Devex Pro Insider: COP on fire and major philanthropic shake-ups

COP30 was a full-on pressure cooker this year, with the Brazilian presidency firing off road map after letter after action plan after political package. Late-night press conferences had reporters practically tearing their hair out trying to keep track of what was what. For most of the conference, the goodwill around the Brazilian presidency and its ability to handle the negotiations didn’t waver. But on Thursday, in an unnervingly fitting metaphor, a raging fire broke out in the pavilions, forcing the evacuation and temporary closure of the venue, my colleagues Jesse Chase-Lubitz, Kate Warren, and Ayenat Mersie tell me. In other (less dramatic) ways, COP never really let you forget where you were, Ayenat said. The constant protests reminded you that you were in a democracy, and the near-daily tropical downpours made it impossible to forget you were in the Amazon. But having the AgriZone set up a few kilometers away — and sponsored by giants such as Nestlé and Bayer — created a strange contrast, she said. At times, it almost made them forget that hundreds of lobbyists from some of the globe’s most polluting sectors were making the rounds. It also felt like the year climate and development finally shared the same stage, they said. Multilateral development banks were busy grounding their climate strategies in development and poverty alleviation, while new blended finance schemes and private capital mechanisms cropped up everywhere. But the north-south divide was unmistakable: leaders from the global south demanded real financing at real scale for climate and adaptation — and as days passed with no new commitments, it sometimes felt like order could tip into chaos. On the ground, things were … less lofty. It was hot, sticky, and attendees were perpetually hungry — how these conferences still don’t manage to feed people is beyond me. At one point, the press room sprang a leak, sending rain directly onto frantic reporters. But two weeks in the rainforest drove home why Devex was there in the first place: to see the realities communities face, to listen to Indigenous peoples who are closest to nature, and to understand what it means to live with climate shocks every day. Stepping out of an overheated pavilion straight into the Amazon gave the whole event a strange clarity, Kate says — especially when dodging falling mangos from the street canopies. She watched one poor delegate get absolutely thumped by a rogue mango. “It felt like Mother Nature’s way of knocking some sense into all of us,” she said. It was impossible to ignore the dual pressures local communities face: wanting to grow their economies and infrastructure while being expected to do it sustainably. Turkey landed COP31, but whoever put competitor Australia and Turkey pavilions next to each other deserves a medal, said Kate — it felt like two kids told to go sort out their differences in the corner. So now the onus is on Turkey to pick up where Brazil left off — which, over the next year, will hopefully deliver on all those road maps, action plan agendas, and political packages. Bits and pieces New Ford, different BUILD. As we’ve been reporting, philanthropies are on U.S. President Donald Trump’s radar — and not in a good way. That includes the Ford Foundation, a long-time supporter of social justice and civil rights causes. Its new president, Heather Gerken, will prioritize “defending the rule of law and protecting our election system,” according to an in-depth profile in The New York Times that’s worth checking out. How that sits with Trump remains to be seen. In the meantime, changes are already afoot at Ford. The almost 90-year-old foundation recently shut down its lauded BUILD, or Building Institutions and Networks, program, as first reported by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. We featured BUILD in a Pro Briefing a few months back, explaining how the $2 billion initiative works. Launched in 2016, BUILD is basically all about trust, giving unrestricted, long-term funding aimed at strengthening civil society institutions, particularly those in the social justice space. So why shutter a program that was seen as a model of trust-based giving? Ford hasn’t articulated the reasoning, but it could be as simple as letting Gerken mold programs as she takes over the foundation. As the Chronicle noted, Darren Walker, in his last week as Ford Foundation’s president, in late October said: “As I look at transitioning and passing the baton to Heather, the opportunity is to create the space for her to begin to imagine what will come after BUILD.” Arabella going belly up? Another prime target of Trump and Republicans has been Arabella Advisors, a for-profit philanthropy consulting firm that conservative critics have long accused of being a source of “dark money” for Democratic political groups and a vehicle for channeling billions to left-leaning NGOs. But now it appears Arabella has been dissolved, though its fate remains unclear. When you go to their website, you get a news release saying: “Sunflower Services, a new Public Benefit Corporation financed by lead investor New Venture Fund (NVF) with financial support from the Windward and Hopewell Funds, today announced its acquisition of Arabella Advisors’ fiscal sponsorship servicing business.” "The suite of financial sponsorship services and the work will continue seamlessly,” Allan Williams, CEO of Sunflower Services, said in the release. “Our mission-driven clients can be assured of that, particularly as the demands and complexities on them grow. Our operation is built to last, and one that is grounded in our shared values and long-term vision.” That’s unlikely to stop Republican scrutiny of the entity. In fact, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer on Thursday announced an investigation into reports of questionable financial activities by the Sixteen Thirty Fund — “an entity with books that have long been in the care of Arabella Advisors,” which Comer described as “a powerful liberal dark money group.” Big moves at the bank. The World Bank Group has tapped Paschal Donohoe — Ireland’s former finance minister and former Eurogroup president — as its new managing director and chief knowledge officer. It’s a big get for the bank and, for some back in Ireland, a big loss. “As number two at the World Bank, Donohoe's career will switch from domestic politician to major international player,” according to BBC News. “His resignation from the Irish government is also a monumental change. Donohoe often served as a sounding board for party leaders when they were faced with any difficult decisions.” “While I always knew this day would come, it is a day of mixed emotion,” Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, who will now be the incoming finance minister, said in a statement. "It is a moment of sadness for the Fine Gael family, but it is also a moment of great pride for Ireland.” Meanwhile, World Bank President Ajay Banga seems happy with the new addition, praising Donohoe’s mix of public sector and private sector chops: “Paschal brings more than twenty years of public service. … This combination will be invaluable.” Donohoe called the appointment “a tremendous honor,” saying his career has focused on improving lives and pushing cooperation: “The need for this has never been greater than it is today.” He starts Nov. 24. From Asia to Abu Dhabi. AVPN, Asia’s largest social investor network, has opened its new West Asia headquarters in Abu Dhabi, choosing the United Arab Emirates capital for its strategic global reach and growing leadership in impact-driven finance. The hub is designed to connect the region’s capital with urgent social and environmental needs across Asia. Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO of AVPN, said: “We’re here to build bridges, connecting West Asian investors with proven impact opportunities.” AVPN will use the new hub to mobilize capital for scalable solutions across climate, gender, health, and youth. Mutually beneficial reconstruction. ​​The U.S. DFC announced a key milestone for the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund with the appointment of its operational partner, Alvarez & Marsal. “Through the partnership with A&M, the Fund will help rebuild Ukraine’s economy and strengthen industries that benefit both Ukraine and the United States,” said Conor Coleman, DFC’s head of investments and chief of staff. Rolling back aid. Canada’s government says it’s rolling foreign aid back to pre-pandemic levels, but hasn’t said what this year’s budget actually is. The plan includes $2.7 billion in cuts over four years, with the budget warning of “reductions in development funding to global health programming.” Some funds are being repurposed, including $138 million to rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure — a move the government says could benefit Canadian industry “across nearly every sector” (sound familiar?). Alert on fake loans. The World Bank is warning the public in Bangladesh about scams impersonating the bank and offering fake loans “in exchange of fees.” Fraudsters have set up Facebook pages, fake IDs, and mobile payment traps. The bank stressed it “does not provide loans directly to individuals and does not ask for any personal financial information.” A sector in mourning. You would think that the mood at this year’s gathering of development professionals hosted by SID-US in Washington, D.C., would be a somber one. Well, it was. But it was also hopeful, resilient, curious — and yes, tinged with lingering mournfulness. The U.S. chapter of the Society for International Development normally hosts an annual awards dinner, but this year opted for a downsized networking event honoring professionals in the community, though even at a smaller scale, it still attracted some 400 attendees. Devex Managing Editor Anna Gawel heard various stories of organizations losing 99% of their business, and others surviving the shutdown of USAID, with potentially promising new bids in the works. There was plenty of chatter about what lies ahead for a capacity-strapped State Department, which absorbed what was left of USAID, and commiseration among colleagues who lost their jobs. “No matter your political leanings — and SID-US has members across the full range of the political spectrum — I think we all can agree that this has been a challenging year for many of us,” said Wade Warren, SID-US board chair, in his remarks. “People in this room have experienced professional setbacks, financial hardships, and personal loss.” “It’s of course the right — the obligation, really — of every administration to implement the policies it thinks best. And I know everyone in this room would admit that our sector has not been perfect,” he added. “While we acknowledge our imperfections, the impact of our collective work has been overwhelmingly positive. We have done far more good than harm.” In memoriam David Bathrick — a retired USAID minister-counselor and one of the agency’s most persistent champions for agriculture — has died at 84. He spent his career warning that donors’ retreat from the sector was “woefully inadequate,” and colleagues say his influence endures. “He had a vision for how important he thought agriculture and rural development was,” said Loren Schulze, adding many have said they’ve “never worked with anybody like [Bathrick] since.” His work spanned from Vietnam to Peru, where he was named a “knight of agriculture,” and he kept advocating for inclusive rural development until the end of his life. His son Ryan told Devex contributor Jessica Abrahams: “Anyone who knew him knew that he inspired a lot of people, and he definitely had that effect on me.” UNICEF is grieving the loss of Grainne Moloney, its senior nutrition adviser. “The news is heartbreaking and hard to believe,” Cecilia De Bustos, chief of nutrition in UNICEF Mexico, said on a LinkedIn post. “The field of nutrition has lost a true champion, and we have lost a dear colleague and friend. Her kindness, warmth, passion, and dedication will be remembered by all of us who were fortunate to know her,” she wrote. Moving on Sarah Craven announced that she’s stepping into a new role as ad interim director of the division of external relations at the United Nations Population Fund. Now based in New York, she said she’s thrilled to work “in real time with our exceptionally talented colleagues in HQ and around the world.” The Ford Foundation has named Noorain Khan as vice president and chief innovation officer, a new role that puts her on President Heather Gerken’s leadership team to steer Mission Investments, Ford Global Fellows, and the Office of Strategy and Impact. Khan returns to Ford after senior roles in philanthropy and a nine-year run at the foundation, where she launched its disability rights work, cofounded major sector initiatives, and helped make Ford the largest private funder of disability rights worldwide. After four “smart, curious, collaborative and generous” years as head of policy at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Marta Tufet Bayona is shifting gears — not leaving — and stepping into a new role as director of grant design and partnerships. She will oversee funding design, process design, and partnerships with WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and civil society organizations. Eric Ueland assumed delegated duties as USAID administrator in November. He’s also acting director of the Office of Government Ethics and previously served in the Office of Management and Budget. The Nature Conservancy has welcomed Meg Whitman back to its global board of directors. She is fresh off her role as U.S. ambassador to Kenya, where she worked on conservation and economic development. Grameen Foundation USA and Yunus Social Business are joining forces to supercharge their mission to end poverty and hunger. It’s a strategic moment that brings new resources and a bigger platform for impact. Zubaida Bai of GFUSA becomes senior strategic adviser, Sabrina Quaraishi steps in as president and CEO of Grameen Foundation USA, and Suresh Krishna, cofounder and CEO of YSB, becomes global CEO of the alliance. Up next Nov. 25. Artificial intelligence is moving fast and reshaping everything from jobs to daily life. Join my colleague Catherine Cheney on Tuesday as she moderates a panel at the World Bank to explore how nations can build strong AI foundations and harness the technology for inclusive growth — in agriculture and far beyond. African and European leaders will gather in Angola on Nov. 24-25 for their first EU-AU summit since early 2022 — and the mood will be very different this time around. Partnership may have drifted into a “dialogue of the deaf” that dodges the toughest issues, according to Marta Martinelli, a nonresident scholar at Carnegie Europe. With Africa now asserting far greater geopolitical agency — from climate justice to multilateral reform — and Europe struggling with crises and credibility gaps, this meeting is being billed as a pivotal chance to reset the relationship on real mutual respect. Job of the week Your Devex Pro membership includes access to the world’s largest global development job board. Here’s the latest opportunity: a country director post based in Rwanda. This search is being done by Devex Talent Solutions on behalf of CARE. Search for more opportunities now.