Devex Pro Insider: Personal reflections on sometimes-impersonal gatherings

In case you haven’t heard, the 80th U.N. General Assembly is over (yes, I know you’ve heard — probably ad nauseum by now). It’s been a week since I came back to Washington, D.C., sleep-deprived and, shortly thereafter, government-deprived because of a shutdown — thanks to the perennially depressing partisan gridlock in the U.S. Congress. The sad state of U.S. politics aside, UNGA got me thinking about the unsettled state of foreign assistance in a post-USAID world and the other key moments coming up on the development calendar. If you haven’t already, check out my colleague Michael Igoe’s excellent Saturday Pro Insider newsletter for his reflections on UNGA, including the mixed emotions he saw. That mirrored what I witnessed as well — a combination of lingering grief and newfound determination to move forward, even if the path is less than clear. I was fortunate enough to interview so many different people in the field who are navigating this rocky terrain. (Shameless plug, but for a sampling of those talks, check out my LinkedIn post.) It really is a privilege to moderate thought-provoking panels with people whose calendars are chock full of other engagements but who’ve carved out time for you. But the encounters off stage are equally important. I ran into a woman let go from her job at USAID. She became choked up talking about the loss of her career and the uncertain steps that lay ahead. She said she appreciated that she could come to our event because we were on a waitlist and was grateful she was able to connect with people who could relate to her situation, which then choked me up. To some, networking is a dirty word. But in this case, I hope it helped this woman and so many others feel a sense of belonging and community. And that gets to my next long-winded point: Meetings like UNGA elicit a fair amount of derision and cynicism, but they have real value. Many assumed this UNGA would be smaller because of the collapse of foreign aid, but it was as jam-packed as ever — a sign that LinkedIn groups can only go so far and that in-person connections still matter, even more so today. People aren’t just seeking answers amid this uncertainty; they’re seeking emotional understanding and professional courage. The next big convenings are right around the corner: the World Bank-International Monetary Fund annual meetings in D.C., followed by the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Brazil, where people will be clamoring for institutions to step up in this moment of crisis. Whether they have the will or capability to do so remains to be seen. I, for one, will put aside my own cynicism, wish everyone the best, and look forward to hearing the personal stories that emerge. Bits and pieces Summit overload. Not everyone has a glowing view of these annual summits and meetings as I do, which is fair. Daniel Johansson and Todd Moss of the Energy for Growth Hub took aim at UNGA, COP, the World Bank meetings, the G7 and G20 summits, and the plethora of other global confabs with an elucidating post about how much time and energy they consume. They tallied all the days spent at 30 such events in 2024. “If you went to them all, you’d have just 68 working days left. Add four weeks of vacation (more for Europeans) and a few sick days, and you’re down to about 45 days left to do a year’s work,” they write. “That’s a lot of meetings. No wonder everyone seems exhausted.” Awarding constructive criticism. Each year, the American Foreign Service Association honors various individuals at an awards ceremony that includes recognition for constructive dissent. This year, that recognition is perhaps more poignant than ever, given the low tolerance for criticism that the Trump administration and its State Department seem to have. “These awards are unique within the federal government, and remain the lynchpin of AFSA’s awards program,” the association wrote on its website. “There is no democracy without dissent, and the U.S. Foreign Service must remain a leader in the encouragement of respectful yet provocative constructive dissent.” Stay tuned. I’ll have more on this year’s cohort — and why they won — this week. Resilience, recognized. AFSA’s not the only one doling out awards. Tomorrow, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, a Democrat from Virginia, will recognize Nancy Eslick, who most recently served as senior deputy assistant to the administrator of the Resilience, Environment and Food Security Bureau at USAID. She’ll receive the Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award at “The Ripple Effects of Resilience” — Beyer’s ninth annual women’s conference. The award is named after Beyer’s grandmother, who is credited with convincing Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration to appoint Frances Perkins as the first female Cabinet secretary in the United States. In February, Eslick was one of thousands of USAID employees who lost their jobs during what Beyer described as “Donald Trump’s illegal attacks on the agency.” “Nancy’s more than two decades of leadership at USAID serves as a reminder of the profound difference American leadership can make in the world. The loss of her expertise and dedication along with that of so many of her colleagues from the federal civil service will do lasting damage to people in this country and around the world,” Beyer said. “Honoring Nancy is not only a celebration of her extraordinary service, but an urgent reminder to continue defending USAID’s mission.” So much for bipartisanship. A top State Department official openly blamed Democrats for the U.S. government shutdown, according to Reuters, which reported that it saw the following email sent by Under Secretary of State for Management Jason Evans to staff ahead of the shutdown: “Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands. If Congressional Democrats maintain their current posture ... federal appropriated funding will lapse.” The pointed message breaks an unwritten code that Staties remain nonpartisan. Remember, the Trump administration has long complained that the State Department and other U.S. agencies are bastions of liberal partisanship. Has the pendulum swung the other way? Regardless, the State Department was unapologetic: “It is not partisan to state the obvious: Democrats are to blame for the looming shutdown,” a department spokesperson told Reuters. Up in arms. Almost everyone knows that countries spend loads more on defense than they do on development. That gap is only getting wider, as defense further siphons funds away from development, aid proponents say. The United Nations writes that “a staggering $2.7 trillion was spent on militaries in 2024. This marks a more than 9 per cent jump from the previous year—the steepest increase since the Cold War and the tenth consecutive year of growth.” Short-term thinking, long-term costs. Even in Switzerland — a country that hasn’t fought a foreign war since 1815 — Devex reporter Elissa Miolene heard a similar refrain. Last week, she was at the Building Bridges conference in Geneva, a three-day event that sought to link finance to sustainability. But at the event’s opening, Marie-Laure Schaufelberger, chief sustainability officer at wealth management firm the Pictet Group, put it bluntly: The world is moving from focusing on multilateralism to prioritizing national security, and becoming more transactional in the process. The same, Building Bridges’ chair Patrick Odier added, could be said for the private sector. With short-term pressures, geopolitical tensions, and overall instability, long-term sustainable investment efforts are being undermined — and to recalibrate, the world needs to “move from good intentions to actual, actionable solutions.” The conference brought 2,000 people from the public and private sectors to do just that. Most were buzzing with optimism: They talked of how to invest in microinsurance to curb poverty, accelerate carbon markets to reach climate goals, and invest in impact to achieve the SDGs. But many others felt like those conversations were just more short-term thinking. “We cannot achieve any of the Sustainable Development Goals, all of the climate action goals under the current [capitalist] system,” said Beris Gwynne, the co-founder of the nonprofit Global Rethinking Finance Collaborative. “Nothing short of a change of the entire system will be sufficient.” For a great snippet of the conference, check out Elissa’s LinkedIn video. In memoriam Tributes have poured in to pioneering conservationist Jane Goodall, who died last week at 91 after a long life well-lived. My colleague Ayenat Mersie reflects on that life in this obituary. For my part, I met Goodall at last year’s UNGA. She had just spoken to a long line of reporters but still made time for the last one who came in late — me — and gladly posed for a photo. She was serene but forceful in her defense of the environment. She didn’t slow down this year either. As Ayenat writes, just last week, she appeared at a Bloomberg forum on the sidelines of UNGA, where she spoke about biodiversity, maintaining hope, and drew laughter from the crowd with her sharp critique of humanity’s failure to protect the Earth: “We’re clearly the most intellectual creatures to ever walk the planet. But we’re not very intelligent. Intellectual, yes, but intelligent beings do not destroy their only home. Unless you want to go with Elon Musk to some far-off planet, this is our only home.” Moving on The Mastercard Foundation announced that Sewit Ahderom will serve as its next president and CEO. The appointment follows the decision by Reeta Roy to transition from the foundation after 18 years. Roy will continue to serve as president and CEO through 2025, and Ahderom will take on the role on Jan. 1, 2026. “Sewit is a highly talented global executive with a deep understanding of the African continent,” Zein Abdalla, chair of the Mastercard Foundation board of directors, said in a press release. “Her career spans the development and private sectors, with expertise in agrifood systems and technology — areas closely aligned with the Foundation’s work.” David Atchoarena is retiring after 34 years with the U.N.— at UNESCO and more recently at the World Health Organization. “This journey has been more than a career; it has been a privilege. Working for the UN has taken me across borders and cultures, but the true highlight has always been the people,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “Together, we pursued goals larger than ourselves, and I am humbled by what we have been able to accomplish side by side.” Nazia Erum is taking on the interim role of deputy head of news and media for Amnesty International. Dr. Kathleen Neuzil is the new director of polio with the Global Development Division at the Gates Foundation. She succeeds Dr. Jay Wenger, who has led the polio program since 2011 and will retire later this year. Africa50 has announced that Sérgio Pimenta will become chief executive officer of the Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund. “With over 25 years at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), most recently as Vice President for Africa, where he oversaw a US$17 billion investment portfolio, Sérgio brings unparalleled experience in advancing infrastructure initiatives across emerging markets,” the organization said on LinkedIn. Marcel Ricou is now acting director of the education practice at IREX. Accumulus Synergy announced that Khushboo Sharma will be chief executive officer, succeeding Francisco Nogueira, who will now focus on leading Accumulus Technologies. After nearly 10 years, Claire Wathen is leaving the Skoll Foundation. She most recently served as its managing director of global alliances. “At its heart, I launched and led the Skoll Fellowship, weaving a network of 100+ Global Majority leaders,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “Together, we’ve seen what happens when social capital precedes financial capital, with more than $180M flowing to Fellows’ organizations through nurtured relationships.”