Presented by the International Monetary Foundation
The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly wrapped up, but we still have loads more to share this week on what we saw and heard. Today, some heavy hitters discuss how our immigration conversation needs to change.
Also in today’s edition: The Pandemic Fund speeds up its mpox response, and Ugandans supporting their own LGBTQ+ community speak up.
Migration as opportunity
Global leaders need to flip the script on migration, experts said at a lively Devex panel on the sidelines of UNGA last week. Amy Pope, head of the International Organization for Migration, painted a stark picture of the current crisis, with millions displaced by conflict and climate change. But the message? Migration isn’t a burden — it’s an opportunity.
Actor and IOM Goodwill Ambassador America Ferrera brought some politics to the discussion, calling for a new narrative. “We're so far from the humanity of this conversation, the conversation has been co-opted as a political tool to sow hate and fear and for people in power to stay in power," she said, adding that it’s time to tell a different story.
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Nasra Ismail, executive director of Alight’s U.S. enterprise, shared her own story of fleeing Somalia and emphasized that refugees are more than just survivors — they’re leaders, donors, and drivers of change, she said, calling for greater empathy in migration policies.
Sasha Chanoff, founder of RefugePoint, stressed that creating legal pathways isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s essential to keep people out of the hands of traffickers and give them real opportunities.
The takeaway? Migration isn’t just about survival — it’s about growth, opportunity, and making the world a more dynamic place.
Read: Why global leaders must rethink migration as a path to opportunity
Also at a Devex side event, billionaire yogurt mogul Hamdi Ulukaya emphasized that businesses have a duty to support migrants and refugees, stating that ignoring migration will hinder progress on global development goals. He criticized politicians for using migration as a political tool and highlighted how employing refugees in his factories has helped overcome barriers such as transport and language skills. Ulukaya also noted that hiring refugees is not only beneficial for them but also makes businesses more innovative and profitable.
Read: Chobani boss says companies have obligation to help migrants, refugees
Making their voices heard
LGBTQ+ and human rights activists protested near Uganda's U.N. Mission in New York last week, opposing the World Bank’s “disastrous” plan to resume financing the East African nation despite its severe anti-LGBTQ+ law, which includes life imprisonment and death penalties. The World Bank halted new loans last year after the law's enactment, but activists now accuse the bank of abandoning its anti-discrimination policies by moving forward without proper protections.
“We are gravely concerned that President [Ajay] Banga is turning his back on us, and breaking his commitments to ensuring non-discrimination,” Clare Byarugaba of Chapter Four Uganda said in a statement. In an open letter to Banga, more than 115 organizations have already rejected these measures as inadequate.
Richard Lusimbo of Convening for Equality dismissed the mitigation efforts as “a façade,” warning they rely on Uganda's government — the enforcers of discrimination — to implement them fairly. The World Bank has a $5.4 billion portfolio in Uganda, making it the country’s largest source of concessional funding.
Meanwhile, during a Devex event on the sidelines of UNGA last week, USAID Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam told the audience that the agency is expanding its LGBTQ+ focus to other areas of its development strategy, working to reduce risk for those with socially marginalized sexual identities by focusing on other aspects of development, such as agriculture and economic opportunities.
Read:
• LGBTQ+ activists protest World Bank's plan to resume lending to Uganda
• USAID expands LGBTQ+ development approach as global hostilities rise
UNGA corner
• Young women in Africa have the potential to unlock $287 billion for the continent's economy, yet their contributions are declining, according to a Mastercard Foundation report. In 2000, young women contributed 18% to Africa's gross domestic product; by 2022, that figure had dropped to 11%.
“There will be no Africa we want if Africa is flying with one wing,” warned Marieme Esther Dassanou, director of gender programs at the Mastercard Foundation, at an UNGA side event my colleague Elissa Miolene attended.
At a separate panel — this one hosted by Devex — four experts opined about major factors holding back economic growth on the continent. On the list are good governance and personal agency for those receiving funds, my colleague Vince Chadwick tells me.
Read: What's really holding back Africa's economic growth?
• Global health practitioners face ongoing challenges to ensure access to care and medicines. During Devex @ UNGA 79, Angeli Achrekar of UNAIDS highlighted the HIV response, where 75% of people with HIV now have access to treatment, thanks to multisectoral partnerships. However, Achrekar stressed the need to address new challenges, including policy changes, cost reduction, and boosting local production to maintain access.
Read: What the HIV response can teach on expanding medicines access
• What will it take to actually shift development funding to local organizations? Pressure on NGOs and philanthropies, Degan Ali, head of Kenya-based NGO Adeso, said. In an episode of the Devex podcast This Week in Global Development recorded at UNGA, she credited USAID Administrator Samantha Power with elevating the localization discussion.
Listen: What it would take to move the needle on locally led development
Fast funds
The Pandemic Fund has fast-tracked $128.89 million to support 10 African countries affected by the ongoing mpox outbreak. The funding, which is part of the fund’s second call for proposals, will aid Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.
The World Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimate $600 million is needed over the next six months to combat the outbreak and prepare other countries. Additionally, the Pandemic Fund is working on a new funding mechanism for future public health emergencies, though details are still being finalized.
+ Join us on Oct. 3 for direct insights into how the mpox outbreak response is playing out and what happens next. Hear from speakers including Dr. Abdou Salam Gueye, WHO’s regional emergency director, Dr. David Munganga, who’s currently working in the DRC with the NGO ALIMA, and Rashidatu Kamara, WHO’s case management lead for the outbreak. Save your spot now.
The new breadbaskets
The U.S. will invest $80 million to help farmers in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia, aiming to lift half a million people out of chronic hunger through a new "accelerator" program under the Feed the Future initiative. The program will focus on improving seed varieties, fertilizers, market access, and infrastructure such as roads and irrigation.
“We have run the numbers, and we are placing bets on three countries that have both high need and extraordinary potential to increase agricultural productivity,” says USAID’s Power, likening the approach to the strategy in the movie "Moneyball," where small, data-driven investments can transform food systems, much like smart scouting revolutionized baseball.
Africa, with 60% of the world's arable land, has immense potential, and Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia are primed for agricultural investment, Elissa writes. This effort is critical as climate change and economic shocks have “eroded decades of forward progress on food security,” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says.
The accelerator brings the total U.S. Feed the Future investment in these countries to $577 million, alongside $150 million from private sector partners, including global food supplier Ofi and pharmaceutical giant Bayer. “We hope that this is only going to snowball, and we expect it will,” Power adds, anticipating further momentum.
Read: Feed the Future ramps up investments in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia
In other news
The U.S.-backed Millennium Challenge Corporation has awarded Sierra Leone a $480 million, five-year grant aimed at delivering reliable and affordable electricity to 4.6 million people. [Reuters]
Saudi Arabia is expanding aid to climate-vulnerable Pacific islands, aiming to build resilience and promote long-term growth in the region. [Nikkei Asia]
Rising municipal debts and deteriorating infrastructure are driving South Africa toward a severe water crisis, with water agencies serving millions facing potential shutdowns. [Bloomberg]
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About the author
Helen Murphy
Helen is an award-winning journalist and Senior Editor at Devex, where she edits coverage on global development in the Americas. Based in Colombia, she previously covered war, politics, financial markets, and general news for Reuters, where she headed the bureau, and for Bloomberg in Colombia and Argentina, where she witnessed the financial meltdown. She started her career in London as a reporter for Euromoney Publications before moving to Hong Kong to work for a daily newspaper.
