Devex Pro Insider: UNGA’s key week and AfDB race heats up

On your marks: The race to be the next president of the African Development Bank has officially kicked off. The charismatic and distinctively-dressed Akinwumi Adesina — known for his collection of colorful bow ties — must step down when his second term ends next summer, following a decade in power that has not always been smooth sailing amid power tensions with the United States, the bank’s second-largest shareholder. The board of governors will elect a new president in May 2025, and in an interesting development last week, a new candidate entered the fray: The bank announced that Amadou Hott, a special envoy responsible for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa, had resigned in order to throw his hat in the ring. Hott, a former economy minister from Senegal, joins the race with Samuel Munzele Maimbo of Zambia, a vice president at the World Bank who was endorsed as a candidate by the influential Southern African Development Community ahead of two female contenders who some had hoped would move forward. Ousmane Kane from Mauritania, a former AfDB vice president, is also reported to be in the running. + On Sept. 25, Adesina will join the UN Refugee Agency’s Filippo Grandi to discuss humanitarian and finance solutions for Africa in a Devex partnership event on the sidelines of UNGA. Register to watch the discussion online. Also in today’s edition: We take a look at the key events to follow during UNGA’s high-level week, why alarm bells are ringing over the EU’s development chief nomination, and how one woman has taken on a U.S. government job at a bold moment. Jessica Abrahams Editor, Devex Pro Bits and pieces Here comes trouble. The nominations for the new European Union commissioners, who will lead the bloc's policy work for the next five years, have got many aid watchers worrying, as my colleague Vince Chadwick reported for Pro members. Jozef Síkela, the Czech minister of industry and trade, was proposed last week as commissioner for international partnerships (a.k.a. development), and he quickly made clear his position on the long-running feud over whether the EU’s $27 billion development aid budget should be used to further its own interests. “The International Partnerships portfolio will allow me to focus on strengthening the EU's economic security, diversifying our suppliers of critical raw materials, and opening new markets for European companies,” he tweeted. Unsurprisingly, that sounded alarm bells within civil society. Even outgoing commissioner Jutta Urpilainen's more balanced approach has been controversial with development advocates. Now, Síkela's nomination seems to suggest that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is preparing to take the brakes off the self-interested approach. Meanwhile, the nominee for the humanitarian portfolio is Hadja Lahbib, a former journalist who has been Belgian foreign minister since 2022. However, she's also nominated as commissioner for equality, raising questions about how much she'll be able to focus on the job. Ride or DEI. Angela Bruce-Raeburn has been appointed chief diversity officer at the U.S. Peace Corps. The role had been open for quite some time, with senior adviser Cristina Cruz Hubbard filling it on an acting basis. Bruce-Raeburn is no doubt a good choice — in 2018, she founded DiverseDEV, a consultancy focused on tackling discrimination and improving diversity in the global development sector (and she’s also written a fair bit for Devex on the topic). It is also no doubt a brave time to be taking on such a job, barely more than a month before an election that could see a sweep of government jobs change hands. On top of that, if Donald Trump wins, he has promised to “terminate every diversity, equity and inclusion program across the entire federal government.” Bruce-Raeburn can prepare for a roller-coaster ride, but perhaps there’s no more critical a moment to be manning the fort. Conference calendar. Africa CDC has postponed its flagship conference, which was scheduled to be held in Morocco in November, due to an mpox outbreak that has so far claimed more than 700 lives, mostly in Central Africa. Africa CDC is co-leading the response with the World Health Organization. In a statement explaining the postponement it said that "Africa CDC is now concentrating all its efforts and resources on combating this devastating Mpox outbreak." The plan is to hold the conference next year instead. Separately, Kenya announced that it would be hosting an East Africa Region Global Health Security Summit in late January 2025 to address preparedness for future health emergencies. + Sneak peek: We’re in the process of setting up an event for our Pro members where you’ll have the chance to hear from some of the officials leading the mpox response. Keep an eye out here and on our events page for more announcements. ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. Moving on Natalie Bridgeman Fields, who some of you may know as the founder of Accountability Counsel, has joined Earthjustice as an international program managing attorney. Alfonso Blanco, former executive director of the Latin American Energy Organization, has been appointed director of the Energy Transition & Climate Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. Steven van Weede has started a new role as fund solutions manager at FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. Renowned infectious disease expert Quarraisha Abdool Karim was elected and appointed board director of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com. Up next As we enter UNGA’s main week, here are some of the key events to be watching: General debate. The theme for this year’s UNGA general debate is “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations,” although the theme often serves as only a loose base for the speeches that are delivered by member states from the podium of the U.N. General Assembly Hall. Expect world leaders galore, and perhaps some disputes between delegations. Sept. 24-30. Climate Week NYC. This event is a fixture among the plethora of events that take place alongside UNGA each year. With a huge schedule, it covers more than 600 events across New York City, starting with an opening ceremony and encompassing art installations and movie screenings alongside the traditional talks and debates — there was even a youth climate protest on Friday before the week-long series of events started. Check out the event calendar here. Sept. 22-29. Summit of the Future. A one-off event held alongside UNGA this year, the Summit of the Future is seen as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’s last best attempt to reform multilateralism before his term ends. Following two “action days” focused on youth and civil society, the main event kicks off today, with world leaders expected to make a series of declarations, including a Pact for the Future that will chart the next 25 years for the U.N. However, Russia and a coalition of autocratic governments have been busy blocking agreement over some of the human rights provisions in the declarations. For the full lowdown on the Summit of the Future, check out this in-depth analysis from my colleague Colum Lynch, plus his guide to the key people to keep an eye on. Sept. 22-23. High-level meetings. There are two high-level meetings at UNGA this year. The first, on Sept. 25., will address rising sea levels, aiming to deliver action-oriented solutions for affected states and frontline communities. The second, on Sept. 26., will address antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, which WHO says is directly responsible for more than 1 million deaths a year but which hasn’t had an UNGA high-level meeting since 2016. Advocates are hoping the event will be a chance to rally commitments around the issue at the highest level. It is expected to conclude with a political declaration focused on concrete actions and measurable targets. Both events will be live-streamed on UN Web TV. Devex Summit. This list would of course be incomplete without a mention of Devex’s own summit taking place on the sidelines of UNGA. The Future Can’t Wait will tackle four core themes: adapting to a changing planet; innovating for global health and well-being; partnering for a better future; and renewing trust and rethinking systems. You’ll hear from high-level speakers including Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS; Dame Sally Davies, the U.K. government’s special envoy on AMR; and Amy Pope, director-general of the International Organization for Migration. In-person registration is now closed but you can still join us online. Sept. 25-26.