Devex Pro Insider: Trump and global development — everything you need to know

We thought it’d be tight, but in the end, it was a landslide. The election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president will raise concerns for many in the global development sector — concerns that we are about to see aid funding slashed, climate commitments rolled back, multilateral agreements torn up, and sexual and reproductive rights dented. It’s time to start preparing. From the future of USAID to localization, we have a long read on what to expect for global development under a second Trump administration. Devex Pro members are also invited to join us for an online election roundtable on Tuesday, where a panel of experts will unpack the ramifications of the result and answer your questions. Also in today’s edition: COP29 kicks off, why one organization is dropping “development,” and calls to stop the dancing aid worker. Bits and pieces Bigger, better. The International Monetary Fund now has a slightly bigger executive board with 25 executive directors, including three representing sub-Saharan Africa (that’s one more than before). The extra seat for Africa was signed off earlier this year, with the goal of strengthening the region’s voice and improving the overall balance of representation on the board. It’s the first time the executive board has been expanded in more than three decades, with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva describing it as “a historic milestone for the IMF and for Africa.” It comes amid pressure from African governments for more representation in global forums and follows the addition of the African Union to the G20. The IMF leads on key financial and debt-related decisions and advocates say borrowing nations have not had enough of a voice in those discussions, especially as debt becomes an increasingly critical issue. Home sweet home. The African Medicines Agency now has a home! Last week, the Rwandan Ministry of Health officially handed over the Alliance Building in Kigali to serve as its HQ. The new agency is part of the African Union and is tasked with harmonizing regulatory processes for medicines across the continent. Before it opens, though, they still need to recruit a director-general — a process that is now in the final stages, with the chosen candidate due to be announced at the February 2025 African Union Summit. Going global. You’ve probably heard of the Overseas Development Institute. The U.K.-based think tank went by that name for more than 50 years. Then, a few years ago, wanting to remove what it perceived as the increasingly outdated notion of “development” from its name, it started referring to itself as ODI. And now the transformation is complete as it has officially relaunched as ODI Global, reflecting an expanded mission. “The most critical challenges … will not be addressed through a narrow focus on development and humanitarian action,” the organization noted in a post explaining the change. “Our current strategy sets out our ambitions to move from a UK-based think tank focused on international development and humanitarian affairs to a truly global organisation with a greater emphasis on how economic, foreign, security, social, climate and other policies impact on global challenges.” It has created three entities under the ODI Global umbrella: ODI Europe, launched in Brussels in 2021 and currently headed up by Dora Meredith; ODI Global Washington, which is getting off the ground and is being run on an interim basis by Nilima Gulrajani; and ODI Global Advisory, launched last year as a social enterprise, with all profits going to its parent charity, and led by Sasha Kapadia. They’re also maintaining their original hub in London. “Decolonisation” is mentioned twice in the announcement. Asked if they had ambitions to expand to other parts of the world, a spokesperson said they planned instead to partner with global south think tanks, with whom they would “cede and/or share” their place in global forums. What’s next? Alaa Murabit has announced she’ll be stepping down from her role at the Gates Foundation, where she has overseen its health advocacy and communications work for the past four years. Murabit is something of a rockstar in the global health world due to her talent for advocacy. The Libyan-Canadian doctor has tens of thousands of followers on social media, was appointed as an SDG Advocate for the U.N., received the Canadian Meritorious Service Cross for her contribution to women’s inclusion, and her 2015 TED Talk on Islam and women’s rights has been watched more than 5 million times. I also interviewed her in Brussels back in 2017, when she spoke about prioritizing local voices in development. We don’t know where she’s going yet, so watch this space, but it’s a tough time for Gates to be losing her — just as advocacy for some of the things she’s been working on, including women’s health and replenishments of multilateral platforms, is needed more than ever. Do stop the dance. Ever seen an INGO worker post a video of themselves dancing with “community members” while “in the field,” or even government officials after a meeting? Well, at least one development communicator has had enough of it. Frances Leach, head of media at ActionAid UK, wrote on LinkedIn last week that she could not bear to see another video like it. “We don’t go to meetings with FCDO and film ourselves doing the electric slide with government officials … so why do it when you're in ‘Africa’? … These are real people, not props to show how international you are!” she wrote. Going by the response to her post, it seems she’s not the only one — though some suggested they’d like to see FCDO officials give the electric slide a go. ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. Moving on Moazzam Malik is taking over as chief executive of Save the Children UK. It’s a big appointment for the organization: Malik was, until a few years ago, one of the most senior officials in U.K. aid, serving as director-general for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Most recently he served as managing director for global delivery at the World Resources Institute. Emanuele Capobianco has left his role as chief strategy and impact officer at the WHO Foundation. Lily Han has joined the Soros Economic Development Fund — the impact investment arm of the Open Society Foundations — as head of policy and innovative finance. She joins from the Rockefeller Foundation, where she was senior director for innovative finance. Federica Diamanti is joining the International Fund for Agricultural Development as associate vice-president for external relations. She was previously director of multilateral development banks and funds at the Italian finance ministry. Tammam Aloudat, president of MSF Netherlands, is taking over as CEO of The New Humanitarian. South Africa-based Krutham, an impact investment advisory firm, has named Justin Prozesky as its new principal for impact capital. Previously with Standard Bank Group, Prozesky helped create South Africa’s first social impact bonds, according to a press release. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com. Stat of the week $6.8 trillion --— That’s the gap between the amount of climate finance provided in 2021-22 and how much is needed. That’s according to our latest special report on climate finance, which presents the numbers on what the major multilateral and bilateral donors are doing. Devex data analysts also took a close look at 10 climate-vulnerable countries and how much funding they’re receiving. As we head into another critical round of U.N. climate talks, get up to speed on the current state of climate finance with our deep dive. Up next COP29. The U.N. climate conference is kicking off under the shadow of Trump. This is already a smaller COP than previous years (no bad thing, some think) due to the limitations of the venue, and there is controversy over the choice of host in petro-state Azerbaijan. Now, the U.S. president-elect is expected to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement, ramp up oil drilling in the U.S., and reverse green policies implemented by the current administration. Expect a heaviness in the air in Baku. Nov. 11-22. + The Devex reporting team will be in Baku for COP29. Join us for insightful conversations on the sidelines of the climate summit! Attending? Let us know here. FLEX 2024. The Africa Foundational Learning Exchange (or FLEX, for short) is meeting in Kigali. Hundreds of education leaders from across the continent — including 28 ministers of education and ministerial representatives from 39 African countries — are gathering to exchange what they’ve learned about advancing foundational learning and reversing “learning poverty.” Nov. 11-13. World Data Forum. Over in Medellín, Colombia, the U.N. World Data Forum will explore how to maximize our use of data for development impact. Nov. 12-15. AMR. The 4th high-level ministerial conference on antimicrobial resistance is taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The stated goal is to translate the U.N.’s recently agreed declaration on AMR into a framework of practical actions and to offer a space for international organizations and civil society to share best practices and innovative initiatives on funding and developing new tools to contain AMR. Nov. 15-16. Jobs of the week Your Devex Pro membership includes access to the world’s largest global development jobs board. Here are some of the latest high-level openings: • Division Manager, Editorial and Media Relations, African Development Bank. • Senior Climate Finance Specialist (Agribusiness), Asian Development Bank. • Chief Financial Officer, World Resources Institute. • Global Director, Communications, World Wildlife Fund. Or search for more opportunities here.