Population Services International and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation are joining forces under HealthX Partners with a nearly $500 million budget. The goal is to boost efficiency and better serve communities amid shifting donor trends and budget cuts.
Also in today’s edition: The U.N.'s Martin Griffiths condemns aid worker killings (as his replacement is announced), and Melinda French Gates gives $250 million for women’s health.
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Buddying up
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PSI and EGPAF are teaming up under a new umbrella organization called HealthX Partners, kicking off in January with a combined budget nearing half a billion dollars. These two health giants will join forces for a super-collab, while still keeping their own names and missions intact.
They’ll share back-office operations like HR and finance, but still get to do their own thing, with the HealthX board having final decision-making power.
This new structure is intended to boost efficiency and provide a more integrated set of services to communities in need, writes Devex reporter Elissa Miolene. “Given all the dynamics in the sector, the worst thing for any organization to do right now is nothing,” says Karl Hofmann, PSI's president and CEO, who will lead HealthX Partners once his replacement at PSI is found. Meanwhile, EGPAF President and CEO Chip Lyons will retire after 15 years, marking a new chapter for the organization.
Facing revenue drops — 40% for PSI and 15% for EGPAF — this partnership aims to stay ahead as donors cut health budgets. By integrating programs, they plan to better serve communities, connecting services like pediatric HIV support and contraceptive care.
Looking forward, HealthX Partners hopes to bring other organizations into the fold, potentially including PSI's commercial subsidiary, Viya Health, and other global health groups. The focus will broaden beyond HIV/AIDS, addressing health systems and the impact of climate change on health. As Hofmann puts it, “We need to have our blinders wide open, our apertures wide open to look at what we can do.”
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Call to action
The world is turning a blind eye to the “soaring” number of aid workers killed without punishment and has forgotten the need for impartial mediation to end wars, says Martin Griffiths, the outgoing United Nations humanitarian chief and emergency relief coordinator.
In a hard-hitting interview in London, Griffiths attacked the “impunity” enjoyed by those who take the lives of people trying to save lives, saying: “There is virtually nobody who has been investigated, indicted or convicted for it. So why wouldn’t you kill another humanitarian aid worker, because you’re not going to suffer for it – and it’s a disgrace.”
Griffiths — a Brit who has stepped down because of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 virus on his health — also bemoaned the sharp decline in conflict mediation, noting that it was “on the up” when the new century began, my colleague Rob Merrick tells me.
“Mediation is now taken up by actors with interests, but that’s not the mediation I understand. It’s an essential component, but it’s not there, it’s not getting funding,” he told the Chatham House think tank, pointing to the failure to intervene to stop the civil war in Sudan.
The outgoing under-secretary-general in the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also insisted he is “not retiring,” noting it was the seventh time he has left a U.N. post.
He joked that he considered setting up an “Office for Martin Griffiths” — until his children pointed out that the abbreviation “OMG” might make that an ill-advised choice of name.
Some had hoped that Griffiths’ replacement as U.N. humanitarian chief wouldn’t be British, as tradition dictates. But their hopes have been dashed: Tom Fletcher, a longtime foreign policy adviser, has been officially named to the post.
ICYMI: UN humanitarian czar race heats up
Background: UN relief czar says long COVID is forcing him to step down
French open
Melinda French Gates has announced the latest part of her $1 billion pledge to support women and girls: a $250 million open call for organizations focusing on women's physical and mental health. Managed by Lever for Change, the initiative aims to distribute grants between $1 million and $5 million each, writes Elissa. The process is different from typical funding rounds, offering an extended three-month registration period and peer reviews, encouraging applicants to learn from each other.
Applications are open until Jan. 10, with winners announced by the end of 2025.
French Gates previously gave $200 million to women’s rights groups and $240 million to prominent figures like Allyson Felix and Jacinda Ardern to support women-focused causes.
Read: Melinda French Gates announces $250M open call for women's health
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mAbsolutely amazing
Monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, have been around for decades, mainly used in treating cancer and autoimmune diseases in wealthy countries. But they also hold a lot of promise in fighting infectious diseases, with exciting developments particularly in malaria prevention.
Unlike vaccines, which take weeks to kick in, mAbs work fast, offering protection within hours. They’re lab-made versions of our body’s natural antibodies and can be delivered through injections or infusions. While vaccines provide longer-lasting immunity, mAbs can serve as a quick bridge in emergencies, like protecting front-line workers during an outbreak while waiting for a vaccine to take effect or be developed.
The COVID-19 emergency was the first time monoclonal antibodies were mass-produced to combat an infectious disease, but their use was mostly in high-income countries. Now they’re showing promise in malaria, Ebola, respiratory syncytial virus — or RSV — and even tackling drug-resistant bacteria. However, access to mAbs is unequal — 99% of RSV deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, yet these regions make up just 1% of the global mAbs market.
+ To know more about mAbs and other recent groundbreaking innovations in global health, download your copy of our latest report, 5 Innovations in Global Health.
Staur-ry eyed
Carsten Staur, chair of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee, is keeping his glass half full when it comes to foreign aid, even as major donors tighten their purse strings. France, Germany, the U.K., and others are cutting back on aid, and some are using budgets to serve their own interests. But Staur’s message? We can still do it all — fund defense, balance budgets, and keep development promises.
“Countries should be able to do what they need to do in their budget policies, in their defense policies,” Staur tells my colleague Vince Chadwick, “but at the same time, maintain a level of development cooperation that is in line with the aspirations of the commitments they have made.”
Sure, only five of the 32 DAC members hit the 0.7% aid target last year, and funding for the lowest-income countries is sliding. But Staur’s seen how countries can open their wallets during crises like COVID-19. So, does he think we need new levies on fuel or finance to raise funds? He’s not going there, but he does point out that donors tend to find the money when push comes to shove.
Read: Amid the cuts, why the OECD development chief is optimistic about aid (Pro)
In other news
Without urgent action taken, U.N. agencies warn that famine, disease, and collapsing health care facilities in Sudan could cause countless deaths. [Al Jazeera]
UNICEF reports that over 370 million girls and women globally experienced rape or sexual assault before age 18. [Reuters]
Turkish navy ships arrived in Lebanon Wednesday with 300 tons of humanitarian aid and to evacuate its citizens who wish to leave the crisis-affected country. [AP]
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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.
