Devex Pro Weekender: Red Cross’ controversial choice, and USAID’s space raid

Jan. 7, 2024 Hello and happy Sunday, Pro readers! Welcome back to a brand new year of Devex Pro. We already have a lot of exciting plans in the works for our members, kicking off with a look at the trends that will shape global development in the year ahead, led by Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar. He’ll be doing an “ask me anything” discussion on Wednesday, so sign up now to jump-start your work in 2024. This week I’m also bringing you a look at the key moments to keep your eyes on over the next 12 months. Keep reading for that, plus your regular insider tidbits. It’s been a couple of weeks since our last Weekender and there’s a lot to catch up on, so strap in for a special bumper edition. Also in today’s edition: The Red Cross makes a controversial choice, Poland’s World Bank spat, and how USAID keeps poaching from NASA. Jessica Abrahams Editor, Devex Pro Bits and pieces Red flags? In the final Weekender of 2023, I brought you news that the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had elected a new president during a dramatic meeting of the general assembly, after its former president stepped down amid controversy over his political role in Italy. Well, now the International Committee of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (a separate but related organization) has a new leader too, in Pierre Krähenbühl. Krähenbühl has 25 years of experience with ICRC but has also seen his share of controversy. He stepped down from a previous role as head of UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, back in 2019 amid accusations of mismanagement, including an alleged affair with an employee. Krähenbühl denied the allegations but his appointment is not without its critics. Gaza aid. Tomorrow, Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands will take up the post of senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, a new role that follows the passing of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2720 in December. Kaag will be responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and verifying humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza and will also establish a U.N. mechanism to accelerate that relief. She is seen as an experienced diplomat with solid experience in the Middle East; she most recently served as a minister in the Dutch government but previously worked for UNRWA and UNICEF. Interestingly, she’s married to Anis al-Qaq, a former Palestinian Authority minister who served under Yasser Arafat. Al-Qaq later co-founded the International Forum for Peace, which aims to promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Kaag quit politics just months ago due to a “toxic” political environment in the Netherlands that had seen threats made against her family. She is now well and truly reentering the fray. Space raiders. Less than a month ago, I noted that USAID had a new director for acquisition and assistance, Jami Rodgers, who joined from NASA. Now, the aid agency has done it again, nabbing NASA’s inspector general. Paul Martin joined USAID last week to lead oversight of its foreign assistance. Notably, he’ll work with inspectors at the State Department and Pentagon to review U.S. aid to Ukraine and investigate allegations of waste and fraud — work that’s seen as important to maintaining fragile political support for aid to Ukraine in U.S. Congress right now. Core strength? Sean Penn’s disaster relief charity CORE Response is facing a $20 million budget deficit and laid off 28 staff members at the end of 2023, according to internal documents seen by Bloomberg. CORE told employees that layoffs were necessary to reverse the deficit and “ensure CORE’s ongoing operations beyond 2024.” It comes after some corporate sponsors reportedly cut or reviewed their support for the organization over allegations of mismanagement, as the charity struggled to cope with rapid growth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokesperson insisted the organization was in a “strong financial position” and that it has “restructured to flourish in 2024 and beyond.” On trial. Finally, as many of you will have seen by now, last week brought the news that Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus was sentenced to jail in Bangladesh, along with a group of colleagues, on what his supporters say are trumped-up politically motivated charges. The 83-year-old was released on bail, pending appeals, but is facing a litany of further charges. Amnesty described the sentence as “a form of political retaliation for his work and dissent,” while One Young World, where he has served as a counselor, said it was “extremely disappointed by the unjust verdict.” ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. In memoriam HIV expert Adaora Adimora died last week at the age of 67. Adimora was a Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, and a member of the International AIDS Society’s governing council. In a statement, the university described her work investigating the epidemiology of HIV as “groundbreaking.” “Adaora Adimora’s passing is a tremendous loss for us all and especially for the most marginalized whose needs and concerns she championed throughout her career,” wrote IAS President Sharon Lewin. “A distinguished researcher and powerful voice for global health equity has left us.” New year, new job? Your Devex Pro membership includes access to the world’s largest global development job board. Here are some of the latest executive-level opportunities to inspire your next job search: • Vice president, Office of Investment Funds, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (USA) • CEO, Saferworld (UK) • Executive director, African Economic Research Consortium (Kenya) • Head of communications, HALO Trust (USA) Check out more high-level openings. You can filter for your location and area of expertise. Up next in 2024 To help you prepare for the year ahead, here are five key events to keep your eyes on. 1. World Health Assembly. The governing body of the World Health Organization meets every May, but this year there are some key issues on the table. Most importantly, the result of lengthy — and controversial — negotiations on a pandemic treaty that would shape the world’s response to the next disease outbreak will be considered. Lost track of the discussions? My colleague Jenny Lei Ravelo has you covered. Questions about WHO’s funding situation will also likely take center stage, including a potential first pledging event for the U.N. health agency. 2. Summit of the Future. The U.N. General Assembly in September will be accompanied by a summit to “forge a new global consensus on what our future should look like, and how we can secure it.” It’s intended to codify U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ blueprint for U.N. reform, known formally as “Our Common Agenda” — but it’s not been without controversy, as some global south countries fear it could detract attention from the Sustainable Development Goals. Like it or not, the event is happening and could be significant for the future of the U.N. 3. World Bank meetings. October sees another annual event that holds particular relevance this year as the discussion around multilateral development bank reform heats up — watch out for an explainer on the state of play with the World Bank reform plan, coming soon. Aside from that, there’s the launch of the next International Development Association replenishment, which World Bank President Ajay Banga says he wants to be “the largest of all time” — not to mention the meetings are taking place just weeks before a U.S. election that could have significant knock-on effects for the bank. 4. US election. This year has been dubbed an electoral “super year,” with more than half of the world’s population heading to the polls. But few of these will have such global significance as the U.S. presidential election in November. As it looks increasingly likely that incumbent Joe Biden will face off against former President Donald Trump, there’ll be a lot at stake for aid — from the future of PEPFAR to sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate commitments, and the role of the U.S. in multilateral institutions. 5. COP 29. The next U.N. climate summit in December is in Azerbaijan — the third year in a row that COP is taking place in a major oil-producing country, and one with a poor record on human rights, which will undoubtedly be a key point of concern for activists. Top of the agenda for the negotiations themselves is the need to agree on a new, more ambitious climate finance target. Read more on the events that will shape the year in global development, exclusively for Pro members. Moving on Poland's new government dismissed the country's representative to the World Bank in late December, sparking a dispute over which institution has the right to make appointments to the role. Jacek Kurski was closely linked to the former ruling party and had been picked by the country’s central bank in 2022. But after a new coalition government came to power in December, it overruled the appointment, announcing that “the finance minister [Andrzej Domański] will be Poland's representative in international financial institutions, including the World Bank.” So, Kurski’s out, and Domański’s in. Guillaume Grosso has left Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, after more than a decade to start as deputy executive managing director at CGIAR. Eduard Molnar has taken over Grosso's role as acting director for sovereign and private sector engagement, donor relations, and campaigns. Helga Fogstad is now director of the UNICEF health program. She was previously executive director of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Rania Dagash-Kamara of Sudan was appointed assistant executive director of partnerships and resource mobilization at the World Food Programme. International Youth Foundation President and CEO Susan Reichle has announced that she will leave the organization in spring 2024, after seven years at the helm. The position is now open for applications. Àdúràgbèmí Banke-Thomas is now deputy director of the Centre for Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive, & Child Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Banke-Thomas, an associate professor at LSHTM, will serve in the role alongside Debra Jackson and Rebecca Sear. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com.