Devex Pro Insider: The World Bank cover star, and USAID departures

Last week, I brought you news of appointments for the next U.S. government under President-elect Donald Trump. This week, the resignations began as officials prepare for the handover in January. Plus, Elon Musk, who has been tasked with improving government efficiency, seems to be ready to swing the scythe. … Keep reading for more on that. Coming up: Our next Devex Pro event will offer tips on how to win more business with USAID. Got questions? Our expert adviser can answer them. Also in today’s edition: A spanner in the works for Band Aid’s 40th anniversary, how a small kitchenware company helped climate activists at COP29, and an MDB leader becomes a cover star. Bits and pieces The US changeover begins. The resignations have started to roll in. First to go was Meg Whitman, U.S. ambassador to Kenya, followed by Reuben E. Brigety II, ambassador to South Africa. Typically about a third of U.S. ambassadors are political appointees but, during his first term, Trump handed out a lot more posts to his allies — more than any other U.S. president in modern history, according to Politico, including those such as Kenya which have historically been reserved for career diplomats. So we might see more change than usual. The first big USAID departure was Gillian Caldwell, chief climate officer and deputy assistant administrator, who boldly handed in her resignation during COP29. She added that she was “not actively looking” for another C-suite role and planned to return to consulting. Separately, Roman Napoli — another USAID deputy assistant administrator who serves as budget director but who is not a political appointee — also announced he was leaving “for another federal opportunity,” although this move is likely unrelated to the change of residents at the White House. Trump and his allies have made no secret of their desire to remove both political and non-political federal employees. As to who’ll replace them, keep your eyes peeled for a Pro special report tomorrow that will bring you some early insights. Musk’s misunderstanding? Meanwhile, other jobs may be at risk. Last week, on social media platform X, tech billionaire-turned-Trump adviser Elon Musk retweeted a critical post about a climate-focused role in the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. The post he reshared read: “I don't think the US Taxpayer should pay for the employment of a "Director of Climate Diversification (she/her)" at the US International Development Finance Corporation.” As some users pointed out, the commenter seems to have confused “diversification” and “diversity.” Nonetheless, Musk reposted it and added: “So many fake jobs.” DFC declined to comment but its climate team is responsible for supporting private sector investments in sustainable initiatives in lower-income countries. Musk was once a green energy champion, famed for playing a key role in developing the electric car industry. But his views seem to have changed, or at least been tempered — he’s working for a climate-skeptic president and said recently that “we don’t need to rush” the energy transition. Trump has also pledged to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government — although, to reiterate, this is not a diversity role. As co-lead of a new Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has been asked to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.” Thin-skinned. The COP29 U.N. climate summit has just concluded. But it also happens to be the name of an Indian copper kitchenware company which — inconveniently for COP29 host Azerbaijan — already owned the domain www.cop29.com. The summit organizers reportedly approached the company to buy the domain. But the eco-conscious owner declined. Instead, he sold the rights to environmental NGO Global Witness. So if you visited www.cop29.com during this year’s COP, you’d have found demands for fossil fuel companies to cough up for the loss and damage fund. The hosts instead had to settle for www.cop29.az as their official site, where a very different picture was on display. And clearly they didn’t appreciate the joke, because the cop29.com website was blocked in Azerbaijan. No one likes a sore loser … Politically targeted. UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima said her activist husband Dr. Kizza Besigye was “kidnapped” in Nairobi last week before being transferred to military detention in their native Uganda, where Besigye is a prominent opposition figure. “He is not a soldier,” Byanyima — the former executive director of Oxfam International — wrote on X as she demanded to see him. “Why is he being held in a military jail?” Human rights advocates are concerned about a growing trend of repressive governments attacking dissidents outside of their national borders, including in Kenya, which was once seen as a safe haven for refugees from across the region. Geldof strikes back. Band Aid has long faced criticism for propagating stereotypes about Africa and a “white savior” narrative, yet for many, its legendary status continues — it was even honored with a musical at London’s iconic Old Vic theater last year. But the criticisms seem to be cutting through as Band Aid prepares to release a 40th anniversary edition of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” this week. British popstar Ed Sheeran, who took part in the 30th-anniversary edition in 2014, said he was not happy about his vocals being reused for the new version because his “understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed.” He cited British-Ghanaian rapper Fuse ODG, who has criticized it for perpetuating “stereotypes that stifle Africa … destroying its dignity, pride and identity." Lena Bheeroo, head of anti-racism at UK NGO network Bond, also said these initiatives run counter to the hard work that many in the sector are doing on decolonization. But the song’s co-writer Bob Geldof defended it and the millions it has raised, saying that more money had just been sent to Sudan and Ethiopia and that “8,000 Tigrayan children will sleep safer, warmer and cared for tonight because of that miraculous little record.” And just to make his opinions clear he added: “'Colonial tropes', my arse." Banga’s big break. It’s not every day a multilateral development chief makes a big magazine cover. But that’s where World Bank President Ajay Banga found himself last week — looking very suave and very serious — after topping Time magazine’s list of influential climate leaders in business. The magazine writes in its profile of Banga: “Under his leadership, the bank has added climate to its mission statement. To implement his agenda, he has pursued a range of seemingly small reforms that can have a big impact accelerating global climate action and intertwining it with the bank’s long-standing development agenda.” And he wasn’t even the only MDB leader to make the cut — African Development Bank Vice President for Finance Hassatou N’Sele was also named on the TIME100 list. Interestingly, Maya Malarski, a senior policy manager at Gavi who led the climate criteria for the vaccine alliance’s new investment strategy, is also included. ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. Moving on Terry Branstad will step down as president of the World Food Prize Foundation at the end of January, with chief operating officer Mashal Husain taking over. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com. In memoriam American HIV advocate A. Cornelius Baker died last week, prompting an outpouring of recognition for his achievements. Among his roles, Baker served as PEPFAR liaison at the National Institutes of Health and played a leading role in creating what would become the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy, or OIDP. “It is hard to overstate the impact of his loss to the public health and HIV/AIDS communities … He represented a north star, building coalitions across all sectors and working with leaders across the political spectrum to address health disparities and advocate for access to HIV treatment and care for all.” said Kaye Hayes, OIDP director, while PEPFAR remembered him as “a hero and a friend.” Up next Plastic pollution. We’re heading into the final round of negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution. After more than two years of negotiation, representatives of 175 countries are gathering in Busan, South Korea, in hopes of sealing the deal. But there are still some key points to agree — in particular a cap on plastic production, which activists argue is critical to success. Nov. 25-Dec. 1. WTO appointment. The World Trade Organization is seeking to reappoint its director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for a second term at the end of next week. It’s a race against the clock to confirm her before Trump enters the White House, as he opposed her candidacy during his first term. Nov. 29.