Podcasts about global development

What if the relentlessly negative news cycle is giving us a distorted picture of reality? In this episode of Blue Sky, Charles Kenny from the Center for Global Development makes a compelling, data-driven case that the world is truly getting better — in ways most of us rarely hear about.  From dramatic reductions in global poverty and child mortality to rising living standards across the developing world, Charles unpacks the economic evidence that challenges our collective pessimism. He explores how technological advancements and shifting global perspectives are quietly reshaping human welfare for the better — and why that story isn't getting told.  If you've ever felt overwhelmed by doom and gloom, this episode is your antidote.    Chapters:  00:00 Welcome Charles Kenny 01:57 Global Progress in Development 05:00 Drivers of Global Progress 08:11 Technology & Standard of Living 12:32 COVID-19 Vaccine Development 16:24 The Upside of Global Catch-Up 21:14 Poverty, Peace, and Happiness 27:52 Revisiting Malthusian Predictions 33:02 People as the Solution, Not Problem 38:08 Education and Global Tolerance 43:58 The Moral Imperative of Optimism 

This episode follows a wide-ranging panel convened at Stanford's King Center on Global Development, featuring Gyude Moore, as well as Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman, former USAID Administrator and Ambassador Mark Green, and Chair and Founder of the Liquidity and Sustainability Facility Vera Songwe - The future of global development: Approaches and partnerships for a new reality.Bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa will fall by between 16% and 28% this year, according to the IMF. In past downturns, multilateral and humanitarian funding tended to fill the gap when bilateral aid dropped. This time those channels are shrinking too.Gyude Moore, who ran the Liberian President's Delivery Unit under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, thinks the contraction is structural rather than a passing effect of the Trump administration, and that recipient countries should stop expecting the old arrangement to return. He wants economic growth put at the centre of development rather than treated as one programme among several. Instead of letting donors decide which programmes are run, he says, countries should run a growth diagnostic: a way of identifying the two or three constraints doing most to hold an economy back. Governments can then reorganise their budgets around removing those constraints, and use the diagnostic to decide which offers of aid to take and which to turn down. Moore calls this “sovereignty through analytics”. Aid was meant to be temporary, he argues, and the job now is to quickly reach the point of not needing it.To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim, and W. Gyude Moore. 2026. "The end of aid dependency.” VoxDev Talks (podcast). Assign this as extra listening. The citation above is formatted and ready for a reading list or VLE.About the guestW. Gyude Moore is a distinguished fellow at the Energy for Growth Hub and a non-resident fellow at the Center for Global Development. He was Liberia's minister of public works from December 2014 to January 2018, and before that deputy chief of staff to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and head of the President's Delivery Unit, which oversaw more than $1 billion of road, power and port projects in a country rebuilding after civil war. He also lectures at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy. His work covers African infrastructure, energy, industrial policy and development finance.Cited in this episodeThe scale of the cuts. The IMF's October 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa, using OECD figures, projects bilateral aid to the region falling by 16% to 28% in 2025, with more cuts likely. Moore says the cuts to multilateral and humanitarian funding run higher again, and that the most aid-dependent countries have been hit hardest, through weaker health, education and nutrition systems.Growth diagnostics. A way of finding the constraints that matter most: the one or two that, once removed, allow others to ease. Moore likens it to a doctor running tests before prescribing. The method is associated with the Growth Lab at Harvard. He suggests governments hire an independent party to run the analysis, so the findings cannot be dismissed as political.The Millennium Challenge Corporation. A US agency that runs what it calls a constraints analysis, then funds the removal of the constraint it finds. Moore offers it as an existing model for diagnostic-led aid, while noting that it has critics.Sovereignty through analytics. Moore's phrase for using a credible diagnostic to set the terms with donors. A government can say what it is trying to do, ask for help where it needs it, and decline what does not fit. He points to Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe rejecting or walking away from US health agreements under the America First Global Health Strategy as evidence that recipient governments now have that leverage and are willing to use it.The Development Alliance. Liberia's attempt, around 2014 and 2015, to bring every donor and NGO into one room to map who was doing what, spot duplication and find the sectors nobody was covering. Moore's assessment: useful, but voluntary, not written into law, and not built around a single diagnostic. His conclusion is that such a framework should be put on a legal footing.Five-year plans. Moore, who teaches in China each autumn, points to the discipline that fixed planning periods impose, and argues that legislation can do a similar job of holding a development strategy steady across changes of government.Delivery units. Small teams set up to push complex projects through where the wider bureaucracy cannot. Moore ran one in the Liberian presidency and calls them islands of competence; he offers them as a way around weak implementation.The European politics of aid. Moore's reason for thinking the window may close. Nativist parties are gaining ground across Europe, from the AfD to Reform UK to the PVV in the Netherlands, and an ageing population will pull more public money homeward. Countries that do not adjust, he warns, may find the external funding gone.

OPINION: How emerging economies are rewriting global development | May 28, 2026Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcherTune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein#TheManilaTimes#KeepUpWithTheTimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmed live from Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, this episode of This Week in Global Development delves into the critical debates unfolding on the ground in Geneva. That includes the tense atmosphere following the World Health Organization's rare decision to proclaim a global health emergency over the latest Ebola outbreak, mounting fears regarding the virus tracking into dense urban centers, and how containment efforts are hindered by strict funding restrictions that leave the vast majority of voluntary budgets tied up. The discussion also looks at the highly anticipated — yet heavily criticized — joint strategy to reform global health infrastructure, capturing the frustration of analysts who feel the plan avoids essential conversations about institutional mergers. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering for the next WHO director-general selection enters the conversation as well, along with the complex legislative hurdles facing the African Medicines Agency as it strives to secure pharmaceutical independence across the continent.

In 1993, the World Bank published a report on a remarkable development story.East Asia's post-war growth — Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and their neighbours — had lifted millions out of poverty in a generation. The report documented the influence of export subsidies, state-directed credit, land reform, and government-business dialogue. But the bank, constrained by the Washington Consensus of the time, underplayed the industrial policies that were at the heart of this miracle.Nancy Birdsall was head of the department that produced the report. In this week's VoxDev Talk, she looks back, talking to Tim Phillips about whether this stance affected policy in other developing countries.Birdsall tells Tim Phillips how the report came to exist at all — financed by the Japanese government as a deliberate strategy to expose the bank's economists to a success story their prevailing framework couldn't explain. With industrial policy back at the centre of economic debate, Birdsall's new article in the Journal of Economic Perspectives asks whether the bank missed its moment to embed those lessons into its operational work. The research behind this episode:Birdsall, Nancy. 2025. "The World Bank's East Asian Miracle: Too Much a Product of Its Time?" Journal of Economic Perspectives 39(4): 127–48. A free download is available at the Center for Global Development.To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim, and Nancy Birdsall. 2026. "The World Bank's East Asian Miracle." VoxDev Talk (podcast). [Episode URL].Assign this as extra listening. The citation above is formatted and ready for a reading list or VLE.About Nancy BirdsallNancy Birdsall is president emerita of the Center for Global Development, which she co-founded in 2001. She was previously executive vice president of the Inter-American Development Bank and, before that, director of the Policy Research Department at the World Bank, where she oversaw the department responsible for the East Asian Miracle report. Her research spans development finance, inequality, economic growth and the role of multilateral institutions in the global economy.Research cited in this episodeThe East Asian Miracle (World Bank, 1993). A 400-page study of the economic performance of eight high-performing Asian economies — Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand — covering the period 1965 to 1990. Commissioned with Japanese government funding, the report documented both market fundamentals and a range of active state policies; its handling of industrial policy was carefully hedged to remain within the bounds of what the bank's dominant Washington Consensus framework could accept. The full report is available from the World Bank Open Knowledge Repository.The Washington Consensus. A term coined by economist John Williamson in 1989 to describe the package of macroeconomic and structural reforms — fiscal discipline, trade liberalisation, privatisation, deregulation and market-determined prices — that the IMF, World Bank and US Treasury broadly promoted as the framework for development in the late 1980s and 1990s. The consensus was dominant inside the bank during the period the East Asian Miracle report was written; countries following activist state policies did not fit its categories easily.MITI (Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry). The Japanese government body responsible for coordinating industrial and trade policy during Japan's post-war growth period, including the direction of credit, protection of infant industries and promotion of heavy manufacturing exports. MITI was widely known inside the bank, but its role in Japan's development was not systematically studied or incorporated into the bank's policy advice until the East Asian Miracle report. It was abolished and reorganised as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2001.Performance-based credit subsidies. A mechanism used across several East Asian economies in which exporters could access subsidised credit conditional on demonstrating actual export orders. The conditionality — credit only if you are already performing — was central to why the policy worked: it rewarded productive firms and withdrew support from those that failed to deliver. The East Asian Miracle report described this approach in detail without classifying it as industrial policy.Japan's postal savings system. A government-run savings scheme that channelled household deposits through post offices into state-directed investment, providing below-market returns to savers while funding subsidised credit to targeted sectors. Birdsall notes it as a mechanism worth studying for developing countries seeking to finance industrial support without relying on private capital markets.Indonesia and the airplane sector. The Indonesian government under Suharto sought to develop a domestic aerospace industry, with state subsidies to Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN). The World Bank's East Asia regional department, which managed the bank's lending relationship with Indonesia, was concerned that the East Asian Miracle report might be read as endorsing this approach. Their pressure to limit the report's treatment of industrial policy is the episode's opening anecdote — and the source of what is possibly the best line in the show.IDB report on public-private dialogue in Latin America. Birdsall references work by the Inter-American Development Bank on the conditions under which structured dialogue between government bureaucrats and private-sector firms can support industrial policy; she notes that access at the highest levels of government — including the president — appears to be a factor in whether such dialogues produce results. More VoxDev Talks on this topicIndustrial policy for economic development, Dani Rodrik on the evidence for active state roles in directing investment and exports, and the institutional prerequisites for making them work.The future of the World Bank: Why knowledge is power, Penny Goldberg on the bank's role as a producer and broker of development knowledge, and how that function has evolved since the Washington Consensus era.Related reading on VoxDevModern industrial policy: The Asian miracles' blueprint, a VoxDev Talk examining how the principles behind East Asian industrial success — performance conditionality, export orientation, technology learning — can be translated into policy frameworks for today's developing economies.Where are we in the economics of industrial policies?, what three decades of research have established about when and why industrial policy works, and what conditions determine whether government intervention helps or hinders.Implementing industrial policy effectively: Lessons from shipbuilding in China, how policy design and performance conditionality determine whether sector-level support produces lasting productivity gains — the same question at the heart of the East Asian Miracle debate.

In a special edition of the This Week in Global Development podcast, Devex cofounder and Executive Vice President Alan Robbins sits down with Brazilian thoracic surgeon Dr. Ricardo Sales do Santos to discuss a revolutionary approach to tackling lung cancer in medically underserved communities in Brazil.   As the most lethal form of cancer globally, lung cancer often goes undetected until its final stages, but Dr. Santos and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (are working to change that narrative through a combination of mobile technology and local capacity building. By bringing advanced CT scanning units directly into high-risk, low-income communities, they are catching tumors when they are small and potentially curable, fundamentally shifting the odds for thousands of patients.   The conversation also touches on the logistical and cultural hurdles of delivering specialized oncology care to remote areas. Dr. Santos highlights the importance of “bringing the clinic to the patient,” utilizing mobile CT units and telemedicine to bridge the gap in healthcare access. Beyond the technology, the success of the program relies heavily on empowering local health workers and community members to recognize early cancer warning signs and overcome the stigma associated with a cancer diagnosis. This approach not only improves individual health outcomes but also strengthens the broader healthcare system, offering a scalable model for global health initiatives.   To learn more about sustainable improvements in cancer care and get a compelling look at how local solutions can drive global change, listen to this special edition of This Week in Global Development. For more international development news, visit: http://www.devex.com Visit  Strengthening Care Systems — a series raising awareness of the scale of the global lung cancer burden and the systems-level changes required to address it: https://pages.devex.com/strengtheningcaresystems.html

In this special episode of This Week in Global Development, Alain Ebobissé, CEO of Africa50, joins Devex Managing Editor Anna Gawel to discuss a paradigm shift in African infrastructure investment. Africa50, a pan-African investor, is moving beyond one-off projects to aggregate large-scale, “institution-grade” sustainable energy assets. By shifting the narrative from a development imperative to a viable commercial opportunity, Ebobissé explains how his organization is attracting both global and African capital to bridge the continent's massive energy gap, which currently leaves around 600 million people without basic electricity. A centerpiece of the conversation is the critical role of private sector participation in electricity transmission, an area historically funded exclusively by governments. Ebobissé emphasizes that power generation is futile without the grid capacity to deliver electricity to end users and businesses, highlighting Africa50's work on the continent's first independent private transmission projects. Looking toward the next decade, he advocates for a balanced energy mix — including renewables and natural gas — and issues a call for a heightened sense of urgency among global institutions to prioritize results over perfection in order to close the energy gap at speed.

In an internal memo seen by Devex, the Trump administration has threatened to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to the United Nations unless it adopts a slate of nine “quick win” reforms. We break down the demands and what they reveal about the United States' new road map for multilateral engagement. We also received a recent congressional notification which reveals that USAID has up to $19.2 billion to close out terminated foreign assistance awards. We explore what that funding would be spent on. To discuss these stories and others, Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth speaks with reporters Colum Lynch and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. During the sponsored segment of the This Week in Global Development podcast, brought to you by The Fred Hollows Foundation, Devex Executive Vice President Kate Warren sits down with Dr. Caroline Casey, president of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, to discuss why restoring sight is not just a health intervention, but a critical lever for unlocking women's economic participation, reducing unpaid care burdens, and accelerating progress on gender equality. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

Continuing tradition, host Landry Signé joins top global leaders on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's 2026 Spring Meetings. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East loomed over this year's gathering, as agencies considered how to maintain their development agendas amidst the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting fuel supply crisis. Show notes and transcript Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Afripods, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu.

Joe Sanders, the new executive director of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska, brings more than 27 years of experience in international agricultural development to his role. In this episode, hosted by Arianna Elnes, he reflects on his career path—from serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia to leading USAID-funded projects across Africa, Asia and Latin America—and shares how those experiences shaped his approach to leadership, problem-solving and working across diverse agricultural systems.   Sanders also offers early insights from his first months in Nebraska, highlighting the state's strengths in agriculture, water management and collaboration. He discusses the importance of building on DWFI's strong foundation, deepening partnerships and identifying practical, scalable solutions. His perspective underscores the value of combining global experience with local expertise to strengthen water and food systems in Nebraska and beyond.

What if the quiet nudges you've been feeling… aren't random at all?In this episode, we're joined by Robert Mulhall—leader, spiritual practitioner, and former CEO of Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. He has spent his life learning how to listen to those subtle inner whispers…and actually follow them.Robert's journey doesn't fit neatly into one box (and honestly, we love that). From global development and public health to executive coaching and spiritual practice, including training in mindfulness meditation, Reiki, Akashic Records, the Enneagram, and even Celtic Irish shamanism. He's walked the line between the corporate world and deep inner work, proving that you don't have to choose one or the other.What really stands out is his willingness to trust the unknown, even when it didn't make logical sense.We talk about what it really means to listen to your inner guidance, how to recognize when life is asking you to pivot, and why transformation isn't something to chase—it's something to allow.If you've been feeling a pull toward “something more” but can't quite explain it… this one's for you.WHAT WE TALK ABOUTWhat “life's whispers” actually feel like—and how to recognize themWhy your next step won't always make logical sense (and why that's okay)The power of presence + attention (hint: it's everything)How Robert's unconventional upbringing shaped his view of wholeness and purposeThe intersection of leadership, spirituality, and serviceInsights from practices like mindfulness, Reiki, the Enneagram, and Celtic Irish shamanism—and how they each support transformationLessons from some of the world's most respected spiritual teachersHow to build trust with your inner voice (even if it's been quiet for a while)Why transformation is less about doing… and more about remembering who you already areA must-do exercise that may change your every daySo many of us are standing at a crossroads, trying to figure out what's next. And while the world is loud with advice, Robert reminds us that the answers we're looking for are often much quieter… and already within us.This conversation is your reminder to slow down, tune in, and trust what you're hearing—even if it feels unfamiliar.MORE FROM ROBERT MULHALLVisit robertmulhall.com to explore more about Robert and his work. Visit seekingcentercommunity.com for more with Robyn + Karen and many of the guides on Seeking Center: The Podcast. You'll get access to live weekly sessions, intuitive guidance, daily inspiration, and a space to share your journey with like-minded people who just get it. You can also follow Seeking Center on Instagram @theseekingcenter.

In a special edition of the This Week in Development podcast, Devex Executive Vice President Alan Robbins sits down with Ambassador Keisha McGuire, chief global affairs officer at RestoringVision, to explore the profound economic ripple effects of addressing near-vision loss, or presbyopia. While often dismissed as a mere "annoyance," age-related vision loss is a significant barrier to global health and economic development. RestoringVision has coined the term "visionomics" to describe the vital intersection of vision, health, and the economy. For millions in low- to middle-income countries, the inability to see clearly can lead to a devastating economic impact on households, communities, and countries. The case for investing in vision is mathematically undeniable: For every $1 invested in vision services in these regions, there is a $28 return on investment. Despite this, eye health has historically lagged behind other global health priorities. However, the tide is turning with major new funding commitments and increased political mobilization leading up to the first-ever Global Summit for Eye Health in November 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda. By treating vision not just as a medical cost but as a catalytic investment, organizations can advance at least seven Sustainable Development Goals, proving that a simple pair of reading glasses can be one of the most cost-effective tools for reducing global poverty. Listen to this episode of This Week in Global Development to hear the whole discussion.

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 consensus. The discussion also looks at the World Bank's bold new “sector-first” strategy, highlighted by the launch of Water Forward — an ambitious initiative aiming to provide one billion people with access to clean water through country-led compacts. The return of African trade corridors enters the discussion as well, along with the International Monetary Fund's scramble for concessional funding. To dig into these stories, listen to this episode of This Week in Global Development.

Martin J. Forman Memorial Lecture | IFPRI Policy Seminar Sustaining Momentum for Nutrition Financing in the Global Development Agenda 35th Annual Martin J. Forman Memorial Lecture April 15, 2026 Recognizing France's tremendous leadership of the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G), IFPRI and the Forman lecture selection Committee are delighted to announce that Her Excellency Éléonore Caroit, France's Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Responsible for Francophonie, International Partnerships, and French Nationals Abroad has been invited to deliver the 35th Martin J. Forman Memorial Lecture. France's leadership of the N4G Summit held in France helped to cement nutrition as a core development priority, reaffirmed a global commitment to fight all forms of malnutrition and emphasized the importance of policy coherence, continuity and long-term commitment. Importantly, the summit also delivered one of the strongest mobilizations since N4G began in 2013, generating 517 new commitments from 160 actors across 75 countries, spanning policy reforms, financing pledges, and programmatic actions. France's stewardship helped ensure that the summit not only renewed global political attention to nutrition but also produced concrete, trackable commitments and a platform for continued accountability. The French government continues to emphasize the importance of following through on the N4G summit and of keeping nutrition front and center of the global policy agenda, also through its leadership of the G7. The annual lecture commemorates Martin J. Forman, who headed the Office of Nutrition at USAID for more than 20 years and made a significant impact on international nutrition. The lecturer is invited to present personal views about major issues related to malnutrition. Welcome Remarks from IFPRI Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI Welcome Remarks from the Forman Family Kenan Forman, Son of Martin J. Forman Martin J. Forman Memorial Lecture Éléonore Caroit, Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France Discussant Remarks Matthew Freeman, Executive Director, Stronger Foundations for Nutrition Abigail Perry, Global Program Lead for Nutrition, World Bank Moderator Purnima Menon, Senior Director for Food and Nutrition Policy, IFPRI More about this Event: https://www.ifpri.org/event/sustaining-momentum-for-nutrition-financing-in-the-global-development-agenda/ Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription

Amid uncertainty around the war in Iran, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its outlook for the global economy under three different scenarios depending on how long the conflict would last.  Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Programme is warning that even if hostilities were to end today, the war could push more than 32 million people around the world into poverty by a 'triple shock' of energy disruption, food price increases and weaker economic growth.  

Christopher Haylett (aka Nerdy Christian) has a B.A. in Global Development and an M.S. in International Business. Christopher is a popular social media influencer who engages in topics about culture, politics, Christianity, and theology.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pandemic Risk Assessment is an emerging scientific toolkit designed to assess how pandemic risk is evolving over time. Rather than predicting the next outbreak, it integrates evidence across scientific disciplines to identify the drivers and estimate the probabilities of pandemic outbreaks. And in so doing, it can help policymakers prioritize prevention and preparedness investments before crises emerge. Pandemic Risk Assessment is still an emerging field, but there is growing momentum to institutionalize it, with discussions exploring a range of possible models, including options inspired by bodies such as the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is the UN-backed scientific body that regularly updates policymakers on the latest findings on climate change. Joining me to discuss why pandemic risk assessment is needed, what a robust scientific process might look like, and how to make it a permanent feature of our global pandemic preparedness landscape are Serina Ng and Ben Oppenheim. Ben Oppenheim is a non-resident fellow at the Berkeley Risk and Security Lab and at the Center for Global Development. Serina Ng is a Director at the World Health Organization and Executive Head of the G20 Joint Finance Health Task Force Secretariat, which is hosted at the WHO. Today's episode is produced in partnership with the United Nations Foundation as a part of a series called Before the Outbreak, which examines the role of disease surveillance in stopping the next pandemic

The war in Iran has sent fuel costs soaring, leaving consumers scrambling for savings. At the New York Auto Show, many drivers are warming to the idea of switching to electric vehicles as petrol prices climb, as our correspondent Jessica Le Masurier reports. Also, a relief rally loses momentum as the fragile Iran ceasefire enters its second day, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warns of a “historic decline” in international development aid, driven largely by the United States.

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 Foundation, Devex Executive Vice President and Executive Editor Kate Warren speaks with Darren Back, Dr. Loice Sitienei, and Dr. Patrick Loehrer to explore why integrated breast cancer care strengthens both health systems and economic resilience, ultimately improving outcomes for women facing this disease. The conversation underscores the systemic barriers to breast cancer care in LMICs, where limited infrastructure and high costs often lead to delays in diagnosis. The Pfizer Foundation's Action and Impact initiative, a philanthropic investment now totaling $25 million across five sub-Saharan African countries, aims to expand access to timely breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care. By supporting partners working with local and national governments to advance access to care, the initiative seeks to not only improve breast cancer outcomes but also strengthen overall health systems and long-term prosperity.

Jamie Drummond is the co-founder of ONE.org and the founder of Sharing Strategies — an organisation that brings together philanthropies, think tanks, campaign groups and international organisations to share collective intelligence on climate and development.In this conversation, we explore why the money needed to solve the world's biggest problems already exists, and why it isn't getting to the right places.You'll hear the story of how a documentary in northern Ethiopia sparked the Drop the Debt campaign, Jamie's case for why credit rating agencies are one of the most important and overlooked levers in global development finance, and the mountain of buttered potatoes on an Irish farm table that is his most enduring food memory.Resources and links:Jamie Drummond on LinkedInSharing Strategies websiteONE.org websiteConnect:Future Fork podcast websitePaul Newnham on InstagramPaul Newnham on XPaul Newnham on LinkedInDisruptive Consulting Solutions websiteSDG2 Advocacy Hub websiteSDG2 Advocacy Hub on XSDG2 Advocacy Hub on FacebookSDG2 Advocacy Hub on LinkedIn

Welcome to Season 5 Episode 6 of our BC's Path to Universal Child Care Podcast! During this episode, we're joined by Safiya Ayuen. Safiya is a policy researcher and analyst with a background in international relations, human rights, and community-informed policy work. She holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and a certificate in Human Rights and Global Development from Sciences Po, Paris. In her recent role as a Policy and Engagement Officer at Pacific Immigrant Resources Society in Vancouver, she worked on a systems-change initiative focused on immigrant and refugee women in British Columbia, where she supported policy analysis, community engagement, and the development of equity-focused policy recommendations. She brings an analytical and community-informed perspective to policy reform and is fluent in French and Spanish. Find out 'Why Child Care Matters: Even if you Don't Have Children' by listening to the episode today!

In this season of Lent, we're on a break from new episodes and are re-running a conversation from 2023 that we had with global child welfare professionals Dr. Greg Burch, Kelly Strong, and Dan Hope. We'll look at cases where westerners were given access to vulnerable children in the Global South and then abused those children. We'll explore the significance of cultivating cultures of awareness around child protection. We'll get into the importance of establishing robust policies and systems designed to mitigate the risks associated with child abuse and exploitation. By fostering environments that prioritize vigilance and the well-being of children, we can better identify and prevent abuses, ultimately ensuring their safety and welfare. Note that all podcasts before 2024 were under our old podcast name, Think Orphan. Support the Show Through Venmo - @canopyintl Subscribe to Our New YouTube Channel Conversation Notes Recurring cases of exploitation in overseas volunteerism (voluntourism) (14:00) The risk in naivety (17:00) Harming, not helping (21:30) The power dynamics that add to vulnerability (24:00) White saviors, colonialism, paternalism (27:00) Establishing policies and systems that mitigate risk (31:00) Creating cultures of awareness and protection (41:00) Developing national safeguarding processes (47:00) Risk involved with child sponsorship (57:00) How do we create reporting mechanisms for children (1:05:00) Resources and Links from the show SFAC Safeguarding Course SFAC Homepage Safe International Online Jessup University Masters in Global Development and Justice The Roys Report : Romanian Lawsuits Multiply Against Harvest Christian Fellowship and Pastor Greg Laurie Research Paper : Child Sexual Exploitation in East African Orphanages

Ifølge en analyse fra nonprofit tænketanken Center for Global Development har Trumps nedskæringer i USA's udviklingsbistand kostet mellem en halv og en hel million mennesker livet i 2025. Så når Venstre vil skære over seks milliarder i udviklingsbistanden - hvor mange menneskeliv koster det så? Værter: Laura Lin og Mathias WissingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 challenges the viability of current financing models and highlights growing risks to essential social spending in recipient countries. On the topic of sub-Saharan Africa, we examine the situation in Malawi, which is struggling to sustain critical health, education, and development programs after abrupt cuts to U.S. foreign aid exposed the country's heavy reliance on donor funding. Foreign aid cuts by the United States and the United Kingdom have also impacted the fight against female genital mutilation, hindering progress toward its elimination. To dig into these stories, and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with reporters Sara Jerving and Ayenat Mersie to discuss the top global development stories of the week. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

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 a complex world. Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Jim Larson, managing director and senior partner at BCG, to discuss the “impact pivot” of 2026. Larson outlines how successful players are moving beyond traditional aid by integrating generative artificial intelligence as core infrastructure and restructuring their "capital stacks" through blended finance and private sector partnerships. From the necessity of market-driven efficiency to the rise of inclusive, localized coalitions, Larson shares case studies on how technology and innovative finance are moving the needle on global health. They also examine the specific characteristics defining successful development leaders in this new era of market imperatives. To hear more about the evolution of the development toolkit, listen to this conversation with Jim Larson on This Week in Global Development. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

Raj Kumar, President and Editor-in-Chief of Devex, joins Justin Blake, Executive Director of the Edelman Trust Institute, for a recap of their time at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Raj and Justin discuss the state of trust in NGOs, shifts in development finance, the impact of misinformation, and how AI could reshape the capacity to deliver in underserved communities.

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 narratives — specifically the shift toward sovereign, country-led initiatives — and explain why the global development community's presence at Davos is vital to ensuring these voices shape the new international order. During the sponsored segment of This Week in Global Development, brought to you by Pivotal, Catherine Cheney sits down with Action for Women's Health grantee Naana Otoo-Oyortey, Executive Director at Forward UK, whose leadership brings visibility and sustainable change for women's Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Learn more about the awardees and explore the content series: https://pages.devex.com/boldideas.html Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

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 ripple effects across the global health sector to the critical implications for the African Growth and Opportunity Act extension, we analyze the bill's core priorities and its long-term impact on the global development landscape. Beyond the U.S. budget, we also dive into a deal between Washington and the United Nations. A confidential memorandum of understanding secures $2 billion in U.S. commitment for U.N. humanitarian funding through 2026. We explore where that money is going and what it tells us about U.N. priorities. To dig into these stories, and others, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with reporters Adva Saldinger and Colum Lynch for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. During the sponsored segment of This Week in Global Development, brought to you by Pivotal, Kate Warren sits down with Action for Women's Health grantee Tonya Adair, President & CEO at Alternative for Girls, whose leadership addresses the basic needs of women and girls so they can lead healthy lives. Learn more about the awardees and explore the content series: https://pages.devex.com/boldideas.html Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

In the first episode of the year, we look ahead to what we expect to happen in 2026 in global development. From more foreign aid cuts by traditional Western donors to a more transactional approach to development, we discuss what trends are set to shape the future of the sector. We identify the key players driving this transition from aid to investment, as well as contemplate the conditions necessary for the private sector to step up and fill the gap left by shrinking official development assistance. Will the world's billionaires increase their giving? Will development finally be locally led? To look ahead to what 2026 holds for global development, Devex Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar and Managing Editor Anna Gawel for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. During the sponsored segment of This Week in Global Development, brought to you by Pivotal, Kate Warren sits down with Action for Women's Health grantee Sophie Jenkins, International Programs Director at ChildFund Australia, whose leadership brings tailored health approaches throughout individuals' life stages. Learn more about the awardees and explore the content series: https://pages.devex.com/boldideas.html Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

Turns out that large scale collapse we've all been worried about might have already happened. Reading: The Long, Slow Death of Global Development (2022) by David Oks & Henry Williams Send us a question, comment or valid concern: auxiliarystatements(at)gmail.com DISCORD: https://discord.gg/4Y9xFfPa

In our final episode of 2025, we discuss a tumultuous year in U.S. foreign assistance. It has not always been clear who is calling the shots in the new world of U.S. development funding, but we break down who we believe are the key players in this moment of uncertainty. We are also seeing that the State Department is rebuilding its workforce, and across the world, positions are opening up to fill the gaps created by the obliteration of the U.S. Agency for International Development. It's all part of a messy scramble to reassemble the staff needed to oversee billions in foreign aid — and the first visible sign of a system trying to piece itself back together. To piece together these emerging clues about the future, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Reporter Michael Igoe and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. During the sponsored segment of This Week in Global Development, Devex's Kate Warren speaks with Terre des Hommes Netherlands' Asia regional director about the organization's commitment to creating systemic change to address the root causes of child exploitation, as well as the importance of a multi-stakeholder protection ecosystem. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

Join Vikram Gandhi, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and Co-Founder of Asha Ventures, in a powerful conversation with Gary Fowler as they explore how sustainable investing and ESG principles are transforming the future of business, finance, and development. With decades of experience in global finance, impact investing, and emerging markets, Vikram unpacks the systems-level changes shaping a more equitable and climate-aligned global economy.

Premier Li Qiang has called for solidarity and cooperation among the Group of 20 economies to tackle global challenges, and urged efforts to firmly uphold free trade and build an open world economy amid a sluggish economic recovery.中国国务院总理李强呼吁二十国集团（G20）成员加强团结合作，共同应对全球性挑战，并在经济复苏乏力的背景下坚定维护自由贸易，推动建设开放型世界经济。Li made the remarks while addressing the 20th G20 Summit, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday and Sunday.他在上周六周日于南非约翰内斯堡举行的二十国集团第20次峰会上发表上述讲话。Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, which holds the rotating presidency of G20, chaired the summit. It is the first time that the group of economies, comprising 19 countries as well as the European Union and the African Union, held its summit on African soil.作为本届二十国集团轮值主席国，南非总统西里尔·拉马福萨主持了峰会。这也是包括19个国家以及欧盟和非盟在内的二十国集团第一次在非洲大陆举行峰会。Themed "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability", this year's summit was divided into three sessions, focusing on inclusive and sustainable economic growth, building a resilient world, and fostering a fair and just future for all.本届峰会以“团结、平等与可持续”为主题，围绕包容和可持续经济增长、建设韧性世界、打造公平正义的共同未来等议题设置了三场会议。Addressing the first session, Li pointed out that the global economy is once again confronted with major challenges, marked by a rise in unilateralism and protectionism, along with escalating trade restrictions and confrontations.在首场会议上，李强指出，全球经济再次面临重大挑战，单边主义和保护主义抬头，贸易限制和摩擦不断加剧。Divergent interests among parties and weaknesses in global cooperation mechanisms have become prominent factors hindering international solidarity, he said.他表示，利益分歧和全球合作机制的薄弱已成为阻碍国际社会团结的重要因素。Li urged the G20 to face the problems squarely, explore solutions and help bring all parties back on the track of solidarity and cooperation.李强敦促二十国集团直面问题、探寻解决方案，并推动各方重回团结合作的正确轨道。Concerted efforts should be made to properly handle disputes and frictions through consultations on the basis of equality when facing differences and contradictions, he said, underlining the need to seek common ground while reserving differences, actively pursue the most extensive common interests, and properly address each other's reasonable concerns.他强调，在面对分歧和矛盾时，应坚持在平等基础上通过协商妥善处理争端和摩擦，坚持求同存异，积极寻求最大公约数，妥善回应彼此合理关切。Emphasizing the importance of upholding multilateralism, Li called for accelerating the reform of institutions, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization.李强强调要维护多边主义，推动加快包括世界银行、国际货币基金组织和世界贸易组织在内的机构改革。He also called for efforts to enhance the voice of developing countries and build a fairer and more open international economic and trade order.他呼吁进一步提升发展中国家的代表性和话语权，构建更加公平开放的国际经贸秩序。China has released an action plan for implementing the G20 Initiative on Supporting Industrialization in Africa and Least Developed Countries, Li said, noting that China supports the reduction of debts in developing countries and has jointly launched with South Africa a cooperative initiative to support Africa's modernization.李强表示，中国已发布《支持非洲和最不发达国家工业化的二十国集团倡议行动计划》，支持发展中国家减轻债务负担，并与南非共同启动了支持非洲现代化的合作倡议。China will also establish the Institute of Global Development to promote common development among all countries, he added.他还宣布，中国将成立全球发展研究院，推动各国实现共同发展。Common development共同发展Leaders attending the first session of the summit said that over the past two decades, the G20 has become an important platform for the international community to meet challenges, share opportunities and seek common development.与会领导人表示，过去20年来，二十国集团已成为国际社会应对挑战、共享机遇、寻求共同发展的重要平台。Noting that today's world is facing multiple challenges and mounting instability and uncertainty, they called on G20 members, which are representatives of the world's major economies and emerging markets, to earnestly shoulder their responsibilities, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, safeguard multilateralism, and join forces to meet challenges.他们指出，当今世界面临多重挑战、不稳定性和不确定性上升，呼吁作为全球主要经济体和新兴市场代表的二十国集团成员切实承担责任，加强团结合作，坚持多边主义，携手应对挑战。The leaders also urged G20 members to safeguard the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, advance the reform of the global economic governance system, and bridge the development gap, in order to promote a strong, balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth.领导人们还呼吁二十国集团维护以世贸组织为核心的多边贸易体系，推动全球经济治理体系改革，弥合发展差距，促进强劲、平衡、包容和可持续的增长。Green cooperation绿色合作In his speech at the second session, Li called for strengthening cooperation in ecological and environmental protection, advancing collaboration in green energy and enhancing cooperation on food security.在第二场会议上，李强呼吁加强生态环境保护合作，推动绿色能源合作，并强化粮食安全领域协作。New technologies新技术与新机遇Addressing the third session, the premier emphasized that a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, bringing unprecedented development opportunities to the world, while at the same time, creating new inequalities and development gaps.在第三场会议上，李强强调，新一轮科技革命和产业变革正在加速推进，给世界带来前所未有的发展机遇，同时也造成新的不平等和发展差距。Li called for promoting the widespread application and effective governance of artificial intelligence, fostering mutually beneficial cooperation on and peaceful utilization of critical minerals, and strengthening development empowerment and livelihood support for the Global South.他呼吁推动人工智能的广泛应用和有效治理，促进关键矿产的互利合作和和平利用，并加强对全球南方国家的发展赋能与民生支持。Summit declaration峰会共识The summit adopted a leaders' declaration addressing climate change and other global challenges after it was drafted without the involvement of the United States. South Africa said there was "overwhelming consensus" for a summit declaration.峰会通过了一份涉及气候变化及其他全球挑战的领导人宣言，该文件在美国未参与起草的情况下完成。南非方面表示，宣言获得“压倒性共识”。In his opening address on Saturday, Ramaphosa said the adoption of the declaration "sends an important signal to the world that multilateralism can and does deliver".拉马福萨在周六的开幕致辞中指出，宣言的通过“向世界传递了一个重要信号：多边主义能够且确实在发挥作用”。More exchanges双边互动Also on Saturday, Li met in Johannesburg with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.同一天，李强在约翰内斯堡与意大利总理焦尔贾·梅洛尼举行会晤。He said that China encourages more Italian companies to enter the Chinese market via platforms such as expositions, and expects Italy to provide a fair, transparent and nondiscriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest in Italy.李强表示，中国欢迎更多意大利企业通过展会等平台进入中国市场，并希望意大利为中国企业赴意投资提供公平、透明、非歧视性的营商环境。Meloni said that Italy welcomes more Chinese investment and encourages Italian companies to continue investing in China. Italy is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China on multilateral platforms to jointly uphold multilateralism, she said.梅洛尼表示，意大利欢迎更多中国投资，也鼓励意大利企业继续在华发展。意方愿与中方在多边平台加强沟通协调，共同维护多边主义。During the summit, Li also had friendly exchanges with French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.会期间，李强还同法国总统马克龙、韩国总统李在明、安哥拉总统洛伦索、西班牙首相桑切斯及世贸组织总干事伊维拉等领导人进行了友好交流。sluggish economic recovery经济复苏乏力open world economy开放型世界经济rotating presidency轮值主席国unilateralism and protectionism单边主义与保护主义seek common ground while reserving differences求同存异

This week, we take a look at the details of the new template for bilateral agreements between the United States and partner governments, which sheds light on the ideas floating around the Trump administration on how it will engage with other countries when it comes to global health. However, experts are raising concerns around its implementation. In our update from COP30, we discuss the conference's most important highlights, including the latest commitments and progress on scaling climate finance. We also investigate whether the meeting is living up to its designation as the “Implementation COP.” To dig into these stories, Devex Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Senior Reporter Sara Jerving and Global Development Reporter Ayenat Mersie, who is on the ground at COP30, for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. During the sponsored segment of This Week in Global Development, brought to you by Pivotal, Kate Warren sits down with Action for Women's Health grantees Sabine Zink Bolonhini and Adriana Mallet Toueg, co-founders of SAS Brasil, whose leadership brings equity in healthcare by leveraging innovative solutions in access and care delivery. Learn more about the awardees. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

Lalita du Perron talks to Daniel Praburaj, former pre-doctoral fellow at the Stanford King Center on Global Development about his journey to Stanford (spoiler: it did not involve an IIT) and his plans for the future. Lalita and Daniel are joined at the start of the podcast by the meows of Lalita's cat Michelle, but after about 10 minutes she gives up trying to be the main character of the episode. Daniel is the Co-founder & CTO of Mithram.

The landscape of global development is shifting—shrinking aid budgets, emerging funding models, and evolving priorities are forcing philanthropic capital to move faster, take greater risks, and fill critical gaps left by governments and multilateral institutions.   What should the role of philanthropy look like? In this time of disruption, philanthropic donors are also presented with an opportunity to rethink, identify and remove barriers, and consider what changes can be truly game-changing.  In this episode, I speak with Katrina Sill, Global Health and Development Lead at Founders Pledge, about their newly launched Catalytic Impact Fund. We discuss risk, impact, evidence, and how philanthropic entities can balance responding to immediate needs and foster resilient systems for the future.  

In this week's special episode of the This week in global development podcast, filmed at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and hosted in partnership with CropLife International, we explore the expanding role of agricultural innovation — including advances in plant science, crop protection, biotechnology, and digital and precision tools — in helping farmers adapt to climate stress and maintain productivity. Devex Executive Editor Kate Warren speaks with Laurie Goodwin, vice president of public affairs and communications at CropLife International, about how innovation and open trade can work together to build climate-resilient food systems. The episode also introduces a new practical guide that compiles global examples of policy approaches that strengthen sustainable agricultural growth and support climate, productivity, and resilience goals. Across the discussion, the importance of collaboration among governments, the private sector, and farmers is emphasized as essential for delivering measurable on-the-ground outcomes — not only at COP30, but across the wider set of global forums connecting climate, trade, and food security agendas. To hear more, listen to this conversation with Laurie Goodwin on this special podcast episode of This Week in Global Development.

Governments in the global North have slashed aid budgets at a time when humanitarian needs have reached record levels, forcing a rethink on global aid and development. In this podcast, co-hosted by humanitarian news agency Devex, we look at where things may go from here and what new models of cooperation might offer hope. Hosts: Robin Pomeroy, Radio Davos, World Economic Forum Raj Kumar, This Week in Global Development, Devex Guests: Carla Haddad Mardini, Director, Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Julienne Oyler, CEO, Inkomoko Links: Humanitarian and Resilience Investing Initiative: https://initiatives.weforum.org/humanitarian-and-resilience-investing-initiative Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: www.schwabfound.org - look out for forthcoming report, Social Enterprise in Africa. UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/ Inkomoko: https://www.inkomoko.com/ Devex: https://www.devex.com/ Related podcasts: This Week in Global Development: https://www.devex.com/news/this-week-in-global-development-106893 Superpower rivalry and geopolitics in Trump 2.0: https://wef.ch/4oOOsys We have entered the age of "persistent disruption" - Visa's Wayne Best on the Chief Economists Outlook: http://wef.ch/4puuU3m What you might get wrong about progress - Lessons for leaders: Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/steven-pinker-harvard-humanity-doing-better/ Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552 Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

 How AI is Changing Deals & Global Development with Jeff Kafka and Brian Rogers     Jeff Kafka Bay Area entrepreneur, cybersecurity startup founder, and medical device/supply chain import partner. Internationally renowned professional kiteboarder and big wave safety expert. Brian Rogers Design and business thinker, expert in AI/ML, IoT, big data, fintech, and platform development. Author of patents, guest lecturer, and industry leader in blockchain. Episode Summary In this episode, we dive deep into how technology, infrastructure, and strong personal networks converge to drive capital and growth in sectors from medical devices to public works. We speak with Jeff Kafka, the founder behind the famous Silicon Valley kite surfing pitch events, about the value of relationships in business growth, and with Brian Rogers, an expert in AI, IoT, and digital transformation, about the future of finance and government partnerships. We explore how their new venture, Storyboard Capital, focuses on opportunities in areas typically ignored by traditional tech investors. Key Discussion Points & Topics I. The Power of Relationships and Networking (Jeff Kafka) Kite Surfing Pitch Events: The origin story of the famous Silicon Valley kite surfing pitch events and the key lessons learned while observing early-stage companies raising capital. Missed Opportunities: Jeff shares his list of companies he met early on but passed on investing in, and the reasons why those opportunities were missed at the time. The Role of People: How Jeff's diverse career—from cybersecurity to big wave safety to medical supply chain—has consistently revolved around people and relationships. Business Growth: The crucial importance of relationships when scaling a business. II. Technology, Government, and Global Development (Brian Rogers & Jeff Kafka) Public/Private Partnerships (P3s): A detailed explanation of what Public/Private Partnerships are and how companies currently go about identifying these government opportunities. AI in Government Financing: How Artificial Intelligence can help streamline the process for companies to find and obtain government contracts. Technology for Development: How technology, public/private partnerships, and infrastructure development are creating opportunities in remote or "off the grid" areas globally. III. The Future of Finance and Investment Banking AI and Financing: How Jeff and Brian see AI changing the landscape for companies obtaining financing, particularly in how deals are sourced and structured. Investment Banker's Role: The evolving role of the investment banker in the future and how they will integrate AI into transaction processes. The Future of Outreach: How customized, AI-driven outreach will change the success or failure rates for projects and deal sourcing. Beyond the Interview: Key concepts related to AI that the audience should be thinking about moving forward. Learn More Storyboard Capital Website: https://storyboardcapital.com/ Jeff Kafka's Contact: Jeffkafka8@gmail.com Jeff Kafka's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkafka/ Brian Rogers' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brogers/ Affiliate Companies: https://grapheene.com http://www.strongwatertech.com Disclaimer The views expressed on this podcast are for informational purposes only and not financial or legal advice. Consult with a professional for your specific situation and do not necessarily reflect the views of Finalis Inc. or Finalis Securities LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC.

The end of USAID was among the biggest early controversies of President Donald Trump's second term. The world watched in horror as Elon Musk's DOGE took a chainsaw to U.S. foreign assistance, placing millions of lives at risk with brutal across-the-board cuts.But few people realize how much has changed since then. Behind the scenes, aid money was largely restored—for now. And instead of making grandiose fraud accusations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has begun embracing aid in public, laying out promising plans to address problems long recognized by technocrats.Rachel Bonnifield is a leading global health expert and proud member of the NGO ecosystem denounced by Trump officials—yet she admires much of their new strategy. She joins The World Unpacked to make a surprising case for many Trump reforms, while also warning of risks, including the potential for more disruptions in the coming months.

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: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

This week, the Devex team is on the ground at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. On the sidelines of the high-level talks, we are hosting a series of events with some of the most influential voices in global development at our dedicated venue, Devex Impact House. From the future of foreign assistance to the latest plan to reform the U.N., we discuss the forces shaping the sector and defining a new era of global development. This comes amid President Donald Trump's plans to reshape the international system, with a clear focus on reducing foreign aid and challenging long-standing international norms. With the U.S. appearing to retreat from the U.N., we explore who the contenders are to fill the gap left by the world's largest economy. To explore the key conversations we are following at UNGA, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch, as well as Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar, for this special episode of our weekly podcast series. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

On this episode, Nathan Goodman is joined by Michael Clemens to discuss why immigration policy matters not just for migrants themselves but for broader economic growth. Drawing on his influential work, including “Economics and Emigration: Trillion-Dollar Bills on the Sidewalk?” (JEP, 2011) and “The Place Premium: Bounding the Price Equivalent of Migration Barriers” (REStat, 2019), Clemens explains how even modest liberalization of migration can create enormous gains, why exchange is positive-sum, and how complementary skills across the workforce drive production. Together they assess the claim that immigration undermines culture and institutions and revisit historical panics ranging from the Chinese Exclusion Act to the Dillingham Commission. Dr. Michael Clemens is a professor in the Department of Economics at George Mason University and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He helped build the research program on international migration at the Center for Global Development. Show Notes: Samuel Bazzi, et al., “The Confederate Diaspora” (NBER, 2025) Timur Kuran's book, Freedoms Delayed: Political Legacies of Islamic Law in the Middle East (Cambridge University Press, 2023) Chloe N. East, et al., “The Labor Market Effects of Immigration Enforcement” (Journal of Labor Economics, 2023)Mexican Migration projectIf you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Virtual Sentiments, a podcast series from the Hayek Program, is streaming. Subscribe today and listen to season three, releasing now!Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatusCC Music: Twisterium

Making promises on financing for development is the easy part. Following through on them is hard. Ambassador Chola Milambo speaks frankly about turning global financing commitments into tangible benefits for African communities. Chidi Okpala highlights the role of innovative private-sector partnerships, while Tumi Mkhizi Malebo offers a youth perspective on making finance work for the next generation and Nabila Ageule emphasizes the particularly important role of young women. Together, they map out what it takes to bridge the gap between conference promises and action on the ground, from transparency and inclusive planning to youth-led monitoring of how funds are actually spent. If you've ever wondered why big financial agreements rarely reach the people they're meant to serve, this episode offers both the diagnosis and the solution. Guests Ambassador Dr. Chola Milambo, Zambia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Chidi Okpala, Executive Director of Group Integration and Strategy, Heirs Holdings Nabila Aguele, Chief Executive, Nigeria at the Malala Fund Tumi Mkhize Malebo, United Nations Foundation Partnerships Next Generation Fellow Background Materials Africa: Unlocking Africa's Future - The Imperative of Domestic Resource Mobilization, All Africa Foresight Africa: Top Priorities of the Continent 2025-2030, Brookings Institution Our Future Agenda Quarterly Rewriting the Rules of Finance, Our Future Agenda

In this episode, Divya speaks with Sean Fox and Gregory Randolph about urbanization and how it is unfolding amid global shocks and affecting inequality. Sean Fox is a Professor of Geography and Global Development at the University of Bristol. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of global urbanization, the political economy of urban governance, and sustainable city futures. Gregory Randolph is an Assistant Professor in the School of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech. His work focuses on how local economies and urbanization patterns are being reshaped by 21st-century transitions namely technological, energy and demographic transitions, with a particular focus on inequality. Together, Sean and Gregory offer rich interdisciplinary insights that challenge conventional understandings of urbanization, showing that urbanization is not just about the growth of cities or a straightforward shift from rural to urban. Rather, it's a geo-demographic transformation that is deeply embedded in political, social, and economic processes. The conversation also sheds light on the hidden stories of urbanization in the global south for example, the stories of migration in the indian state of Bihar where Gregory has been working, deindustrialization, regional divergence, and the hollowing out of labor markets and how these processes contribute to interpersonal and inter-place inequalities. This episode was recorded at a time when massive wildfires in Los Angeles were making headlines everywhere, prompting a timely question for our guests: What should planners be thinking about as they rebuild cities after disasters? Both Sean and Gregory voiced serious concern about the increasing frequency and scale of natural disasters and how such events are amplifying pre-existing inequalities. They emphasized that recovery and rebuilding cannot be the task of planners alone. It must also be a political project—one that demands bold, inclusive, and forward-thinking political leadership committed to building cities that account for vulnerability, address structural inequalities, and prioritize resilience for all. Sean and Gregory are both compelling storytellers, and their work offers a grounded and timely lens on how urbanization is evolving in a world marked by rising uncertainties and deepening inequalities, and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to engage with them and their brilliant & relevant scholarship   References:  Fox, S., & Goodfellow, T. (2022). On the conditions of ‘late urbanisation'. Urban Studies, 59(10), 1959-1980. Randolph, G. F., & Currid-Halkett, E. (2022). Planning in the era of regional divergence: place, scale, and development in confronting spatial inequalities. Journal of the American Planning Association, 88(2), 245-252. Randolph, G. F., & Storper, M. (2023). Is urbanisation in the Global South fundamentally different? Comparative global urban analysis for the 21st century. Urban Studies, 60(1), 3-25. Fox, S., & Wolf, L. J. (2024). People make places urban. Nature Cities, 1(12), 813-820. Fox, S., Agyemang, F., Hawker, L., & Neal, J. (2024). Integrating social vulnerability into high-resolution global flood risk mapping. Nature communications, 15(1), 3155. Randolph, G. F. (2024). Does urbanization depend on in-migration? Demography, mobility, and India's urban transition. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 56(1), 117-135. Randolph, G. F., & Deuskar, C. (2024). Urbanization beyond the metropolis: Planning for a large number of small places in the global south. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 44(1), 279-291. Randolph, G. F. (2025). Planning the “Ruralopolis” in India: Circular Migration, Survival Entrepreneurship, and the Subversive Non-Farm Economy. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 45(2), 305-317.  

Some 10 years ago, the United Nations came up with a series of objectives for the world around alleviating poverty and protecting the planet—and called them Sustainable Development Goals. But these days it's clear that very few of those goals will be met by the target date of 2030. What happened? And what does the Trump administration's retreat from international development mean for the world? Adam and Cameron dig in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a two-to-three-year hiatus following the pandemic, Chinese money is once again flowing into the African energy sector. Billions of dollars in new investment and construction contracts for power facilities were registered in the first half of the year, particularly in Nigeria, according to new data published by Griffiths University in Australia and the Green Finance and Development Center in Beijing. These new contracts and investments will bolster China's already formidable presence in the continent's energy market, where Chinese-backed projects account for approximately 23 GW of installed generation capacity across at least 27 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – nearly 20 percent of the region's total. Naa Adjekai Adjei, CGSP's non-resident fellow for Africa, is examining the operational aspects of Chinese-backed power projects in Africa for a new bi-weekly series that encompasses everything from project pitching to financing and construction. Adjekai joins Eric & Cobus to explain why China's role in African energy development remains poorly understood despite its sizable presence. SHOW NOTES: The China-Global South Project: Motives That Matter: The Economic and Strategic Logic Behind China's Power Sector Engagement in Africa by Naa Adjekai Adjei The China-Global South Project: Inside China's Power Play: Understanding the Institutions Behind Africa's Energy Projects by Naa Adjekai Adjei The Conversation: How to negotiate infrastructure deals with China: four things African governments need to get right by Folashadé Soulé JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Tracey McVeigh heads to Mongolia to find out about the country's increasingly brutal winters and dry summers, while Badruun Gardi reflects on how the changes threaten the nomadic way of life. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Journalists Peter Hitchens and Oliver Kamm, radio presenter and comedian Ellis James, languages expert Ross Perlin, Diana Sutton director of The Bell Foundation and podcaster and academic Reetika Revathy Subramanian join Matthew Sweet for a conversation about how language unites and divides us.Ross Perlin's book Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues was the winner of the British Academy Book prize and he is in London for the British Academy Summer showcase. Reetika Revathy Subramanian has been chosen as one of six researchers in residence at BBC Radio 4 in the coming year on the New Generation Thinkers scheme run in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She is a Senior Research Associate, School of Global Development at the University of East Anglia and hosts the Climate Brides podcast. You can also find a recent episode of Free Thinking exploring peace which features another of the researchers in residence Ashleigh Percival-Borley, a former soldier who is now a military historian based at the University of Durham.Producer: Debbie Kilbride

For years, China has been seen as the pivotal international economic partner across Africa. That was certainly true in terms of steadily rising trade volumes and a fire hose of state backed loans that built roads, railways, and ports across the continent. But when it comes to investment, China's always been a laggard behind the United States and the former European colonial powers. Today, it's the UAE, not China, that is the continent's largest source of foreign direct investment. Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C., joins Eric to discuss his latest report on Chinese FDI in Africa and why the long-promised wave of manufacturing investment never materialized. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth