Squeezing money out of the U.S. government is a pain, but the process may be getting a little less painful.
Also in today’s edition: The United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions dip their toes into the 21st century.
Grant gesture
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It’s often said there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And while grants are essentially free money — at least compared to loans — there’s still a cost involved. You have to earn it by going through a time-consuming, technical, often tedious application process.
That process stands as a barrier to smaller, local organizations which don’t have the resources or negotiating power to win grants from large donors such as USAID.
But the United States will soon be changing the way it doles out grants, the result of federal budget guideline revisions that will affect every government agency, including USAID, later this year.
It’s the culmination of a two-year process led by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, which aims to reduce the administrative burdens on smaller partners, my colleague Elissa Miolene reports. And it’s something USAID has been pushing for as it works to shift more money toward local organizations.
It all sounds good, but it’s likely to put more strain on an already overtaxed USAID workforce. As Administrator Samantha Power put it in 2022: The workload of an individual contracting officer at USAID had increased by nearly 40% since 2015, while staffing for those positions had decreased by 3%.
Still, localization advocates such as Walter Kerr of Unlock Aid say it’s a positive step.
“Clearly, the agency wants to move in this direction: Toward cutting red tape, and increasing a focus on results,” he says. “It’s also been a major driver of the administrator’s big burden reduction program to make it easier to work with USAID. So, all of these changes are really welcome developments.”
Read more: Will this change to federal guidance speed up USAID localization? (Pro)
+ On July 25, we’ll have a review of USAID’s localization work as we head toward the next presidential election. Save your spot now.
This event is part of Devex Pro Week, happening July 22-26. If you’re not a Pro member yet, you’ll get $100 off an annual membership.
Make the robots do the dirty work
Writing up a report for the United Nations is about as thrilling as submitting an application to USAID. Most people would rather watch paint dry.
But now, just like there seems to be an app for everything nowadays, there’s an app to make U.N. reports perhaps not thrilling, but a little easier.
Emad Karim, an advocacy, campaigns, and innovation coordinator at UN Women, has developed UN Style GPT, a free customized AI tool to help people create reports and communication products that adhere to U.N. guidelines. It can even help you apply for U.N. jobs.
“This tool fills that gap by offering advice on campaign design, content structuring, and reporting, ensuring consistency and compliance with U.N. standards,” Karim tells my colleague Jessica Abrahams. “Moreover, it addresses the need for enhanced support in preparing for U.N. employment processes, offering tailored guidance for applications, technical assessments, and competency-based interviews."
Karim will present UN Style GPT at an event for Devex Pro members next week, as we explore practical ways for global development professionals to use AI tools. Sign up to find out more.
And for the humans …
Speaking of landing a job with the U.N., as one of the world's leading humanitarian organizations dedicated to championing the rights and well-being of children, UNICEF is a popular option. From providing vaccines and access to clean water to promoting education and protection from violence, UNICEF is present in over 190 countries and territories.
The agency is also working to diversify its workforce and ensure it has “the right expertise to tackle the challenges ahead,” says Sajid Ali, deputy director of the human resources division at UNICEF.
Speaking to Devex, Ali shared more on the roles currently in demand at UNICEF, how to stand out during the initial screening process, and what consultants can do to position themselves for landing short-term roles.
Read: How to land a job at UNICEF (Career)
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Not out of the woods
Let’s face it, we could all use a makeover now and then. The Bretton Woods system is no different. Institutions such as the World Bank that emerged from the ashes of World War II are credited with helping to usher in an unprecedented period of global economic growth. But after eight decades, many people agree it’s time for a refresh.
“The world is facing challenges very different to those in 1944, making the struggle of the Bretton Wood institutions that much harder,” writes Eric Pelofsky of The Rockefeller Foundation in a Devex opinion piece, arguing that one of the greatest differences — and greatest challenges — is climate change.
“The World Health Organization estimates that, as a result of climate change, there will be an additional 250,000 deaths per year expected from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress between 2030 and 2050,” he points out.
It all adds up to the need for significant change, Pelofsky writes, praising innovative reforms such as the Bridgetown Initiative, the World Bank's commitment to increase lending by $70 billion for global challenges, and the Asian Development Bank unlocking $100 billion of additional lending.
“Reforming the global financial architecture may seem a daunting, technical task, yet it holds the key to fundamentally enhancing support for nations grappling with climate change.”
Opinion: At 80, Bretton Woods needs a makeover to fight climate change
Background reading: How the Bridgetown Initiative envisions global financial system reform (Pro)
Divorce casualty
It’s barely remembered, but the 2018 Brexit divorce papers included a pledge from the European Union and the United Kingdom to work together to “promote sustainable development and the eradication of poverty,” even as they parted ways.
The U.K. said it would continue to support the European Consensus on Development — a 2017 framework designed to incorporate other policy aims including “peace and security and humanitarian aid.”
Successive Conservative governments let the idea gather dust, but could it be revived by the new Labour administration as part of a rapprochement with Brussels set to include defense, security, energy, climate change, and migration?
The answer according to a new paper from the Netherlands-based think tank ECDPM is that it could be, that it most definitely should be, but that “outcomes may be disappointing” — because, intriguingly, the EU has moved on from the concept as much as, if not more than, the U.K.
That 2017 idealism has morphed into the EU’s hard-headed “Global Gateway” project, which “sees development cooperation as a direct complement to its growing geopolitical ambitions,” says the ECDPM, with “self-interest and national political priorities taking a much stronger role.”
“There will be times when the EU and the UK are direct economic competitors when it comes to things like market share, critical raw materials and investment opportunities in partner countries,” the paper argues.
So, would lower-income countries welcome a Brussels-London truce and more teamwork? Not necessarily, says the ECDPM, noting: “Some in the Global South may see closer UK-EU collaboration as a disadvantage to more virtuous competition among their international partners.”
Background reading: Global Gateway 2024 ‘flagships’ reveal EU self-interest (Pro)
In other news
Global conflicts and misinformation hinder child vaccination efforts, leaving 14.5 million children unimmunized, according to data from UNICEF and the World Health Organization. [The Guardian]
The International Monetary Fund and Pakistan agreed on a $7 billion aid package, offering an economic lifeline amid multiple crises and soaring inflation in the south Asian country. [DW]
With support from the U.S. and Australia, the World Bank is readying a financial lifeline for Pacific island nations to counteract potential Chinese influence amid the withdrawal of Western banks. [Reuters]
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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.
