Devex Pro Weekender: ONE’s new CEO, and a UN food fight

The ONE Campaign has a new president and CEO: Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli will be joining the organization in April, becoming its first African-born leader. “An organization that focuses on Africa should be led by an African, that’s always been our dream,” says ONE co-founder Bono. Nwuneli is a food systems expert who has founded several organizations, including LEAP Africa, and championed the role of the private sector in food systems reform. But she’s taking over at a fragile time for ONE. Several long-time members of its leadership team have recently stepped down — including former CEO Gayle Smith, former President Tom Hart, and Bono himself, who left the board of directors at the end of last year. The organization is also undergoing a strategic shift and laying off 30% of its staff. Although it cited a “challenging financial environment” as the cause, a source tells Devex that it also wanted to narrow its priorities, with a particular focus on mobilizing finance for Africa — a perfect fit for Nwuneli’s expertise. At a Devex roundtable discussion with Black leaders in global development last week, Aaron Williams, former director of the Peace Corps, said more organizations should be “looking for talent in the global south to take on these jobs,” describing the appointment as a “spectacular hire.” Separately, the roundtable panelists also noted that Black professionals are often tapped to take over leadership positions at turbulent moments for organizations, which can put them in a difficult spot. Coming up: We have two exciting events for you this week! On Wednesday, join us for a conversation with U.S. Rep. French Hill, focusing on multilateral development bank reform. And on Thursday, we’re hosting an expert panel on the future of U.K. aid, including the potential impact of the next election. Keep in touch: I’m pleased to say that Devex is now officially on Telegram and WhatsApp! Join our channels, if you haven’t yet, to receive updates on the latest global development news directly to your mobile device. Also in today’s edition: The U.N. official who got caught in a food fight, a heated debate over trust-based philanthropy breaks out on LinkedIn, and Save the Children U.K.’s chief executive heads for a career pivot. Jessica Abrahams Editor, Devex Pro Bits and pieces Champion squared. Kenyan President William Ruto is the African Union’s new “Champion for Institutional Reform,” taking over from Rwandan President Paul Kagame as the organization pursues extensive reforms to make it more effective. While in the role, Kagame had criticized the controversial appointment of Jean Kaseya as head of Africa CDC, saying the recruitment process was nontransparent. Ruto’s going to be extremely busy since he was also appointed as the African Union’s champion for local manufacturing of medical products last week. Talk about trust. When Kevin Starr, CEO of the Mulago Foundation, wrote a letter to The Economist in response to an article on trust-based philanthropy, he argued that it was missing a key point — the need for impact accountability. "If ‘no strings’ grant-making does not include accountability for impact, it will simply be a way to waste more money faster,” he wrote. The letter sparked quite a discussion when he posted it on LinkedIn last week. Some people supported his points but it divided opinion. “Trust Based Philanthropy is NOT no strings,” replied Lori Bezahler, president of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation. “Rather, it is about making the strings pull in both directions. Accountability is mutual,” she said — a comment with which Girish Menon, former CEO of ActionAid UK, enthusiastically agreed. “WHAT do we mean by impact and WHO gets to decide what impact ‘matters’?” added Catherine García, director of program initiatives and learning at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Meanwhile, Natalie Bridgeman Fields, founder of Accountability Counsel, had a different kind of accountability on her mind, noting that Mulago — like most foundations — still does not have a mechanism for people who are adversely affected by the projects it funds to file a grievance. That should be the first priority, she said. Food fight. Gwen Hines, chief executive of Save the Children UK, departed for pastures new last week. Hines is turning her attention to garden plant conservation as the new chief executive of Plant Heritage. It’s a change of scene for Hines, who previously served as director of international relations at the U.K. Department for International Development and as the U.K.’s executive director at the World Bank. “I’ve reached a point in my life when I want new experiences and if I don’t make this happen in my 50s, I never will,” she said. As she reflected on her 27 years in global development and child rights, she recalled exhausting jet-set itineraries and strange encounters with VIPs. One incident in particular stood out: The time her toddler got into a food fight with the U.N.’s former under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Stephen O’Brien. It was a one-sided battle, she hastened to add — although now I think about it, she didn’t specify which was the warring party. ADB dance. Last but not least, staff at the Asian Development Bank headquarters in Manila got down to dance last week when Filipino American rapper Apl.de.Ap (that’s pronounced Apple-dee-app, for the uninitiated) turned up to perform in their auditorium. The Black Eyed Peas star was invited by the U.S. executive director to the ADB, Chantale Wong, and was there to discuss a potential partnership with his Apl.de.Ap Foundation International, which supports children. Check out the show. ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. Pro must-reads Catch up on some of the most popular stories of the week, exclusively for Devex Pro members. • What will be on the COP 29 agenda? Here are 7 issues to watch. • What's stopping USAID from localizing? • How Germany is cutting billions from foreign aid. Up next UNEA-6. The sixth U.N. Environment Assembly this week is focusing on the connections between three environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Check out our cheat sheet on the key issues to watch. Feb. 26-March 1. WTO. There’s a lot on the agenda at the World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi this week. That includes possible discussions about the prioritization of the development agenda within WTO, such as strengthening “special and differential treatment” for developing economies and ensuring a smooth transition process for countries that are graduating out of least-developed country status. Feb. 26-29. Localization. The global development sector has been talking about localization for years, so what’s the holdup? The think tank ODI is hosting an event this week on that question. My colleague Dave Ainsworth also took a deep dive this week into the roadblocks at USAID. Feb. 28. The new Gavi. This is a pivotal year for vaccine alliance Gavi as it formulates a new strategy to inform its next investment case and replenishment cycle, and a new CEO takes the helm. What are the challenges on the horizon? And how can it overcome them to ensure it keeps delivering results? This discussion at the Center for Global Development focuses on how the organization can maximize its impact and remain fit for purpose in an evolving global landscape. Feb. 29. Fragility Forum. The World Bank’s Fragility Forum is back, and this year it’s focusing on innovation in a volatile world. The three-day conference is organized around several core themes: learning from experience, fostering resilience, addressing fragility and conflict in middle-income countries, and the role of the private sector. Feb. 27-29. Moving on Former State Department spokesperson Ned Price will be the next deputy to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Patrick L. Osewe, director of the human and social development sector office at ADB, retired at the end of last week. Mohamed Malick Fall is the new U.N. resident coordinator in Nigeria. Olajide Idris is the new director general of Nigeria CDC. He’s a former health commissioner for Lagos and most recently served as medical director at FHS Medical Consulting. Ellen Agler is moving on from the END Fund, where she has served as CEO for 12 years. She’ll be joining a startup focused on leadership development and social change. COO Diana Benton Schechter is stepping in as Interim CEO. Patrick Webb, a food systems expert and professor at Tufts University, has joined USAID as chief nutritionist. Jonathan Papoulidis has shifted to a new role within Food for the Hungry, Inc., now serving as vice president, external engagement. Patrick Kasiama is joining Africa CDC as an adviser in digital health, artificial intelligence, and IT. He previously worked as a senior technical adviser at the Clinton Health Access Initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo under Jean Kaseya, who is now Africa CDC's director general. Emil Morell is joining Plan International as senior project manager in Kenya. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com.