Humanitarian cowboys, untied aid, and the future of Dutch aid

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Is the era of the “humanitarian cowboy” over? This week, Devex contributor Lauren Evans wrote a piece analyzing what’s become of this common aid worker stereotype — often a charismatic, risk-taking white male who moves from one disaster or conflict zone to the next — and whether, in the era of localization, there’s still room for them in the humanitarian space.

As part of Devex Pro week — a week of in-depth analyses and conversations for our Pro members — Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth is looking into the concept of “tied aid,” and the extent to which countries still principally fund their own NGOs. While some countries, like the United Kingdom, have made tied aid illegal, in many cases there are rules and regulations that continue to make it prohibitively difficult for global south organizations to access funding directly.

The Netherlands has a new far-right minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, Reinette Klever, who is charged with overseeing aid cuts worth billions of euros in the next few years. Many worry this is part of a growing trend among global north countries as right-wing parties and rhetoric make their way into mainstream politics.

Tune into the latest episode of our weekly podcast to hear David Ainsworth along with Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar and Nasra Ismail, U.S enterprise executive director at Alight, discuss these stories and more.