Peter Marocco left a trail of destruction in his wake. What will he do next?
Also in today’s edition: The Trump administration pushes for change at FAO, while WHO insiders tell Devex that reforms aren’t making change fast enough.
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Peter Marocco led the charge to dismantle USAID — slashing staff, gutting programs, and overseeing cuts at three other smaller aid entities now suing the Trump administration. But now, he’s abruptly out at the U.S. State Department, and no one seems sure why.
“Pete was brought to State with a big mission ... He conducted that historic task and exposed egregious abuses of taxpayer dollars,” a senior official tells my colleague Elissa Miolene. In fact, by the time Marocco left, less than 20% of USAID remained.
Reports often emerged of clashes between Marocco and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer claimed he was “FIRED” and blasted the secretary of state on the social media platform X: “Rubio has preserved 18% of USAID under the @StateDept, and an internal debate at the State Department erupted because Pete Marocco wants to shut most of the other 18% down.”
Others have very different views of the former Marine.
“Despite his short tenure, Marocco has crippled U.S. foreign policy, left the United States a vastly weaker international actor, one that is less trusted and less respected, while directly strengthening foreign powers like China,” says Chris Milligan, a former foreign service officer who served at USAID under six presidential administrations. “Unless Congress acts quickly, the damage will be irreversible.”
Marocco exits just as a controversial USAID-State Department merger plan hits the Office of Management and Budget. Democrats warn it carries “legal, financial and national security concerns.”
Read: Trump official behind USAID's dismantling exits the State Department
+ Keep up with the latest news and insider reporting with our coverage of how the Trump administration is reshaping U.S. foreign aid.
The Trump administration is turning up the heat on the Food and Agriculture Organization, demanding it return to its “core mandate” and drop anything that doesn’t fit an “America First” agenda — including diversity and climate efforts, writes Devex Senior Editor Tania Karas.
At a council meeting in Rome last week, U.S. envoy Rodney Hunter insisted FAO scrap all diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, arguing they “diminish the importance of individual merit,” and said FAO should only use language recognizing “that women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.” The U.S. also took aim at FAO’s climate focus, calling it a “distracting” priority.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu warned the fallout of U.S. cuts is already being felt: 106 projects terminated, 358 staff cut, and $348 million in funding gone. The programs most impacted, he said, include work on animal disease control, famine prevention, and biosafety. More than 600 positions are now on the chopping block.
We remain “fully engaged in constructive dialogue,” Qu said, but noted FAO is being forced into a sweeping review of every program it runs — a direct result of U.S. funding cuts.
The U.S. — which contributed $317 million to FAO last year — has also made clear it won’t support FAO’s institutional reform plan and has formally pulled back from the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, calling them too vague and misused.
Read: UN food agency caught in Trump administration’s crosshairs
See also: UN appeals fall flat in the face of Trump’s budget steamroller
U.S. President Donald Trump vilified the World Health Organization for dragging its feet on reform — one reason he pulled the U.S. out of the U.N. specialized health agency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responded that the agency has made “the deepest and most wide-ranging reforms in the organization’s history,” with a new structure, stronger country offices, and attempts to change its funding model. Still, many insiders say it’s not enough.
Devex spoke to more than a dozen experts and current and former WHO staffers, who said the organization remains top-heavy and reliant on a few big donors. It’s planning to reduce both its work and its staff to respond to an anticipated $600 million shortfall this year, writes Devex Senior Reporter Jenny Lei Ravelo. Efforts to fix staffing issues have stalled due to money and pushback. “I wouldn't even be able to count the number of people who've said to me, I'm just trying to make it until my retirement age,” says one ex-official.
Meanwhile, reports of harassment and abuse jumped from 39 in 2021 to 220 in 2023. WHO says this shows growing staff confidence in the system, but investigations still take years.
Tedros is pushing for more flexible funding and has launched new strategies like the WHO Foundation and an investment round. But member states — which want reform while still shaping WHO around their own priorities — aren’t making it easy. “Look in the mirror,” says Peter Singer, a former adviser to Tedros. “Start with the governance of the organization.”
Some insiders say now is the time to rethink WHO’s core role — not to be “UNICEF, to procure, to have a fleet of cars,” but to focus on what it does best. Others warn against shrinking its footprint too far, especially as global health challenges grow more complex. As one official puts it: “We may need a leaner WHO in terms of efficiencies, but I don't know if we need a leaner WHO in terms of their mandate.”
Read: Inside WHO's reforms — progress, failures, and unfinished business
ICYMI: WHO grapples with deepening funding shortfall
Background: Trump’s executive order on WHO, explained (Pro)
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On the eve of the two-year anniversary of the current civil war in Sudan, Sudanese-American activist and humanitarian Emtithal Mahmoud lays bare what the war has cost her family and millions of others. She’s lost more than 16 family members — to airstrikes, illness, or the collapse of Sudan’s health system.
In her devastating personal account, she depicts how civilians are paying the highest price, while being left out of peace talks and denied aid. Her message is clear: Sudan’s future cannot belong to the Sudanese Armed Forces or the Rapid Support Forces, both accused of atrocities. “The only true route to sustainable, inclusive peace in Sudan,” she writes, is “the people.”
Opinion: In Sudan, the power must go to its people, not to the people in power
If you’re reeling from a recent job loss in the global development sector, navigating the next steps can feel insurmountable, writes Justin Sablich for Devex. But rather than starting with obsessively tweaking your CV, career coaches Dan Freehling and Spencer Campbell told Devex readers at a recent event, start by figuring out what you really want to aim for.
Their advice: Write down specific combinations of organization and job title that would interest you, thinking about what sparks your own joy and interest. Then get to learning and networking before you polish your application materials and apply. This method asks for more upfront — you have to ask yourself the tough questions. But, they advise, that’s how to get to a job you really love.
Read: 3 steps for applying like a scientist and finding your next role (Career)
ICYMI: Questions answered on approaching an evolving development job hunt (Career)
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Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato confirmed he will attend next week’s IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington. [Reuters]
A new antibiotic may effectively treat gonorrhea — potentially marking the first new such treatment in over three decades. [CNN]
Hungary passes constitutional changes banning Pride events and defining gender as male or female. [DW]
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