Devex Newswire: Does development consulting need an overhaul?

Unpaid assignments, inequitable payment, burnout — today we look at the women-led groups trying to reshape the world of development consulting.

Also in today’s edition: The future of PEPFAR, whether to junk COP29, and a Britain-first approach to the World Bank’s IDA replenishment.

+ Join us on Monday, Dec. 2, for a Devex Pro event on how to win more business with USAID. Get all your questions answered by an expert with many years of experience in helping organizations win USAID funding. Save your spot now.

Work in progress

Picture this: As a consultant in development communications going for your next contract you are asked to develop a hypothetical communications strategy, complete with press releases, social media posts, talking points for interviews, campaign brand ideas, initial mock-ups and videos — and you haven’t even gotten the job yet.

“I think we've all likely had experiences of going for job interviews, having to basically write strategies as part of the interview process, then not getting the job,” Rachel Firth, founder and managing director of recently rebranded social change agency Comotion, tells Devex contributor Amy Fallon. “And you're wondering, ‘Well how many of those ideas are they going to take from that and now use?’”

It is one of many problems Firth and others are seeing in the industry.

From ageism to deliverables based on “very white, Western, global north norms,” Amy takes an in-depth look at what goes into being a development consultant in 2024.

Read: Does the consultancy model need an overhaul? These agencies think so

+ On Tuesday, Dec. 3, we’ll be hosting a career event on how to succeed as a consultant. Whether you’re a freelancer or an established consultant, you’ll leave with actionable insights on scaling your business, landing high-quality clients, and achieving lasting success. Register now.

Do not pass INGO, still collect dollars

Could a payments-by-result model help promote localization and give more of a role to local NGOs? That’s the question Devex contributor Rebecca Root tackles in her latest piece for Devex Pro members.

Usually: 

• A prime contractor, often an INGO, is put in charge of delivering a service.

• They take a sizable overhead to cover their costs, and then assign tasks to local organizations, who often have limited autonomy.

But what if:

• A group of local organizations are allowed to decide the tasks needed to deliver the specified outcomes?

• Those local groups receive up-front grant funding to cover initial costs?

• They deliver whatever services they believe will achieve their goals, and they receive top-up payments whenever particular targets are reached?

• Rather than determining the activities of any subcontractors, the INGO offers practical support in areas such as data collection and reporting?

“It's paying for the outcomes rather than the inputs to achieve the outcomes, but either way a provider is being paid for the service,” says Amanda Fernandez, executive director of The Palladium Group’s CATALYZE project for USAID, a blended finance innovation platform which has issued around 1,500 subcontracts principally to local partners.

The result is that INGOs become more of “a fiscal sponsor as opposed to a delivery organization,” says Louise Savell, co-founder and director of the international team at Social Finance, which helps develop new forms of finance to tackle social problems.

Now, who’s up for that?

Read: Could a payment-by-results approach put local organizations in charge? (Pro)

+ Not yet a Devex Pro member? Take advantage of our special Black Friday offer and get  50% off an annual Pro membership today to access all our expert analyses, insider insights, funding data, exclusive events and career resources, and more. Check out all the exclusive content available to you.

PEPFAR, so good

Sunday is World AIDS Day, and with about 4,000 girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa acquiring HIV every week, much remains to be done.

In this opinion piece for Devex, Dr. Deborah L. Birx and Hannah Johnson from the George W. Bush Institute argue that “It starts with the U.S. Congress reauthorizing PEPFAR for another five years.”

PEPFAR, aka the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which Birx oversaw during her time as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, has helped save over 25 million lives. Together with the related DREAMS program, PEPFAR has helped make HIV/AIDS treatment more affordable and accessible.

Though the authors say countries most affected by HIV must also show the “political will to address challenges and increase efficiency and effectiveness of their health expenditures.”

“In order to ensure that U.S. taxpayer funds are used most effectively,” Birx and Johnson write, “countries that are underperforming need to be held accountable.”

Opinion: On World AIDS Day, let’s commit to accelerating PEPFAR’s progress

See also: On World AIDS Day, fears about the future of the fight against HIV

+ For the latest in global health, sign up to Devex CheckUp, a free, weekly newsletter.

COP out

The dust is still settling from a tumultuous — and many argue totally unsatisfactory — end to the 29th United Nations climate talks, aka COP29, in Azerbaijan.

Oxfam International is among those calling for last Sunday’s deal to be overturned, in part over the inadequacy of the new $300 billion target for climate finance due to lower-income and climate-vulnerable countries.

One place feeling the brunt of climate change is Bangladesh.

Over the past 18 months, it has seen 15 climate-related disasters, including two catastrophic floods that affected over 18 million people  — all while the country contributes just 0.47% to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Ommey Nahida, a senior policy specialist in economic justice with Christian Aid based in Bangladesh, writes an opinion piece for Devex on what needs to change now in the world’s response to the climate crisis.

1. Climate financing must come as grants, not loans.

2. Wealthy countries, especially the largest polluters, must lead the way in contributing the majority of climate finance.

3. Governments should agree to new forms of progressive domestic and global taxes, including higher taxes on polluters and pollution sources.

4. The power of COP presidencies and corporate interests should be curtailed, for instance, through stronger transparency, disclosure rules, and clear guidelines requiring companies to demonstrate alignment between their climate commitments, business models, and lobbying activities.

Opinion: At COP29, rich nations failed Bangladesh and the global south

ICYMI: Listen to our latest podcast episode — did COP 29 deliver?

The kingdom and IDA

Cash-strapped United Kingdom has cheered weary aid campaigners by announcing a £1.98 billion ($2.5 billion) contribution to the International Development Association’s 21st replenishment — a 40% increase on the last three-year allocation before taking inflation into account. Though, as Charles Kenny from the Center for Global Development points out, the contribution is just 53% of the U.K.’s pledge to the 19th IDA replenishment.

The Labour government is wrestling with a reduced aid budget, set to remain stuck at 0.5% of gross national income for years to come, but is making a priority of the World Bank fund, the largest source of finance for low-income countries.

Reacting to the announcement, Bond, the network for U.K. aid organizations, praised the country’s “vital leadership,” the ONE Campaign hailed it as “a smart decision,” while Save the Children called it “a significant step up in support.”

However, it’s striking to contrast the grudging way the U.K. justifies such spending to its own voters with the announcements of similar IDA increases from Norway (“for the poorest countries in the world”) and from Denmark (“resolve and dedication in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”).

David Lammy, the U.K. foreign secretary, says: “Growth and stability in lower income countries is firmly in the UK's interest. If we are to grow our economy, tackle the climate crisis and reduce irregular migration, we need to work in partnership.”

The £1.98 billion contribution could be a future budget headache for the U.K. — after it delayed a £707 million IDA contribution due in the 2024-25 financial year until 2025-26.

Related: The World Bank’s IDA replenishment — the money, the odds, the high stakes

+ Check out our page dedicated to the U.K. development sector.

In other news

In Syria, rebel groups have launched the largest offensive in years against government forces in the northwest. [The New York Times]

Out of the 91 attempts the United Nations has made to deliver aid to besieged northern Gaza between Oct. 6 and Nov. 25, 82 have been denied and nine impeded. [UNRWA]

A brutal paramilitary group is on the verge of conquering the Sudanese city of El Fasher, endangering an internally displaced camp that houses hundreds of thousands of people. [ABC News]

Sign up to Newswire for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development.