Devex Newswire: An end to Trump’s ‘terrible' gender policy

We take a look at USAID’s new draft policy on gender rights. The document will replace the pretty unpopular policy released by the Trump administration. Also in today’s edition: This year could arguably be worse than last in terms of food insecurity and leaders like World Food Programme’s David Beasley are worried. And what’s in store for COP 28’s agenda? + Join us: Davos kicks off Jan. 16, and our own Vince Chadwick will be there bringing you all the on-the-ground scuttlebutt. Keep your eyes on the Newswire and our weekly Invested newsletter for everything you need to know — and register here to be invited to our Davos events. USAID’s imperfect gender policy The issue of gender rights is complex and controversial. But in the twilight days of Donald Trump’s presidency, his administration released a policy on gender and women’s empowerment meant to guide the U.S. Agency for International Development’s spending and program development. It was condemned by some in the development community as vague, politicized, discriminatory, and for eliminating mention of LGBTQ people. In fact, it was so unpopular it went pretty much unused. Now, there’s a new draft that reverses much of the “politically motivated” 2020 version considered “too terrible to let live” and a “dangerous setback” to gender equality efforts, writes my colleague Adva Saldinger. Once finalized and approved, the new policy “will provide a roadmap that informs and advances USAID’s commitment and effort to double our gender work,” a USAID spokesperson tells Adva without specifying when the final policy would be released. The most notable changes are related to LGBTQ rights and sexual and reproductive health, including adding language about contraceptives and family planning. The policy is also grounded in evidence and is generally more inclusive, Adva writes. But it’s an imperfect document, and some areas fall short of what advocates want. It refers to gender-diverse communities instead of the preferred LGBTQ individuals. And while it talks about sexual and reproductive health, it fails to mention associated rights like being able to make free and informed choices and control over one’s health and life. Read: A look at USAID's replacement for 'terrible' gender policy (Pro) + Not a Devex Pro member yet? Start your 15-day free trial now to read the piece. 2023’s worrisome menu David Beasley is “very, very worried” about food availability this year. The head of the World Food Programme fears the myriad ongoing crises like the war in Ukraine, hefty fertilizer prices, famine, and other devastating climate problems could cause “mass destabilization around the planet.” “With a food availability problem, all this could culminate into the beginning of a global depression by the end of [this] year,” Beasley tells my colleague Teresa Welsh. An estimated 828 million people are already hungry, with the number of those facing acute food insecurity more than doubling to 345 million from 135 million since 2019. People in 49 countries are currently at risk of famine. Beasley isn’t the only one setting off alarms. Teresa spoke to experts David Laborde from the International Food Policy Research Institute and Mercy Corps’ Catherine Maldonado, who warns that “all signs point to 2023 looking even worse on an acute level, on a chronic level, and in terms of malnutrition.” 'Very, very worried': Another bleak year expected for food security What’s hot on climate change? The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 27, wrapped up a couple of months ago, but Devex is already thinking about COP 28 next winter in the United Arab Emirates. Last year’s global shindig was trumpeted as historic because of its breakthrough in “loss and damage” financing, or climate reparations. But on the flipside, it was roasted for a lack of action on other climate goals. So what’s in the cards for Dubai? Key will be the progress on helping countries that have footed the bill for climate-change devastation. Remember, 10 of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change are countries that generate less than 1% of global emissions. Unfortunately, if Glasgow and Sharm el-Sheikh are anything to go by, climate advocates may be vexed by the time they meet again in November. But my colleague Rumbi Chakamba lays out the most pressing issues on the agenda. Who will pay and receive reparations is key. These issues “have been underlying climate finance discussions for a long time,” but after years of stalemate, the questions will — in theory — have to be resolved in the next year or two, Alex Scott, from the Climate Diplomacy and Geopolitics program at E3G, told Devex. Read: What will be on the COP 28 agenda? Here are 7 issues to watch Recap: Catch up on all of our coverage of COP 27. Word soup and donor data It’s challenging to find a word to replace the oft used “crisis” when writing Newswire. The thesaurus brings up a few possibilities, but none quite fit because currently there is a considerably broad array of catastrophes, disasters, emergencies, and pickles. So, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, historic droughts and floods in Asia and Africa, soaring energy costs, and unprecedented food insecurity, we will struggle to find an alternative. There is also a new crisis looming – global recession. But even with the growing need for development assistance to serve these multiple crises, some key donors are going the opposite way — the United Kingdom has cut aid by 30% and Germany has shaved its 2023 development budget by €190 million. My colleague Miguel Antonio Tamonan trawls through the data to identify what the major bilateral and multilateral donors funded and prioritized last year. Read: What the major bilateral and multilateral donors funded in 2022 (Pro) + Want to get more out of Devex Pro? Take this five-minute survey to give us your feedback on a new project to improve your membership experience. In other news Ghana is waiting for assurances on an expedited process amid a pending request for debt relief under the Group of 20 major economies’ Common Framework in its bid for timely debt restructuring. [Reuters] Japan intends to expand its foreign aid to low- and middle-income countries to include military projects for peacekeeping and security assistance. [Nikkei Asia] The Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Union launched a $15.5 million project for Ukraine's agriculture in an effort to prevent a food crisis. [UN News] Sign up to Newswire for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development.