February’s top reads: USAID top grantees and contractors, humanitarian aid in Ukraine, the future of work for globaldev

A look inside February's top-read Devex Pro stories. Photo by: USAID Kenya / CC BY-NC

February saw the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the immediate humanitarian emergency that followed. We analyzed the aid funding flows to Ukraine and will continue to cover this crisis closely.

We also reported on the top grantees and contractors of the U.S. Agency for International Development in 2021, and the future of work in our sector.

As part of our events program this month, we brought together leaders working on technology and innovation to advance global health at Prescription for Progress 2022, with an exclusive session for Pro subscribers on how to make a success of health-tech partnerships. Pro subscribers also participated in an event on how to future-proof an NGO business strategy.

Here’s a look at our top-read Devex Pro stories for February:

1. Who were USAID top grantees in 2021? Of the nearly $17 billion that USAID obligated through the assistance awards mechanism last year, $11.5 billion went to 20 organizations.

2. Who were USAID top contractors in 2021? Devex looked into the agency’s acquisition data to identify its top 50 contractors and how much they received.

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More than 1,000 thinkers, doers, change-makers, and expert practitioners will once again come together in person for this unique event on the global development calendar at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Pro subscribers can get a big discount on tickets.

3. The state of humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Before last week’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, aid workers warned that the resources needed to address a humanitarian crisis are far beyond those available. Our data team looked at levels of official development assistance flowing to Ukraine in 2021.

4. What does the future of work look like for development organizations? As we head into year three of the pandemic, many leaders of international development organizations across the globe are thinking hard about what the world of work will look like after the crisis. Are organizations going to return to the way things were, or will working practices be forever changed?

5. 'IDB Invest 2.0' strategy centers on mobilization of private capital. IDB Invest kicked off 2022 with a new strategy and a new model that focuses on increasing the mobilization of private sector capital. The new targets will be discussed at IDB’s annual meeting in March, following a strong push to reduce IDB Invest’s own investments and to focus on delivering impact, rather than money. What has the strategy accomplished so far?

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