she said. “And that's what we're trying to do at Adeso with the Pledge for Change with the INGOs, and the decolonizing philanthropy work that we're doing.”
Devex Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene sat down with Ali for a special episode of our This Week in Global Development podcast series. -
Among the major development initiatives under discussion at the United Nations this week in New York is an ambitious goal set out by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, which aims to get electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
During the high-level week of the U.N. General Assembly, Devex caught up with Andrew Herscowitz, CEO of the M300 Accelerator, which aims to make these ambitions into reality.
M300 is based at the Rockefeller Foundation and supported by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, or GEAPP, and Sustainable Energy for All, two international organizations focused on bringing clean energy to everyone.
Herscowitz is the former head of Power Africa, a previous energy initiative that, in its first decade, helped deliver new or improved electricity to nearly 200 million people in Africa. But he said the latest project was even more ambitious. In fact, he said, it was “probably the biggest thing that's happening in international development right now.”
It needs “quantum leaps in a couple of different areas” for the accelerator to succeed in its goals, he said. But he told Devex that he was confident that he and his allies had the resources to make those leaps happen.
Devex Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with Herscowitz to discuss more about M330 for a special episode of our weekly podcast series.
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As world leaders get ready to meet in New York for the 79th United Nations General Assembly, we explore what we can expect from the event and whether big ideas can translate into meaningful action. The U.N.’s Summit of the Future is also set to take place early next week. With so many questions surrounding the conference, we contemplate whether the world is ready to solve the problems of tomorrow if we can’t solve the problems of today.
Meanwhile, from filling the gap regarding inadequate levels of local manufacturing to overcoming overuse and misuse, we dive into a report that outlines the African continent’s priority list for tackling antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, ahead of this month's high-level meeting on the issue at UNGA 79.
On the topic of global health, we also take a look at the challenge of vaccinating Gaza’s children against polio amid the conflict in the region.
To explore these stories, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with reporters Colum Lynch and Sara Jerving for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
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After severe cuts to its 2024 budgets for development and humanitarian aid, we found that the German government is planning to slash funds again in 2025. A recently released draft budget spells out nearly €1 billion in cuts to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, or BMZ, from €11.22 billion ($12.36 billion) this year to €10.28 billion in 2025.
Germany is not the only European country planning to reduce its aid budget. In the United Kingdom, the aid budget in 2024 is forecast to be only 0.36% of gross national income — once sums diverted to hosting asylum-seekers are removed — piling pressure on the new Labour government to rethink its plans. The fresh spending squeeze comes despite the new Labour government promising a “reset” of development policy it condemned as “degraded” under the Conservatives.
We also discuss the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that took place in Beijing. It was attended by 50 African heads of state and China pledged to invest nearly $51 billion in the continent on more favorable terms than Western countries.
In order to dive into these stories and others, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with David Ainsworth and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
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Devex Book Club Sanjay Purohit V2 by Devex
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As the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation marks its 20th anniversary, we discuss our latest article on the agency. While MCC has invested $17 billion in 47 countries since its founding, we contemplate whether the agency has lived up to its founders’ lofty aims of holding countries accountable for good governance and rooting out corruption.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest threats to aid workers isn't just war or disaster — it's workplace stress. From oppressive workloads to toxic cultures, we explore how humanitarian organizations are unintentionally burning out their own staff members and whether the sector has a staff retention problem.
For the latest episode of our podcast series, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger to discuss these stories and others.
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This week we take an in-depth look at USAID’s localization report. While in certain countries the agency has already significantly surpassed its localization target, in others it is struggling to get close to it. We discuss why that might be and contemplate how USAID can get closer to channeling 25% of its eligible dollars to local levels by 2025.
On the topic of USAID, we also dive into the findings of an investigation by the USAID Office of Inspector General that show the agency did not consistently use the proper mechanisms to oversee awards to the United Nations, the World Bank, and other multilateral agencies.
We also explore how Humanity United is working to refine its approach to participatory grantmaking by aiming to provide money in a way that is more aligned with the priorities of grassroots organizations.
To discuss these stories, and others, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with David Ainsworth and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
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This week we are at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. We delve into what we are hearing on the sidelines of the event, particularly how U.S. vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris would approach foreign policy and assistance.
In this week’s episode we also discussed our exit interview with outgoing British International Investment chief Nick O'Donohoe, who highlighted that his successor will have to find the balance between focusing on the lowest-income countries, as well as positioning BII as a climate finance leader.
From the challenges of parenthood to entrenched traditional systems, we also elaborate on an article that digs into the challenges women face as they climb the global development career ladder.
How would a Harris presidency be different from a Biden one? How can we elevate women leadership in global development?
For the latest episode of our podcast series, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene to dig into this week’s headlines in global development.
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This week the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization both declared mpox as a public health emergency. This is the first time the Africa CDC declared a public health emergency as it aims to increase its autonomy. There have been more than 17,000 suspected cases across the African continent, more than the total number of cases reported in 2023.
In the United Kingdom, the International Rescue Committee is set to shed 1 in 9 staff as it faces a funding crisis. We explore the wider issue of reduced funding in global development despite rising humanitarian needs.
To discuss these stories, and others, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Business Editor David Ainsworth for the latest episode of the podcast series.
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In a world of growing humanitarian needs, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is shining a light on those who risk their own lives to save others.
Founded in 2015 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, the Aurora Prize awards $1 million annually to an individual whose actions have made a significant impact in preserving human life in the face of adversity.
In this special episode sponsored by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Raj Kumar is joined by Aurora co-founder Noubar Afeyan, Memory Matters' Alice Greenwald, and Yazidi activist and Aurora laureate Mirza Dinnayi. -
After U.S. President Joe Biden opted not to run for reelection, his vice president, Kamala Harris, seems poised to become the official nominee of the Democratic Party. We explore how she would approach U.S. foreign policy, as well as provide an update on Project 2025.
We also discuss our exclusive story in which we reported that the Biden administration is to resume food aid delivery in Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, even as it exchanges fire with the Iranian-backed rebel movement.
As USAID continues to make progress on its localization agenda, we dig into what the biggest barriers, opportunities, and avenues are to make meaningful progress and help support local communities. Even though localization is a hot topic in global development, it appears as though some countries continue to mostly fund their own NGOs due to inflexible rules and regulations.
To dig into these stories, Adva Saldinger sits down with Devex reporters Colum Lynch and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
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As localization continues to be a hot topic in global development, nearly every international nongovernmental organization seems to be rethinking their role in the aid sector, and debating how, when, and if they should continue showing up. We discuss how INGOs are aiming to rebalance the equation between INGOs and local groups, and whether the reforms will help empower and give voice to local communities.
This week we also published an interview with PEPFAR chief John Nkengasong, who warned that if the world fails to eliminate HIV as a public health threat by 2030, political leaders will lose interest in fighting the disease paving the way for its resurgence.
Are INGOs working themselves out of a job? What is the future of PEPFAR, the U.S. global AIDS initiative?
To dig into these stories, and others, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Business Editor David Ainsworth and Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger for the latest episode of the podcast series.
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Is the era of the “humanitarian cowboy” over? This week, Devex contributor Lauren Evans wrote a piece analyzing what’s become of this common aid worker stereotype — often a charismatic, risk-taking white male who moves from one disaster or conflict zone to the next — and whether, in the era of localization, there’s still room for them in the humanitarian space.
As part of Devex Pro week — a week of in-depth analyses and conversations for our Pro members — Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth is looking into the concept of “tied aid,” and the extent to which countries still principally fund their own NGOs. While some countries, like the United Kingdom, have made tied aid illegal, in many cases there are rules and regulations that continue to make it prohibitively difficult for global south organizations to access funding directly.
The Netherlands has a new far-right minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, Reinette Klever, who is charged with overseeing aid cuts worth billions of euros in the next few years. Many worry this is part of a growing trend among global north countries as right-wing parties and rhetoric make their way into mainstream politics.
Tune into the latest episode of our weekly podcast to hear David Ainsworth along with Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar and Nasra Ismail, U.S enterprise executive director at Alight, discuss these stories and more. -
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives has proposed drastic cuts to foreign aid and United Nations funding in a 2025 budget bill that it passed last week, including ending funding to Ukraine. While the bill is unlikely to make it through the Democratic-led Senate, the House bill is something of a blueprint for the months ahead and how a new Donald Trump administration would approach foreign policy.
On the topic of Republicans, we reported that Trump is distancing himself from the conservative Heritage Foundation's Project 2025. He has proposed a new platform — titled “America First: A Return to Common Sense” — that was approved during a vote of the Republican National Committee on Monday. While there was no mention of foreign aid, we ponder what his leadership would mean for it.
Across the pond, Anneliese Dodds was appointed as the United Kingdom’s minister of state for development, as well as minister of state for women and equalities, following Labour’s victory in the United Kingdom general election. Her appointment raises a lot of questions about the future of U.K. aid as confusion remains over her job share.
For the latest episode of our podcast series, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene to discuss these stories, and others, from the past week.
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This week British voters head to the polls to elect the country’s new prime minister, with the Labour Party set to end 14 years of Conservative rule. While Keir Starmer’s government is not planning to immediately restore development spending to 0.7% of gross national income, nor reestablish The Department for International Development, we discuss whether a change in leadership will affect the country’s aid and migration policy.
The United Kingdom is not the only country cutting its aid budget. During the European elections we saw citizens across the continent elect right-wing leaders, who are opting to prioritize European interests. We also take a look at what we expect from the European Commission's development policy, which is set to emphasize an increased focus on lending and private capital mobilization.
For the latest episode of our weekly podcast series, Devex’s Managing Editor Anna Gawel sits down with U.K. Correspondent Rob Merrick to discuss what elections across Europe mean for the global development sector.
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This week we look back at an article we wrote earlier this month on the WHO Foundation, which has funneled $24 million to the World Health Organization since its launch in 2020. We examine the foundation’s strategy, including its plans to ensure that donor funding to WHO is seamless and aligned with its priorities.
Also on the topic of global health, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance launched its $9 billion replenishment target. We examine the key takeaways from the organization’s next five-year strategy and highlight the pledges made so far.
We also reflected on the main talking points from last week’s Forecasting Healthy Futures summit, which took place in Baku, Azerbaijan. With the city also set to host the United Nations Climate Conference, COP 29, later this year, the event was an opportunity to bring global health to the forefront of discussions around climate change.
For the latest episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast,, Devex President & Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation, and Senior Reporter Sara Jerving, to dig into these stories and others.
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This week we take a look at Republicans’ approach to foreign policy if Donald Trump were to win in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections in November. From implementing cuts to changing the United States’ foreign aid priorities, we dig into what a second Trump presidency would mean for the global development sector.
We also reported on new data from USAID which shows that just 9.6% of the agency’s eligible dollars were channeled toward local groups last year — rather than major international development contractors — down from 10.2% the year prior. With one year left before USAID’s ambitious 2025 deadline to channel 25% of its funding to local organizations, it seems very unlikely that the agency will hit its goal.
On the topic of USAID, we also discuss an opinion piece by the agency’s chief, Samantha Power, in which she outlines how USAID is planning to meet its localization targets.
To dig into these stories and others, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of the podcast series.
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This week we take a look at the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, where 578,000 have been displaced, mostly due to violence. We explore what is being done to address the hardships faced by the affected population, including bringing essential food supplies, as well as discuss what life is like on the ground.
On the topic of food insecurity, we also dig into a UNICEF report, which found that 181 million children under age 5 worldwide are experiencing severe food poverty — which can have lifelong consequences for their health and development. We stress the importance of having programs that prioritize the providing of a balanced diet to malnourished children.
On a more positive note, we also report on how CRISPR gene-editing technology could change the way we eat by making crops tastier, more nutritious, and more resilient to climate change. Nonetheless, questions remain on the extent to which the technology will be available to farmers who need them the most.
For the latest edition of the podcast series, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Jean-Martin Bauer, country director of the World Food Programme in Haiti, and Devex Global Reporter Elissa Miolene to discuss these stories and others.
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