Devex Pro Weekender: USAID’s empty offices, and Gates Foundation’s new hub

It ain’t popular, but USAID Administrator Samantha Power’s push to get staff back to the office seems to have gotten the job done. USAID is the federal agency with the highest building occupancy rate, according to an interim report from the Public Buildings Reform Board (at least among the 23 agencies they reviewed). However, Power’s back-to-office policy hasn’t gone down well with everyone. “Kinda wish we were at the bottom of the list,” one staffer who doesn’t like their commute told Devex. The thing is, despite being at the top of the list, USAID is still using just 26% of its space inside the Ronald Reagan Building. And as the PBRB report notes, that’s a big waste of money: “Billions of dollars are being expended on buildings that should be disposed of given the new normal of low occupancy. The solution is relatively simple, but Congressional and Executive Branch leadership are urgently needed to change course.” Coming up: Our next Leader Roundtable will focus on the revolutionary ideas that are changing the way philanthropy is done — from trust-based to collaborative giving — and how philanthropists are engaging with ideas such as localization and decolonization. Join us on May 13. Also in today’s edition: New Gaza aid envoy, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announces a surprising new regional office, and a brave move from the EU ambassador to Ghana. Jessica Abrahams Editor, Devex Pro Bits and pieces Lise Grande was named as the new U.S. special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues — essentially, Biden’s humanitarian coordinator for Gaza; the role was only created after the Oct. 7 attack and subsequent outbreak of war. She’ll replace David Satterfield, who’s been in the role for just six months — albeit six tough ones. Grande most recently served as president of the U.S. Institute of Peace but also has extensive experience leading U.N. operations in the Middle East. Some media reported that the reason for the change is a new legal requirement for special envoys to be confirmed by the Senate after 180 days in post. Let the games begin. Can somebody check on the EU ambassador to Ghana? At the time of writing, Irchad Ramiandrasoa Razaaly was about to step into the boxing ring with three-time world champion Azumah Nelson, to promote youth empowerment through sports. I have to say, Razaaly was looking impressive in the promo video, which you can watch here. And they’re not the only ones getting ready to show off their sporting prowess. If you’re a regular reader of the Weekender, you might know that Devex’s U.K. Correspondent Rob Merrick moonlights as captain of Lobby XI — a soccer team made up of political journalists who regularly face down U.K. civil servants, and sometimes even politicians, on the pitch at some personal risk. This week, though, something a bit different is happening. A charity match for SportsAid will see them go head-to-head with a team of current and ex-members of Parliament — including International Rescue Committee CEO David Miliband. He’s a surprise entrant given that he left politics, and also the U.K., more than a decade ago. But Miliband is such a big football fan that his personal email address reportedly references English soccer club Arsenal. He also used to play regularly for a Downing Street team in the 1990s — called Demon Eyes, after an infamous Tory attack ad — but he’s not been spotted on a soccer pitch for a long, long time. Pressure’s on for his big return. Gates goes to Riyadh. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is opening a new regional office in Riyadh to implement a partnership with Saudi Arabia aimed at eradicating polio and reducing poverty across the Islamic Development Bank countries. It comes after Saudi Arabia pledged $620 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and other global health initiatives, including the Lives and Livelihoods Fund. Gates will also work with the government on disease surveillance and polio vaccination for the Hajj and various other projects. The new office will open in the Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City, a snazzy new area dedicated to housing MBS’ youth-focused Misk Foundation and the social impact ecosystem around it, and comes with a partnership agreement with Misk. Jeremy Youde, an expert in global health politics at the University of Minnesota, said the agreement could be “really significant” for polio vaccination efforts and “could also better integrate Saudi Arabia into the global health governance system.” He noted the announcement “may also raise some eyebrows, though, given Saudi Arabia's human rights record,” and that critics might perceive it as “health-washing.” There are also “potential reputational effects” for Gates, he warned. “Will its more extensive involvement with the Saudi government lead others to question [its] own commitments to human rights and gender equity?” A Gates spokesperson said: “We believe that tackling some of the world’s toughest challenges in a sustainable way requires partnerships between philanthropy, nonprofits, the private sector, and governments all over the world.” Time for a stir. Girish Menon is stepping down as CEO of STiR Education after three and a half years in the role, “in order to make way for new leadership,” according to a release. Two senior members of the team — Jenny Willmott and John McIntosh — will be stepping up as interim co-CEOs, as more NGOs begin to adopt co-leadership models (though it’s not clear if this will be a permanent arrangement). STiR works on behavior change within education systems in Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, and Uganda and has expanded its work under the leadership of Menon, a former CEO of ActionAid UK. In a LinkedIn post, he said he is still deciding what comes next. ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. Also moving on Denis Mukwege, the Congolese doctor who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, is the newest member of The Elders, a group of former state leaders and Nobel laureates who work together on peace and justice. Aminatou Sar, previously West Africa hub director at PATH, has been appointed U.N. resident coordinator in Benin. Merrick Schaefer is the new director of the Center for Innovation and Impact in USAID’s global health bureau, having spent the past few years as a senior digital health adviser there. The African Development Bank has appointed Tunisian diplomat Jalel Trabelsi to serve as special envoy for the Middle East, North Africa, and Gulf region. Anwar Khan, a co-founder of Islamic Relief USA, is leaving the organization after three decades. His adviser May Hassoon is also leaving the organization. Duncan Green is leaving Oxfam GB after 20 years, first as head of research and then as senior strategic adviser. He shared some reflections on his time there. Jane Gotiangco has started as vice president of strategic communications at Global Communities. She is the former head of global strategic communications at Chemonics International. Alasdair Harris is moving on from his role as executive director of Blue Ventures, a community-focused ocean conservation organization, to join the new Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance, a philanthropic coalition. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com. Hot jobs Devex Talent Solutions is currently seeking applicants for some fantastic high-level opportunities. If you’re looking for a new challenge, check out the openings below — or find even more on our job board. • Director of Development at the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Washington, D.C. • Senior Programme Management Officer of UN PAGE at the United Nations Environment Programme in Geneva. • Senior Economist, Research and Development Impact at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing. Find out more about Devex Talent Solutions’ executive search experience. Up next The Africa Women Summit — which, as you might expect, focuses on women’s empowerment in Africa — is heading to Nairobi. This year’s theme is women’s health and will explore innovative solutions to the barriers that prevent African women from getting equal access to health care and that hinder their well-being. If you need any more incentive to attend the conference, there is a “tour of Kenya” included in the program — no further details are provided but there’s a photo of a giraffe. May 8-10. UN Civil Society Conference. Also in Nairobi, the event this week offers civil society organizations the chance to present their perspective on September’s U.N. Summit of the Future. That includes ways to make it more inclusive and to start building coalitions around the Pact for the Future that is expected to be agreed at the summit. May 9-10. The Africa Climate Action Roundtable is bringing together a whole host of players this week, with the aim of establishing a Pan-African Climate Action Task Force and improving coordination on climate action across the continent. May 7-8.