Podcasts about aid and development

So many crises, and so many charities to deal with them. Donor confusion has been increasing, which is why eight New Zealand-based organisations have linked up to cut administration costs and get the money to where it's needed most.

In this episode, I explore the myths and realities of the flow of foreign aid from developed to developing countries. Is foreign aid a benevolent gesture or a strategic geopolitical tool? How does it affect the foreign policy and sovereignty of recipient countries? Who benefits from foreign aid? And how is foreign aid related to the debt trap that many developing countries find themselves in? To explore these questions, along with discussing her personal journey and experience, I had a fascinating discussion with Themrise Khan, a renowned development expert and practitioner who has extensive experience and knowledge of the development and foreign aid landscapes of Pakistan and the Global South. Themrise has authored and co-authored several publications on various aspects of aid and development. She is also a member of several prestigious organisations and networks, such as the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID), the Informed Opinions Expert Women's Database, the Cross Migration Database of Experts, the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, and the Honorary Visiting Professor of The International Institute of Migration and Development. Links: Khan, T., 2023. Moving beyond (en) forced North–South collaboration for development: Possibilities from Pakistan. In Reimagining Civil Society Collaborations in Development (pp. 177-189). Routledge. Aloudat, T. and Khan, T., 2022. Decolonising humanitarianism or humanitarian aid?. PLOS Global Public Health, 2(4), p.e0000179. Khan, T., Abimbola, S., Kyobutungi, C. and Pai, M., 2022. How we classify countries and people—and why it matters. BMJ Global Health, 7(6), p.e009704.

The forgotten community of Banaba who were displaced from their homes to the Pacific island of Rabi in 1945, are seeking justice and restoration of their island. Banaba was all but destroyed by over 80 years of phosphate mining by British Phosphate Company (BPC) of which New Zealand was part of. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

Peter Newport highlights two recent situations where visitors have caused local problems and then headed overseas. Also, questions are being raised about some of the Queenstown Lakes District Council's procurement and spending.

The death of New Zealander Andrew Bagshaw in Ukraine has underlined the dangers of humanitarian aid efforts in a war zone.

The latest global climate policy summit in Egypt failed to create binding agreements on emissions reduction. But COP 27 did pave the way for compensating countries bearing the brunt of climate change. Commentators in our media were quick to claim 'COP was a flop' and proof that big international gatherings of governments and institutions are a waste of time and taxpayers' money.

The latest global climate policy summit in Egypt failed to create binding agreements on emissions reduction. But COP 27 did pave the way for compensating countries bearing the brunt of climate change. Commentators in our media were quick to claim 'COP was a flop' and proof that big international gatherings of governments and institutions are a waste of time and taxpayers' money.

In this episode, UC Research Medal awardee Misko Cubrinovski talks to Kadambari Raghukumar about all things seismic, and a journey of studying quakes that began in former Yugoslavia.

Almost 40 percent of New Zealand households experience food insecurity, while 19 percent of children live in households that experience food insecurity. in this episode, Kadambari visits EKTA in Wellington, a non-profit distributing food every Saturday morning, rain or shine. 

Looking into the future is not about predicting it, sometimes it's about creating it. Dr Sohail Inayatullah is a world-leading authority on future studies, a discipline that looks at trends, change and the possible so we can be better prepared for it. 

Looking into the future is not about predicting it, sometimes it's about creating it. Dr Sohail Inayatullah is a world-leading authority on future studies, a discipline that looks at trends, change and the possible so we can be better prepared for it. He's the UNESCO chair in future studies and he's in New Zealand to hold workshops in Christchurch with Think Beyond, a leadership organization. He shares his method of mapping out the past in order to make a plan for the future.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called the security deal between China and Solomon Islands "gravely concerning" - but does New Zealand really need to be worried?

Coastal ecosystems are better than tropical rainforests when it comes to trapping carbon and at this year's big climate change conference they finally got some attention. 

Covid has meant huge disruption for seasonal workers, but they're back now - if they ever left. What is it like for RSE workers who leave their families so they can feed them? 

While we've been wrapped up in our Covid worries and woes, across the world in Africa a catastrophe of immense proportions is unfolding - putting our problems into stark perspective. 

The shape of philanthropy is changing away from traditional giving, to a more strategic way of closing the massive gap between rich and poor. 

In this episode, Shanthie Mariet D'Souza joins Shibani Mehta to analyze the question of aid and development in a Taliban led Afghanistan. The Western withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ensuing ascent of the Taliban has led to the collapse of the Afghan economy. The foreign aid, crucial towards sustaining the economy, has mostly stopped, resulting in food shortages, a decline in the value of local currency and a collapsing health system. While $1.2 billion has been pledged by international donors, it remains unclear whether this will be sufficient in restoring any semblance of normalcy in Afghanistan. How will aid to Afghanistan be structured after the ascent of the Taliban government? How will India, a key development partner in Afghanistan, approach its aid policy in the wake of the Taliban takeover? And finally, what will this situation mean for the future of Afghanistan's development?  Shanthie Mariet D'Souza is the founder and president of Mantraya, an independent research forum that seeks to make constructive contributions in the realm of strategy, innovation and alternatives. She is also a founding professor at the Kautilya School of Public Policy, at GITAM University, Hyderabad.  Shibani Mehta is a research analyst with the Security Studies Program at Carnegie India. Her research focuses on India's security and foreign policies.Further ReadingNo Time to Lose on Afghanistan by Shanthie Mariet D'Souza Interview: Shanthie Mariet D'Souza on how India was ‘ill-prepared' for the dramatic Taliban takeover  by Rohan  Venkataramakrishnan 

After her first year of being in New Zealand, Somali former refugee Fatema Mohamed, now considers started a process that could help her restore a long-lost link. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. 

Worrying breaches of Auckland's Level 4 border fired up the media this week - just as the Government prepared to green-light a risky shift to Level 3 in the supercity. Meanwhile the media also channeled South Islanders' irritation over Level 2  - and expats' MIQ misery over the new 'unlucky dip' lottery system.

Worrying breaches of Auckland's Level 4 border fired up the media this week - just as the Government prepared to green-light a risky shift to Level 3 in the supercity. Meanwhile the media also channeled South Islanders' irritation over Level 2  - and expats' MIQ misery over the new 'unlucky dip' lottery system.

New Zealanders stranded in Melbourne breath a sigh of relief with signs they'll be able to leave from next week Auckland's Jet Park Hotel managers explain the difficult process of becoming the country's biggest quarantine facility Discussions are back on to resettle Australia's asylum seekers in New Zealand And what should travelers expect on Canterbury's flood-damaged roads this long weekend?

A state of emergency will continue for a week in Canterbury's worst-hit flood areas. It will remain in place in Ashburton, Selwyn and Waimakariri districts but will be lifted elsewhere across the region. This comes after intense rain earlier this week, that caused chaos including forcing many people to evacuate and badly damaging roads. Mayors Neil Brown from Ashburton, Dan Gordon from Waimakariri and Sam Broughton from Selwyn spoke to Philippa Tolley.

It's taken eight years, but Australia looks like it might finally be ready to send some of its asylum seekers to New Zealand. Australia's Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews is working with New Zealand to resettle asylum seekers who had been medically evacuated to Australia from its offshore detention centres. New Zealand first made the offer in 2013 to resettle up to 150 refugees annually. The offer has been repeatedly rebuffed. Elizabeth Young from multiculture support services, Kiwiclass, has been part of efforts to get Australia to reconsider. She spoke to Philippa Tolley.

This week Rebecca and Emily chat about the situation for aid and development charities following the decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. They also unwrap a coronavirus care package of charity good news stories from the past week.

The Syrian crisis has reached an unwelcome milestone, with 10 years having passed since peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's government first began in March of 2011. Those protests sparked a full-blown civil war that has killed around half a million people and displaced half the pre-war population of 23 million, 5 million of whom are now refugees. Mike Seawright, the founder and executive director of Relief Aid, spoke to Susie Ferguson.

Wellington City councillor Tamatha Paul will this morning try to get a council loan to Wellington airport taken off the table. The council's long-term plan is up for discussion today and in it is a proposal to lend the airport $75 million to build a seawall. Community groups plan to argue against the loan at the meeting. Tamatha Paul spoke to Corin Dann.

Thousands of people in Christchurch and around the country paused at 12.51 on Monday afternoon to mark a decade since the February 22 magnitude 6.3 earthquake which claimed 185 lives. It was 10 years ago today when an ordinary Christchurch day turned to hell for so many. But in contrast to the harrowing scenes and sounds of that day, today a large peaceful crowd gathered at the Civic Memorial Service on the banks of the Avon River under large oak trees. Reporter Sally Murphy and cameraman Nate McKinnon were there.

A prominent Christchurch property investor says the Government's anchor projects meant to help rebuild the city faster, has instead slowed it down. After the 2011 earthquake, the Government launched a recovery plan for the CBD, which had 16 anchor projects designed to spur on the rebuild. However, many have been plagued by delays and are still unfinished. Property investor Antony Gough told RNZ reporter Anan Zaki that unlike the Government, it was the private sector which ploughed ahead with the rebuild.

Cantabrians are still surrounded broken buildings and empty spaces on the 10th anniversary of the devastating 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The disaster forced 70 percent of the CBD to be demolished. The Government launched an ambitious recovery plan to help it recover in 2012. The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan, dubbed the "blueprint" would dictate the rebuild of the central city. To support it, the Government would complete a series of "anchor projects", to encourage investment in the city and make it a more attractive place to live in. As Anan Zaki reports, the anchor projects appeared to weigh down the progress of the rebuild.

After nearly 50 years of military rule, the recent coup of 1 February has brought an end to Myanmar's 10 year experiment with democracy. What has the NZ diaspora been doing in response to the coup and the civil disobedience movement taking place? Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. 

Economists on Zoom Getting Coffee hosts Prof. William (Bill) Easterly.   Easterly is a development economist. A professor of Economics at New York University, he is also the Co-director of the NYU Development Research Institute. He is a very influential figure both in academia and beyond. He has written three books that have shaped our thinking about economic development: The Tyranny of Experts (March 2014), The White Man's Burden (2006), and The Elusive Quest for Growth (2001).  In this episode we discussed about the main insights from his recent books, and differentiate between aid --people who are rich giving money to people who are poor-- and development, which involves transformational changes that can transform a country from being poor to being rich. We very candidly discussed about what work and what doesn't when it comes to aid and development, including the role of the World Bank, and of other international development agencies, when achieving --or not-- development goals.  Prof. Easterly is the author of over 60 peer-reviewed academic articles, many written columns for the the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Washington Post, among others. Among his many affiliations, he is a Research Associate of the NBER, and senior fellow at BREAD. Foreign Policy Magazine named him among the Top 100 Global Public Intellectuals in 2008 and 2009, and Thomson Reuters listed him as one of Highly Cited Researchers of 2014. In the past he also served as a Co-Editor of the Journal of Development Economics.For future episodes please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to this podcast, and don't forget to visit our website www.economistsonzoomgettingcoffee.com to WATCH this and other episodes, and to get more information about the show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit danybahar.substack.com

In the GWH Summer Series, ACFID’s Bridi Rice takes you inside the Canberra foreign policy community to ask one key question: what does increased poverty mean for Australian international affairs? Welcome to Episode 02 of Good Will Hunters’ Summer Series, brought to you by Good Will Media. Today, in the second of this six-part series, our host Bridi Rice chats to Lisa Cornish about how the media shapes our perceptions of aid and development. Lisa is a freelance data journalist based in Canberra, Australia. Lisa formerly worked with News Corp Australia as a data journalist for the national network and was published throughout Australia in major metropolitan and regional newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph in Melbourne, Herald Sun in Melbourne, Courier-Mail in Brisbane and online through news.com.au. Lisa has recently been awarded the 2014 Journalist of the Year by the New South Wales Institute of Surveyors. Lisa offers a transparent and candid insight on all things politics and aid, and calls on the Government to step up on data transparency and in its communication of the aid program. Enjoy the episode, The GWH Team Instagram: @_goodwillmedia Twitter: @GoodWillMedia LinkedIn: /goodwillmedia Facebook: /goodwillmediacomms Website: goodwillmedia.com.au Twitter: @ACFID LinkedIn: /acfid Facebook: /acfid Website: acfid.asn.au

Despite 2000 more seasonal workers due to arrive in New Zealand from January 2021, things aren't looking too rosy according some growers in the Hawkes Bay region. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar. 

Malian-New Zealander Boubacar Coulibaly reflects on the significance on the latest coup in Mali in August 2020. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

During the alert level 3 lockdown, a group of blood donors didn't back down from stepping up to help. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

Billions of dollars are spent each year on foreign aid and global development. In the past, the exact amount of aid that is being spent, where is it is being spent, by whom it is being spent--and to what end is the aid serving has been very difficult for outsiders to parse. But that has been changing in recent years. Aid agencies in government and multi-lateral institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations are becoming increasingly transparent -- not least because they have been spurred to do so by my guest today, Gary Forster. He is the executive director of Publish What You Fund -- the global campaign for aid and development transparency. The organization publishes an annual index of 47 aid agencies from the public sector and private philanthropy which assess how open each entity is in regards to its operations.     In our conversation, Gary Forster explains why transparency in aid is so important and identifies some of entities that rank highest and lowest on the aid transparency index.  The data compiled by Publish What You Fund also offers a very good birds-eye view of aid and development spending, so we also discuss some of the broad trends that he has seen in recent years among donors. This includes the impact of COVID-19 on foreign aid and development assistance.  

Sharon Brettkelly heads to the Bay of Plenty where a tiny iwi has managed to galvanise a community behind a high-risk aquaculture project - and is reaping the rewards. 

The Waikato refugee and Muslim community lost one of its prominent leaders, Ismail Dirye Gamadid, to Covid-19 last month. We look at the legacy of his life. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar.

Welcome to Episode 81 of Good Will Hunters from the Development Policy Centre. I’m your host Rachel Mason Nunn. Today I’m speaking with Graham and Glenyys Romanes. This is the last of our interviews recorded at the Australasian Aid Conference hosted by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with the Asia Foundation back in February. Through their long careers, and through their lives, both separately and as a couple, Graham and Glenyys have been trailblazers in a range of areas from gender equity, to disaster response, to Indigenous progamming. In the 70s, Graham became famous for being a stay-at-home Dad, a rare species even today, but practically unheard of then. In the 80s, the couple took the equally radical step of job sharing the role of Victorian State Secretary of Oxfam Australia In the early 80s, Graham led Oxfam’s response to the famine in the Horn of Africa, a pivotal event for Australia’s development NGOs. He again became a media figure, this time exposing the fact that the Ethiopian famine was not simply a natural disaster, but the outcome of a tyrannical regime. His 13-week journey by vehicle and foot from Sudan to Tigray was live-threatening but also life-changing. Ever since, Graham has worked in support of the people of Ethiopia, particularly through funding the digging of wells. Thanks to Graham’s work, more than half of the 4 million rural population of Tigray is now in walking distance of a well. Glenyys’ focus was on the Pacific and Indigenous Australians. Oxfam was the first Australian development NGO to program domestically, and Glenyys oversaw the transition of their Indigenous programs into Indigenous hands. And if you’ve worked in the Pacific you will have heard of one One Small Bag, the ni-Vanuatu theatre group. It received its first funding from Oxfam Australia under Glenyys’s management. Eventually Graham and Glenyys left Oxfam. In 1997, Graham became the Honory Consul for Ethiopia, a position he held till 2014. Glenyys commenced a career in Victorian local and state politics, which saw her serve as the Mayor of Brunswick and in the Victorian Upper House. They both remain active to this day through a range of numerous local, statewide and international engagements. In this interview, Graham and Glenyys reflect on some of their achievements, and the lessons that they have learnt. Theirs is an inspirational and instructive story, that we should both celebrate and learn from, not only in our work, but in terms of our lives and aspirations. Graham and Glenyys, along with Mark Sullivan and Sally Lloyd, were all featured in the Aid Profile series as part of their nomination for a Mitchell Humanitarian Award. https://devpolicy.org/aidprofiles/2020/01/16/glenyys-and-graham-romanes-trailblazers/ We’ve also featured Mark and Sally on Good Will Hunters - you can find their episodes at www.goodwillhunterspodcast.com.au. If you know of anyone who has made an outstanding contribution to the development, with an Australian angle, nominate them for the annual Mitchell Humanitarian Award by writing to devpolicy@anu.edu.au. And check out the Aid Profile website at devpolicy.org/aidprofiles Enjoy, The GWH Team

In this panel event at the 2020 Australasian AID conference, John Langmore makes the case for stronger government and civil society commitment to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Joanna Pradela argues that Australia should adopt a feminist approach to foreign policy, one that is grounded in gender equality. Pierre van der Eng analyses the rapid expansion of Australia's foreign aid to Indonesia during the 1960s and 1970s in the context of Australia's evolving foreign policy towards Asia. And Dave Green and Kaisha Crupi report on their analysis of Aid Program Performance Reports, including their purpose, how well they deliver on their purposes, the challenges associated with balanced public reporting on program performance, and the tension between public diplomacy and performance management objectives.Presenters:Security through sustainable peace (at 2:50 in)Professor John Langmore AM, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, and Dr Tania Miletic, Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Government, University of Melbourne Feminist foreign policy: A new approach for a new era (at 15:38 in) Joanna Pradela, Director, Knowledge Translation, International Women's Development Agency (IWDA), and Alice Ridge, Research Policy and Advocacy Adviser, IWDA >> view presentation‘Send them a shipload of rice': Food aid and Australia-Indonesia bilateral relations, 1960s–70s (at 29:35 in)Dr Pierre van der Eng, Associate Professor, Research School of Management, The Australian National University>> view presentationWhere's the dirty laundry? DFAT APPRs and the public diplomacy imperative (at 44:24 in)Dave Green, Principal Consultant, Clear Horizon and Kaisha Crupi, Consultant, Clear Horizon>> view presentationChair: Professor Caitlin Byrne, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University

Arbie Baguios is currently a Programme Quality and Accountability Specialist at ActionAid UK. He studied development studies at the Ateneo de Manila University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has worked with Save the Children, the British Red Cross, ActionAid and others in the Philippines and the UK with missions to other countries. In Sept 2019 he founded Aid Re-Imagined, an initiative to help usher the evolution of aid towards justice and effectiveness through deep, radical, and evidence-based reflection and research. He has drafted a “re-imagined aid model” in a bid to offer a framework for designing, implementing and evaluating aid projects that are just and effective. He speaks to us about how development is taught in different countries, decolonizing project management tools such as the logframe, power dynamics amongst donors and agencies, pushing back against the status quo, audit culture, working in crisis mode, being more reflective, ActionAid's feminist principles, accountability as the responsible use of power, the new frontiers of the aid and development sector, his Aid-Re-Imagined project, and much more. He joins us from London, UK.

Raising funds to help those in need during Ramadan can be even harder in lockdown. That certainly isn't stopping three people from across the world who call New Zealand home. Produced by Kadambari Raghukumar 

The welfare gains from increasing cross-border labour mobility are likely to be several times larger than those from complete trade liberalisation, offering significant benefits to migrants, receiving, and sending countries. This panel outlines the case for international labour mobility, summarises the lessons learned from the first year of Australia's new Pacific Labour Scheme, and provides an overview and initial assessment of recent recruitment reforms in Papua New Guinea.Panellists:Farah Hani, Senior Policy Analyst, Labor Mobility Partnerships team, Center for Global Development>> view presentation slidesDanielle Heinecke, First Assistant Secretary, Pacific Operations and Development, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Dr Matthew Dornan, Senior Economist, World Bank>> view presentation slidesChair:Dr Ryan Edwards, Senior Policy Fellow, Development Policy Centre, The Australian National University

Offering social assistance programs has become an increasingly prominent strategy to alleviate poverty in many parts of the developing world, including in Indonesia. Drawing on Indonesia's decades-long experience in developing social assistance programs, government officials and a leading evidence-based policy research institution, The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA), highlight proven methods to address key emerging challenges and improve anti-poverty programs. Panellists: Dr Vivi Yulaswati, Senior Advisor to the Minister of National Development Planning for Social Affairs and Poverty Reduction of Indonesia (Bappenas)>> view presentation slidesDr Elan Satriawan, Chief of Policy Working Group, National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) of Indonesia>> view presentation slidesLina Marliani, Executive Director of The Abdul Latief Jameel Poverty Action Lab Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA)>> view presentation slidesChair:Professor Budy Resosudarmo, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University

In this keynote address delivered on 19 February at the 2020 Australasian AID Conference, Alex Hawke, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, outlines the key trends in the Indo-Pacific region affecting Australia's development partners and shaping its new international development policy. He also discusses Australia's longstanding commitment to the region and its Pacific step-up, and how Australia will continue to support the region and keep it strong.Minister Hawke is introduced by Helen Sullivan, Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University. Keynote speaker:Alex Hawke, Minister for International Development and the PacificChair:Helen Sullivan, Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU College of Asia & the Pacific, The Australian National University

The language and theory of ‘aid' is outdated. But something like it is still needed as the world faces huge common challenges, new and old. In this keynote address, Jonathan Glennie sets out a new approach for the 21st century: global public investment. He proposes five paradigm shifts for the future of concessional international public finance, as the world of international development moves on from an old-fashioned ‘aid' mentality.Keynote speaker:Jonathan Glennie, Principal Associate at the Joep Lange Institute, and writer and researcher on poverty and human rights Chair:Elizabeth Peak, First Assistant Secretary, Human Development and Governance Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and TradeIntroduced by: Professor Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre, The Australian National University

Welcome to Episode 71 of Good Will Hunters from the Development Policy Centre. This episode is focused on the impact COVID19 will have on both developing countries and the aid and development sector. This week, I spoke on ABC’s Radio National Saturday Extra Program, on the topic of the Pacific and COVID19. https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/ In today’s episode I’m speaking to Fiona Tarpey and Chris Roche. Fiona Tarpey is the Head of Advocacy for the International Programs Department of the Australian Red Cross. She is also Co-Chair of ACFIDs Development Practice Committee. Chris Roche is the Director of the Institute for Human Security and Social Change at La Trobe University, and a Senior Research Partner of the Developmental Leadership Program. Chris and Fiona jointly authored an article for the Devpolicy blog this week, titled ‘COVID19, localisation and locally led development: A critical juncture’. In sum, the article argued that COVID19 will force a large-scale transformation of the international development sector, and that this may actually be a good thing for local and international actors in the long term. https://devpolicy.org/covid-19-localisation-and-locally-led-development-a-critical-juncture-20200323/ Int he interview, Fiona, Chris and I discuss why a reimagining of the development sector could be a good thing, including why restrictions on travel mean that local organisations suddenly have a more critical role to play. We discuss whether the development sector is equipped to work digitally, and subsequent to that, whether local organisations and local governments in the Pacific are adequately skilled and resourced to manage this new workload. We also talk about the expected downturn in funding for the international development sector, including both NGOs and contractors, before finally discussing what will happen if developing countries including in the Pacific need economic bail-outs. Lastly, I ask Chris and Fiona whether, given the unprecedented scale of health and economic impacts that COVID19 is causing, is there any way that developing countries come out of this better than before? I’ve also written an article on the support developing countries will require due to the sudden and complete loss of tourism revenue - https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/no-planes-cruise-ships-crucial-regional-industry-will-need-aid We’ll continue to bring you coverage of the impact of COVID19 in our region as well as for the aid and development sector. If there’s anything you’d really like us to address, please get in touch. Devpolicy Blog also continues to provide extensive coverage of COVID19 impacts on aid and international development, and in the Pacific and in Asia. Check it out at Devpolicy.org, and subscribe to their daily email and fortnightly digest here https://devpolicy.org Enjoy, Rachel and the GWH Team

This is a short introduction describing the new podcast series Education Transformation.

Our Defence Force may be small but our troops are spread all over the world, sometimes in conflict zones that have left the headlines, and some places that are unexpected. 

The referendum results will be in before Christmas - will the beautiful island of Bougainville, with a violent and destructive past, is heading toward independence. 

I summarize this week's 5 posts on the From Poverty to Power blog: feminist research and climate change; how counter-terrorism laws are undermining humanitarian response; the politics of the digital revolution in poor countries and a podcast with inequality guru Branko Milanovic + a review of his latest book. Enjoy

Is the much-maligned Provincial Growth Fund making a difference in the regions? 

Talking you through recent posts on aid, development and other stuff on the From Poverty to Power blog, including Southern views and voices on the climate crisis, how to build effective states and podcasts with prominent women's leaders from Kenya and India

In the final of our recent series of interviews recorded in July, we speak to Clare Walsh, Deputy Secretary for the Global Cooperation, Development and Partnerships Group with Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Clare’s large portfolio covers Australia’s global engagement, in particular our multilateral diplomacy, foreign aid program and thematic issues as diverse as infrastructure, climate change and gender. In a wide-ranging discussion, Clare begins the interview by explaining her background: how she went from working in local government in Western Australia early in her career to the highest-profile international issues today. Allan then asks Clare to give her assessment on how “shaky” the international order is at present, invoking his fixation with the US’ threatened withdrawal from the Universal Postal Union! Darren follows up by asking how Australia conducts diplomacy within the order: how do we convince others to work inside the order to reform it, rather than walking away, and how do we engage with countries on areas of mutual interest when we might have major disagreements on other issues?  The conversation shifts to human rights and development. What does it mean to “take up” a human rights issue, what’s the multilateral / bilateral balance in Australian diplomacy, and how useful are the large multilateral forums like the Human Rights Council? Does Australia’s involvement in infrastructure programs represent a broadening of what “development” means in 2019 and what aid programs are asked to do? What about working with partners who are relatively wealthier—how do Australia's development assistance programs differ? And how has the entry of new funders—whether other governments or non-government actors—change the landscape for Australia? The conversation finishes up by zooming out. Allan asks what is distinct about what DFAT does (“what’s point of DFAT?”), while Darren asks about the securitisation of development and parallels to the familiar “economics vs security” debate. As always, we invite our listeners to email us at this address: australia.world.pod@gmail.com We welcome feedback, requests and suggestions. You can also contact Darren on twitter @limdarrenj Our thanks go to outgoing AIIA intern Charlie Henshall for his help with audio editing, Rory Stenning for composing our theme music, and Martyn Pearce for technical assistance in studio.  Relevant links Clare Walsh’s biography: https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/our-people/executive/Pages/biography-of-clare-walsh.aspx

Tuvalu is the poster boy for small island countries suffering from climate change and its very existence and that of its people is under threat. Despite the gloomy outlook, Tuvalu has big plans for its future and its leaders are urging polluting nations to help.  Sally Round travelled to Tuvalu to investigate

The world's super powers are on edge as China's trade policy projects increasingly dot the world map. 

Insight - With $3bn heading to 6 regions under the Provincial Growth Fund, questions have been asked about how it's being spent and by whom? Lois Williams asks those getting funding to plant trees or run cultural centres in Shane Jones's home region of Northland.

On 29 March, Senator Richard Di Natale, Leader of the Australian Greens, launched the Australian Greens' full aid and development policy for the 2019 federal election at a public event at ANU.

Johnny Blades looks at Papua New Guinea's road to hosting the APEC leaders' summit as it teeters on the verge of social breakdown.

On this episode of the podcast, Christopher Coyne, Associate Director of the Hayek Program, interviews Jennifer B. Murtazashvili on her work with local governments and informal institutions in Central Eurasia. As part of the conversation, Dr. Murtazashvili shares her personal experience and research from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the state-building process, the role of customs in influencing informal institutions, and the effect of foreign aid on economic and institutional development. CC Music: Twisterium

After Brexit, the UK will take back control of the £1.5 billion in overseas aid currently channelled through the EU and will be free to develop its bilateral relationships through trade and development as it sees fit. But the Government is already offering to stay involved in the EU’s development work, proposing an ongoing ‘strategic partnership’. At this event, Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Development (DfID), set out his thinking about the future of UK aid and development after Brexit. To discuss, our panel included: Mikaela Gavas, Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Global Development and Special Adviser to the House of Commons International Development Committee Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children The event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Brexit Programme Director at the Institute for Government.

Fifteen years since Timor-Leste proclaimed independence, a new generation tries to move on from its traumatic past. Sally Round investigates how the country's faring.  

There is no shortage of applicants for New Zealand's Pacific Quota immigration scheme, which is drawn by ballot every year. RNZ Pacific reporter, Sara Vui-Talitu looks into the quota system and whether it's living up to the ideals behind its establishment.

After 14 years and $3 billion in support from Australia, New Zealand and other partners, do the Solomon Islands have a shot at lasting peace? RNZ Pacific's Koroi Hawkins investigates for Insight.

The world's media are slowly getting past the stereotypes of poverty, disease and corruption that have characterised coverage of Africa in the past but there's still a way to go, says a media scholar.

 Graeme Acton asks if the lives of Myanmar's Rohingya people will improve now Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy is in power.

Imagine having to beg for your child's life with nothing but a couple of cigarettes as a bribe. Thirty years after their trauma, a group of 10 Cambodian New Zealand women are only now able to tell their stories. Participating in an oral history project that began as part of the 1993 Women's Suffrage Centenary, these survivors of Pol Pot's genocide finally published their harrowing experiences in a book titled I Tried Not To Cry, launched at Parliament. Some of these extraordinary survivors are talking to Lynda Chanwai-Earle with the help of translator and Cambodian community leader Niborom Young.

Two artists share their stories of the personal connections and memories they have of their homes through the exhibition Something felt, something shared. What are the connections and relationships that we build with our homes, and what story can they tell about the people who once lived there? Kalya Ward and Gabrielle Amodeo share their experiences and personal connections.

Traditionally, humanitarian workers and development specialists were seen as inhabiting two different worlds, but one expert calls for some joined up thinking to help the people of fragile states.