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A detailed plan for foreign aid was created for Donald Trump. Apparently he didn’t take a shine to it.
Also in today’s edition: The U.K. Labour Party’s ascendance seemed like a light at the end of a long tunnel of setbacks for development advocates. Instead, their hopes seem to be dimming with each passing day.
Trump’s stamp of disapproval
Donald Trump has been called many things. Predictable is not one of them. Loyal is also debatable.
But it was still somewhat surprising that the former U.S. president would completely disavow a collection of right-wing policy proposals crafted by conservatives at the Heritage Foundation, saying he has “nothing to do with them,” even though “them” consists of dozens of his former staffers.
Regardless, perhaps the rejection is not all that shocking given that what became known as Project 2025 began garnering bad press for, among other things, its uncompromising stance on abortion. Plus, the former president would likely want to put his own all-caps stamp on policy proposals.
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Now, he’s done just that, with a 16-page document adopted by the Republican National Committee on Monday.
So what does it say about U.S. foreign aid? In a word, zilch.
Again, perhaps it’s not too surprising that Trump would eschew the nuances of governing in favor of the broad brushstrokes and familiar attacks he uses on the campaign trail.
That’s not to say foreign affairs doesn’t make an appearance. Trump’s promises include carrying out the “largest deportation operation in American history,” stopping the “migrant crime epidemic” and “foreign drug cartels,” preventing “World War Three,” and restoring “peace in Europe and the Middle East.”
There’s also a mention that “Republicans will end the global chaos and restore Peace through Strength,” though no additional details on how that ambition will be achieved are given.
Read: Trump backs away from Project 2025. What does that mean for foreign aid?
ICYMI: The Republican plan to ‘rightsize’ US foreign aid in a Trump presidency (Pro)
+ We’ve got our eye on the U.S. election in November. So on July 22, we’ll have an event with Ben Rhodes, one of the U.S.’ top foreign policy experts, to discuss what the U.S. presidential election could mean for global development. Save your spot now.
This event is part of Devex Pro Week, happening July 22-26. If you’re not a Pro member yet we’re offering $100 off an annual membership. Get your discount.
Connecting the Dodds
Unlike the volatile U.S. election in November, the U.K. election result on July 4 was entirely predictable — though earth-shattering nonetheless: After 14 years in power, the Conservative Party was trounced by Labour in a landslide victory.
While polls had correctly predicted the drubbing for months, there was still a surprise upset within Labour’s victory.
Lisa Nandy, who had spent 10 months preparing to become the country’s development minister, didn’t get the job, Devex U.K. Correspondent Rob Merrick reports. Instead, it went to Anneliese Dodds — after a chaotic announcement period that didn’t exactly inspire hope that Labour would get the U.K.’s development act together.
In fact, Dodds’ official job description leaves out that key word — “development.” Rather, her title is “Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office,” sparking worries that development will continue to be subsumed by the vast FCDO bureaucracy.
Compounding those fears is the fact that Dodds will have a second job, over at a different department, as a minister for women and equalities. Will there be enough hours in the day for her to do that plus fulfill Labour’s bold promise to “rebuild Britain’s reputation on international development?”
It’s a fair question, and so far, despite the dramatic change in government, there don’t seem to be any dramatic changes in store for U.K. development: Keir Starmer, the new British prime minister, has rejected calls to restore an independent aid department. There will also be no quick return to spending the U.N. target of 0.7% of gross national income on aid, and — in the medium term at least — billions will continue to be diverted from the aid budget to house asylum seekers in the U.K.
Read: Who is Anneliese Dodds, the new UK development minister? (Pro)
+ I talked with Rob about the U.K. election, along with other elections across Europe, for the latest episode of This Week in Global Development podcast. Listen to the discussion
Cash is not king
Poverty is pervasive in Pakistan. Devoting money to the type of long-term development that could alleviate it is not.
The cash-strapped government recently passed its national budget for the fiscal 2024-25 year in the National Assembly, Ashraf Khan writes for Devex. With a total outlay of $68 billion, over 85% goes to the country’s massive debt repayments, along with defense and other budget expenditures, leaving scant breadcrumbs for development, health, and education.
“The lack of development spending is a major roadblock to sustainable poverty alleviation,” says Hafiz Pasha, a former finance minister.
The government does have a federal unconditional cash transfer poverty reduction program that aims to provide a social safety net of sorts, but critics say the transfers are an immediate high, not a long-term solution.
“Cash transfers alone cannot uplift millions out of the vicious poverty cycle,” Pasha says.
“We need to think outside the box,” adds Qaiyum Suleri of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. “Traditional approaches are clearly not working. It’s time to leverage the private sector’s resources and expertise to complement government efforts in tackling poverty.”
Read: Pakistan prioritizes short-term gains over long-term development
Here’s a proposal for you
You want to win contracts and secure the money to fund your work? You better get yourself a good proposal writer. Or better yet, become one.
But how?
Certainly, being a strong writer who is familiar with a particular field is crucial. But that’s not everything that goes into crafting prize-winning proposals.
Rejection is not uncommon, so you have to have a thick skin, advises Madeleine Dejean, a technical proposal writer at Save the Children US.
Maria Ghazzaoui, an independent consultant in proposal development, also says that writers need to work with staff on the ground to develop a broader understanding of a project’s cultural sensitivities and local context.
And you’ll need to play nice with technical leads for the types of detailed proposals some organizations — such as USAID — require.
“You're always working with a technical lead who designs the strategy of the proposal and what the project is going to look like. And so it often requires taking what lives in their head and translating it onto paper. It's a lot of teamwork with that person,” Dejean says.
And don’t assume you have all the time in the world to put together that perfect proposal.
“There's never enough time,” says Dejean, explaining how most USAID proposals have a 30- to 45-day window. “It takes a very specific person to enjoy proposals because they're fast-paced and they're demanding. You have to like that environment.”
Devex Career Account members can read the entire how-to guide. If you’re not a member yet, start your 15-day free trial and unlock all our exclusive career resources and the world’s largest global development job board.
Read: How to succeed as a proposal writer in global development (Career)
Related: AI ventures into grantmaking — and proposal writing may get a lot easier (Pro)
+ Join us on July 24 for the event: A practical guide to AI for global development professionals. You’ll get insights, advice, and strategies on how to integrate AI into your globaldev work. Register now.
Seeing the forest through the trees
We’re losing the world’s forests, and to figure out a way to preserve these precious natural resources, we need to be able to accurately see them.
The leaders of 145 countries have only six years left to meet the 2030 target of reaching zero forest loss. Their progress? An abysmal 4% decrease in deforestation in 2023. Precise forest mapping is vital to turning things around, but current satellite data fails to capture detailed images of over a third of global forest cover, Devex contributor Katrina Lane writes.
Enter the canopy height map, developed by Meta and the World Resources Institute, which provides such a minute level of resolution that, if not obstructed, it can pinpoint single trees at a global scale.
“For the first time, we have the tools to closely monitor restoration projects at a granular level, enabling better-informed decisions and ultimately driving greater success in global restoration efforts,” WRI’s John Brandt tells Katrina.
Read: How Meta is uniting with research org WRI to map the world’s forests (Pro)
In other news
Hundreds of aid trucks awaiting entry into war-torn Gaza, some for nearly two months, have been stranded on a scorching Egyptian road. [Reuters]
The World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency executive vice president urged Japan to spearhead Asia-Pacific climate initiatives, emphasizing carbon dioxide reduction. [The Japan Times]
Thousands fleeing Sudan’s war face new crises in Chad, with aid groups overwhelmed by hunger, illness, abuse, and soaring food prices urgently asking for international support. [DW]
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About the author
Anna Gawel
Anna Gawel is the Managing Editor of Devex. She previously worked as the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, the flagship publication of D.C.’s diplomatic community. She’s had hundreds of articles published on world affairs, U.S. foreign policy, politics, security, trade, travel and the arts on topics ranging from the impact of State Department budget cuts to Caribbean efforts to fight climate change. She was also a broadcast producer and digital editor at WTOP News and host of the Global 360 podcast. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
