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Dive into the week's most critical global development news with the This Week in Global Development podcast. In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down...
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Dive into the week's most critical global development news with the This Week in Global Development podcast.
In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down major headlines and invite members of the Devex newsroom to share their expert analysis.
Get up-to-date on news regarding foreign aid, humanitarian crises, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, finance, philanthropy, climate, food systems, global health, and stay informed on the latest trends and policy changes shaping global development.
Episodes are published every Friday and can also be watched on YouTube.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@devex
Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
show less
In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down major headlines and invite members of the Devex newsroom to share their expert analysis.
Get up-to-date on news regarding foreign aid, humanitarian crises, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, finance, philanthropy, climate, food systems, global health, and stay informed on the latest trends and policy changes shaping global development.
Episodes are published every Friday and can also be watched on YouTube.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@devex
Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
10 SEP 2026 · This week, we discuss our https://www.devex.com/news/the-supersonic-rise-of-operation-end-starvation-113090 on Operation End Starvation, a new initiative aiming to remake the global malnutrition supply chain. With a focus on cost-effectiveness, the project pairs public cash for ready-to-use therapeutic foods, or RUTFs, with philanthropic dollars to fund manufacturers, transporters, and delivery partners worldwide. The initiative represents a wider shift in foreign aid — for example, it bypasses the traditional multilateral system — and critics argue it still isn't cost-effective enough and is siphoning away crucial resources from broader hunger prevention efforts.
We also reflect on our https://www.devex.com/news/special-edition-africa-s-massive-food-systems-conference-zeroes-in-on-youth-113252, including the innovations driving the future of African agriculture and how the continent's agribusiness sector is responding to a changing funding landscape to become more self-reliant.
To dig into these stories, and others, Adva Saldinger sits down with Tania Karas and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
In the sponsored segment of the podcast, hosted in partnership with The Pfizer Foundation*, Devex Executive Vice President and Executive Editor Kate Warren speaks with Dr. Krishna Udayakumar, founding director of the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, about how AI-enabled tools are being piloted and refined alongside local communities — and what it takes for promising innovations to scale responsibly and advance equity.
*Founded in 1953 by Pfizer Inc. as a charitable organization, The Pfizer Foundation is a separate legal entity from Pfizer Inc. with distinct legal restrictions.
3 SEP 2026 · We recently reported that roughly $7.5 billion in international affairs funding is https://www.devex.com/news/scoop-7-5b-in-us-funding-for-international-affairs-at-risk-of-expiring-113185 by the end of this month. In a letter, more than 100 U.S. lawmakers have urged the https://www.devex.com/organizations/united-states-department-of-state-dos-23842 to spend the money. We unpack the situation and what it means for development spending, including the $3 billion previously slated for global health programs.
While some politicians are urging the State Department to spend its expiring budget, https://www.devex.com/organizations/samaritan-s-purse-20353 is https://www.devex.com/news/exclusive-samaritan-s-purse-turns-down-300m-from-us-state-department-113202. The organization’s president, Franklin Graham, maintained that the group has “always relied on God, not government, for funding.” We discuss the potential reasons behind this move, noting that in addition to not being aligned with Samaritan’s Purse’s mission, the money may have been deemed too restrictive and relatively insignificant compared to its $1.8 billion revenue in 2024.
To dig into these stories, and others, Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with reporters Sara Jerving and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
Check out Humanitarian Frontiers, a member of the Devex Podcast Network:
https://humanitarianfrontiers.buzzsprout.com/
27 AUG 2026 · At World Water Week in Stockholm, financing took center stage ahead of the U.N. Water Conference in Abu Dhabi this December. The annual gathering saw around 2,000 participants discuss water governance, security, and the rising pressures of a https://unu.edu/inweh/collection/global-water-bankruptcy.
However, attracting private investment remains difficult, with water projects often seen as offering low returns and traditionally relying on public funding. This has prompted a renewed focus on the https://www.devex.com/organizations/world-bank-group-38382’s https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/water, which aims to make the sector more attractive to investors.
Meanwhile, the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network conference in New Delhi, India, brought together philanthropists, impact investors, and nonprofits to discuss how the region’s own capital can be mobilized to tackle development challenges instead of relying on traditional foreign aid.
While AVPN attendees looked to local philanthropy to finance areas such as mental health and cervical cancer research, the broader global health sector is facing severe funding pressures. One example is the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which faces https://www.devex.com/news/cepi-faces-huge-ebola-vaccine-funding-shortfall-113176 for efforts to combat the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To explore how these financing challenges are playing out across the development sector, Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Tania Karas and Jenny Lei Ravelo for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
Sign up to Devex Impact House @ UNGA 81 here:
https://pages.devex.com/devex-at-unga-81.html
25 AUG 2026 · What if housing finance could help solve today's biggest challenges? In this special episode, Habitat for Humanity’s Jacqueline Innocent reveals why housing is an upstream catalyst for health, education, and equality — and how inclusive finance can transform global housing systems.
20 AUG 2026 · Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen, three of the world’s most hunger-prone nations, were https://www.devex.com/news/famine-tracker-stops-monitoring-afghanistan-somalia-and-yemen-113081 — a U.S.-based data and monitoring system which tracks hunger levels across the globe.
The move leaves aid organizations supporting these countries in the dark, even though all three have seen an escalation in humanitarian needs. It’s part and parcel of the Trump administration’s broader posture toward the three nations, which have been virtually cut off from foreign assistance since early 2025.
In Haiti, the https://www.devex.com/organizations/inter-american-development-bank-idb-20083 is developing a https://www.devex.com/news/haitian-farmers-ask-for-greater-say-in-idb-agriculture-program-113119. But Haitian INGOs say that local farmers weren’t consulted about the program design, raising broader questions about the role of communities in project development.
Lookinghttps://www.devex.com/news/could-cop31-be-the-end-of-negotiations-112866, the U.N. climate summit faces a critical identity test. The conference must now shift from setting targets to delivering them. But this will be hard to navigate in an era where climate finance, geopolitics, and global trust remain under intense strain.
To discuss these stories and others, Adva Saldinger sits down with Elissa Miolene and Jesse Chase-Lubitz for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
Sign up to Devex Impact House @ UNGA 81 here:
https://pages.devex.com/devex-at-unga-81.html
13 AUG 2026 · In this episode of This Week in Global Development, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Reporters Michael Igoe and Sara Jerving to discuss the https://www.devex.com/news/us-announces-nearly-2b-in-historic-faith-based-partnerships-113074 to allocate nearly $2 billion to partnerships with faith-based and community organizations providing global health and humanitarian aid.
It is the largest funding package of its kind in over two decades, and this week’s guests discuss how the move is driven by the U.S. government's belief that faith-based groups are more cost-efficient, with the Trump administration arguing they have the potential to be more financially sustainable in the long term.
This podcast episode explores whether these faith-based partnerships include non-Christian organizations, and whether this new approach will truly maximize impact.
12 AUG 2026 · In this week’s special edition episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast, sponsored by the https://www.devex.com/organizations/international-youth-foundation-iyf-5143 and the https://www.devex.com/organizations/caterpillar-foundation-31814, we examine how shifting labor markets, automation, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the job landscape, leaving millions of young people out of work even as employers face widespread skill shortages. We’re joined by Christina Sass, president and CEO of IYF, and Asha Varghese, president of the Caterpillar Foundation and head of corporate social responsibility for Caterpillar Inc., to explore why addressing this transition from education to employment is not just a youth issue, but a critical development priority.
The discussion also looks at the power of long-term partnerships in creating systemic, scalable workforce solutions. Highlighting nearly two decades of collaboration through the EquipYouth initiative, and tens of thousands of young people reached, our guests share how combining technical training with essential life skills builds youth agency, resilience, and lasting economic opportunity. The conversation also delves into aligning hiring and training with evolving local and global industry needs, navigating the impacts of AI, and why long-term ecosystem investments outperform short-term grants in achieving sustainable solutions.
29 JUL 2026 · This week, we discuss https://www.theaidreport.us/, a project supported by a media grant from the https://www.devex.com/organizations/gates-foundation-44525 to track the real-world impacts of U.S. foreign aid cuts.
Over the past couple of months, the initiative has documented more than 1,000 verified impacts across multiple countries and sectors.
We examine the major trends and surprises that emerged, discuss what lessons policymakers and donors can take away, and explore the questions that still remain unanswered.
To unpack these findings, Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Kelli Rogers and Rashad Nimr for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
The podcast is taking a short break next week. We'll be back with a new episode the following week.
Check out Perdure, a member of the Devex Podcast Network, via the link below:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7CMiGygkWqhtoYfXVLuOQM?si=a07177387e314420&nd=1&dlsi=8866940a467843b4
22 JUL 2026 · This week we look back at the https://www.devex.com/news/the-state-department-and-aid-the-story-so-far-shorthand-112926 — a period defined by the dismantling of https://www.devex.com/organizations/united-states-agency-for-international-development-usaid-45096 and the absorption of foreign aid strategy into the https://www.devex.com/organizations/united-states-department-of-state-dos-23842. We break down the types of initiatives the Trump administration https://www.devex.com/news/the-ashes-of-usaid-america-s-new-architecture-of-foreign-assistance-112887
On the other side of the Atlantic, the https://www.devex.com/organizations/other-european-union-47242 is currently in the process of negotiating the bloc’s next seven-year budget. The new financial framework https://www.devex.com/news/inside-the-eu-plan-to-remake-development-aid-for-a-competitive-era-112869 for European aid, formalizing a shift from development-first spending toward an approach that increasingly serves member states’ geopolitical and economic interests.
To dig into these stories and others, Adva Saldinger sits down with Michael Igoe and Jesse Chase-Lubitz for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
Redeem your Devex Pro discount:
https://www.devex.com/upgrade/payment?package_short_name=PRO&payment_page_permalink=pro-discount-fortypercent&utm_medium=link&utm_source=newswire&utm_campaign=pro_week_2026
16 JUL 2026 · With the FIFA World Cup entering its final week, we explore how NGOs operating in participating nations https://www.devex.com/news/devex-newswire-g-o-a-l-how-the-fifa-world-cup-scores-for-development-112936 to advance their work. While tournament hype is notoriously fleeting, we break down how NGOs can translate a short-term spike in curiosity into sustained long-term impact.
We also discuss our https://www.devex.com/news/special-edition-key-questions-on-ai-and-development-take-center-stage-in-geneva-112891 from the https://www.devex.com/organizations/united-nations-un-41567’ Global Dialogue for AI Governance and the International Telecommunication Union’s AI for Good Summit, both of which we covered on the ground in Geneva, Switzerland. From the absence of major AI labs to how lower- and middle-income countries are demanding an equal voice in global tech regulation, we explore why the development sector must stop leaving AI’s future to technologists alone.
To dig into these stories and others, David Ainsworth sits down with Catherine Cheney and Thomas Cserep for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.
In the sponsored segment of the podcast, hosted in partnership with The Pfizer Foundation, Devex Executive Vice President and Executive Editor Kate Warren speaks with Freddy Nkosi, Senior Director of Global Programs for West and Central Africa & DRC Country Director at VillageReach. They explore how locally-led supply chains and data-informed approaches are helping countries, such as the DRC and Cameroon, address last-mile challenges, supporting efforts to ensure vaccines reach remote and underserved communities when and where they are needed.
Dive into the week's most critical global development news with the This Week in Global Development podcast. In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down...
show more
Dive into the week's most critical global development news with the This Week in Global Development podcast.
In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down major headlines and invite members of the Devex newsroom to share their expert analysis.
Get up-to-date on news regarding foreign aid, humanitarian crises, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, finance, philanthropy, climate, food systems, global health, and stay informed on the latest trends and policy changes shaping global development.
Episodes are published every Friday and can also be watched on YouTube.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@devex
Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
show less
In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down major headlines and invite members of the Devex newsroom to share their expert analysis.
Get up-to-date on news regarding foreign aid, humanitarian crises, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, finance, philanthropy, climate, food systems, global health, and stay informed on the latest trends and policy changes shaping global development.
Episodes are published every Friday and can also be watched on YouTube.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@devex
Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
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| Author | Devex |
| Organization | Devex |
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