Devex Pro Weekender: Cuts at ONE, and Gavi ‘assault’

Pascal Barollier, chief engagement and information officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, had an interesting experience last week. “While attending a reception in the Geneva diplomatic circles, I was ‘assaulted’ by the wife of a retired ambassador after she saw ‘Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’ on my name tag,” he recounted in a LinkedIn post. “She used classic antivax lines. ... I'm fairly used to these episodes and managed to bring it back to her grandchildren, who happened to be vaccinated,” he added. Barollier uses the experience to talk about the rising measles emergency, suggesting that vaccine hesitancy continues to be more of an issue than some like to admit. But it got me thinking: How common are these experiences for those working in global health? Have you had similar experiences in recent times? What impact is it having on your life and work? If you have stories to share, please reply to this email. All stories can remain confidential or anonymous if you’d prefer; I won’t share any of them without your explicit permission. Coming up: Our next Leader Roundtable is a special edition to mark Black History Month. Sign up now. Also in today’s edition: Cuts at ONE, the French view on Chinese aid, and job changes at IDInsight, Results for Development, and the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative. Jessica Abrahams Editor, Devex Pro Bits and pieces Sharp turn. IDinsight has named Rebecca Gong Sharp as its new CEO. Sharp, who’ll be leading a team of 300, has spent the last couple of years as a presidential appointee in the Peace Corps, serving as regional director for Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia. But this is not her first stint at IDInsight, where she previously served as chief operating officer. In a press release, the organization said she “helped lead IDinsight through a prolonged period of exponential growth, and was also instrumental in shepherding the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic.” IDInsight, previously named as one of Devex’s top organizations to watch in the global development space, works to provide evidence on impact to some of the world’s biggest private funders. ICYMI. My colleague Michael Igoe got the scoop last week on major cuts at the ONE Campaign, which is reducing staff numbers by 30% and narrowing its focus on key priorities. The organization told Michael that the cuts were due to “a challenging financial environment and more competitive fundraising landscape,” which had led to “a lower overall budget.” Read the full story, exclusively for Devex Pro members. French press. Rémy Rioux, head of the French Development Agency, gave a wide-ranging radio interview to “France Culture” last week. It’s a mostly diplomatic précis of AFD’s work, but it also gives some insights into how Rioux, who is organizing the Fourth Financing for Sustainable Development Summit in Spain next year, sees the current moment in international financial system reform — and not least the key role of China. “The Chinese will never fit in the framework of ODA [official development assistance], which was defined without them in the 1960s,” Rioux said. “In the 2000s, they had more wealth and considerably invested in the rest of the world. That’s finished today. There are net negative flows — i.e., Africans are paying back the Chinese. They don’t really invest anymore in Africa. I think we need to invent a new framework — we call it ‘solidarity and sustainability investment,’ beyond aid — in which the Chinese, if they wish and in good faith, can come and participate in international cooperation.” The full interview, in French, is here. Thanks are owed to my colleague Vince Chadwick for the translations. Long road. Toily Kurbanov, the executive coordinator of U.N. Volunteers, paid tribute on X last week to Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow, the Senegalese former head of UNESCO, who was an early advocate for more global south representation at the U.N. Kurbanov posted a letter apparently sent by M’Bow in 1980, complaining about the list of candidates for U.N. resident coordinators. “Only 12 of the 31 Resident Coordinators thus far proposed for assignment to Africa are from developing countries. Of these, only 5 are from Africa,” he writes in the letter. “In view of the great emphasis being given to the increased utilization of qualified personnel from developing countries, I believe that greater efforts should be made to improve this situation.” The letter is interesting, not least because it shows how far these conversations go back. ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. Up next The World Sustainable Development Summit, organized by the Energy and Resources Institute, will be held in Delhi this week, with a focus on leadership and climate. Join for sessions on “women-led green development,” financing sustainable development, and even a guided meditation. Feb. 7-9. GEF. The Global Environment Facility, the $5 billion multilateral funder of climate change and conservation projects, is holding the first of three council meetings this year. A big focus is on the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, which was launched last year but still needs to raise more money. Among other issues, the new fund’s resource allocation policy is expected to be approved. Feb. 5-9. + ICYMI, read one of our best-read Pro stories last year: How to tap the Global Environment Facility’s billions World Bank. The Center for Global Development is hosting a fireside chat with World Bank President Ajay Banga tomorrow. They’ll discuss “his progress [on revamping the bank’s work], the obstacles he’s confronting, and how he defines success.” Feb. 5. Pandemic financing. Another one from CGD, which has put together a panel to discuss the ongoing financing problem for pandemic preparedness. Speakers will put forward specific policy recommendations for governments and donors. Feb. 7. IHR amendments. On the subject of pandemic preparedness, the seventh meeting of the working group on amendments to the International Health Regulations also takes place this week.The group is working to strengthen the international agreement outlining member states' obligations in health emergencies, which was criticized for lacking teeth during the pandemic. This is the second to last meeting of the working group before the World Health Assembly, where member states are supposed to arrive at a consensus on how the world can better prepare and respond to global health threats. But much remains to be discussed and agreed. You can watch the meeting online. Feb 5-9. Pro top reads Catch up on some of the week’s most-read Pro stories: • Can Biden cement a foreign aid reform legacy? • The White House is rethinking grantmaking. What does it mean for aid? • Inadequate funding strains Africa CDC's growth. Moving on Patrick Tippoo, the head of science and innovation at South African pharmaceutical Biovac, retired last week. Tippoo is also executive director of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative, which he’ll also be stepping away from, with current chair William Ampofo taking up the role in his place. World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain is the new champion on protection from sexual exploitation for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, the high-level humanitarian coordination forum of the U.N. The JPB Foundation announced that Barbara Picower will step down as president this month, to be succeeded by Deepak Bhargava. U.N. communications veteran David Ohana has joined the U.N. Foundation as its new chief communications and marketing officer in Washington, D.C. Results for Development has added four new board members: Anuradha Gupta, president of global immunization at the Sabin Vaccine Institute; Jean-Paul Dossou, director of CERRHUD, a local R4D partner; Lola Adedokun, executive director of Aspen Global Innovators Group; and Lindsay Coates, adviser to the Re-Imagining the INGO Project. With these appointments, R4D says half of its board “now identify as proximate leaders, with significant ties to their lower- or middle-income country of origin.” Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has appointed Tanya Joseph as its new chair. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com.