This Week in Global Development

Devex | Global Development
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Dive into the week's most critical global development news with the This Week in Global Development podcast.  In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down major headlines and invite leading experts for insightful analysis.  Get up-to-date on news regarding foreign aid, humanitarian crises, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, finance, philanthropy, climate, food systems, global health, and stay informed on the latest trends and policy changes shaping global development. Episodes are published every Friday and can also be watched on YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@devex Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

  1. 2D AGO

    The potential exodus of NGOs from the US, and the rise of authoritarianism

    This week, we reported that U.S.-based international nonprofits are looking into registering sister organizations overseas as they face an increasingly unpredictable political environment at home. Law firms in Canada and the United Kingdom confirm this trend, telling Devex they’ve seen increased interest from U.S. entities seeking to set up international arms amid growing domestic instability. With authoritarian practices on the rise and civic spaces closing, we reflect on the key takeaways from the Trust Conference in London, where the international community gathered to learn from each other’s lessons when it comes to fighting autocracy. We also look ahead to the Second World Summit for Social Development 2025 and examine what its core themes and expected outcomes mean for the global development agenda. To explore these stories, and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.  Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

    32 min

  2. 4D AGO

    Special episode: Pivotal Ventures on Funding the Future of Women’s Health

    In this week’s special edition of the This Week in Global Development podcast, we explore how investing in women’s health is not just a health issue — it’s about power, agency, and opportunity.  Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men, due to underfunded research, diagnostic biases, and policies that fail to prioritize their needs. The result: Llimits on women’s ability to lead, work, and participate fully in society. Hosted in partnership with Pivotal Ventures, Devex Executive Editor Kate Warren speaks with Haven Ley, chief strategy officer at Pivotal Ventures, and Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change, about how reimagining women’s health care can reshape opportunity for entire communities. Their conversation highlights Action for Women’s Health — a $250 million global open call launched by Pivotal Ventures and Lever for Change to identify and fund community-driven solutions that improve women’s mental and physical health. The initiative drew over 4,000 applications from 119 countries, surfacing innovations in areas from maternal and mental health to menopause and caregiving. As global aid declines and funding for women’s health remains scarce, Ley and Conrad argue that this bottom-up, participatory funding model offers a more equitable way to center women’s voices and needs. Their message: the ideas and solutions already exist — what’s needed now is more capital and commitment to bring them to scale.

    33 min

  3. OCT 23

    The impact of aid cuts: UN reform and the role of philanthropy

    This week, we explore the ins and outs of UN80, the United Nations' reform plan to cut costs and boost efficiency. We outline what this initiative, drafted as a result of funding cuts to the institution, involves in practice. On the topic of foreign aid cuts, we have also been following the calls for philanthropy to fill the void left by traditional donors, most notably the United States. We discuss that while some foundations, such as the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, are halting U.S. funding over policy uncertainty, we are also witnessing lifesaving programs continuing to operate thanks to philanthropy organizations stepping up their funding. In order to dig into these stories, and others, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch and Senior Editor for Special Coverage Catherine Cheney for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.  Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

    33 min

  4. OCT 16

    Live from the World Bank annual meetings: The debates dominating Washington

    This week, we are on the ground at the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings, closely following the conversations that will shape the global development sector. As we note a reduced focus on climate change policy compared to previous years, we are tracking how the conversation is pivoting, with climate issues now being approached through an energy security angle. In addition to examining the World Bank’s ongoing focus on global job creation, we highlight our exclusive on-the-sidelines interview at Devex Impact House with U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican from Arkansas, who shared insights on the Trump administration’s “America First” approach to foreign assistance, providing a Republican perspective on U.S. engagement in global development. In order to discuss the key talking points at the annual meetings, Devex’s Adva Saldinger sits down with Michael Igoe and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our podcast series, recorded live at Devex Impact House on the sidelines of the main summit. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

    25 min
  5. Special episode: A conversation with the Mines Advisory Group

    OCT 14

    Special episode: A conversation with the Mines Advisory Group

    In this week’s special edition of the This Week in Global Development podcast, we spotlight the Mines Advisory Group, or MAG, recipient of the 2025 Hilton Humanitarian Prize — the world’s largest annual humanitarian award. MAG’s work clearing land mines and unexploded ordnance has saved lives and restored livelihoods in post-conflict communities for more than three decades. In a special episode sponsored by the Hilton Foundation, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar speaks with MAG CEO Darren Cormack about what the $3 million unrestricted prize means for the organization, the growing risks civilians face from land mines in conflicts such as Ukraine, Syria, and Sudan, and how new technologies —from drones to artificial intelligence — are helping speed up mine clearance. Cormack reflects on rising global conflict levels, threats to international humanitarian law, and why mine action remains both a moral and developmental imperative — enabling farmers to work safely, children to return to school, and displaced people to rebuild their lives. To hear more, listen to this conversation with Darren Cormack on This Week in Global Development.

    24 min

  6. OCT 9

    A look ahead to the World Bank and IMF meetings

    This week on the podcast, we unpack what to watch during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings in Washington, D.C. — from shifting global growth forecasts to reforms across multilateral development banks. As the fall meetings kick off, leaders in development finance are looking closely at how the World Bank is reshaping itself to mobilize more private capital and move faster on project approvals. Amid ongoing reforms, attention is turning to how new tools such as securitizations and guarantee instruments can attract institutional investors while balancing the needs of borrowing countries. The conversation also explores the ways investors are seeking to value ecosystems alongside traditional climate assets, and how differences between U.S. and European markets are shaping approaches to ESG, or environmental, social, and governance, and climate investment. To discuss these developments, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with Elissa Miolene and J.P. Morgan’s Faheen Allibhoy for the latest episode of This Week in Global Development. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

    32 min

  7. OCT 2

    Could taxes fix the global health funding crisis?

    This week, we discuss the details of the “Accra Reset,” an effort to declare an end to the era of development-as-usual and to push for the creation of new governance, business, and financing models. With traditional donors cutting foreign assistance, African nations and others are using the initiative to jointly invest, design, and create solutions with external partners. With official development assistance plummeting, governments are under pressure to make up their global health funding shortfall through taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages.  However, these levies may not be a financial panacea. During the conversation, we also look back at how U.S. objections stalled the long-negotiated United Nations declaration on noncommunicable diseases, sending it to a full General Assembly vote this month, and look ahead to the World Health Summit. To dig into these stories and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Senior Reporter Sara Jerving and contributing reporter Andrew Green for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.  Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

    24 min

  8. SEP 25

    UNGA 80: Trump, climate, and the biggest headlines from the summit

    This week we are on the ground in New York to cover the 80th United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week.  Our discussion breaks down President Donald Trump’s address at the summit, where he called climate change a hoax, denounced Europe’s energy policies, and focused on the urgent need to address uncontrolled migration. The global drive for emissions reduction is moving forward despite the Trump administration's stance on climate action, with high emitters, including China, submitting their Nationally Determined Contributions, or their climate action plans to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. To dig into these stories and catch up on what’s happening at UNGA80, senior editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with senior global reporter Colum Lynch and global development reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.  Note on episode: David Lammy’s current title is deputy prime minister, not prime minister as mentioned in the episode. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

    21 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

Dive into the week's most critical global development news with the This Week in Global Development podcast.  In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down major headlines and invite leading experts for insightful analysis.  Get up-to-date on news regarding foreign aid, humanitarian crises, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, finance, philanthropy, climate, food systems, global health, and stay informed on the latest trends and policy changes shaping global development. Episodes are published every Friday and can also be watched on YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@devex Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

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