This Week in Global Development

In our landmark 150th episode, we discuss a common theme in global development over the past 18 months: the state of U.S. foreign aid. We’re seeing the State Department steadily replenish its workforce, with dozens of open roles across the agency’s global health, international aid, and disaster response bureaus.

On the topic of U.S. foreign assistance, last week Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the U.S. remains the world's top aid provider "by far" despite the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development. While provisional figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicate that Germany has officially overtaken the U.S. for the top spot, we find that the reality is more complex as the validity of the claim hinges entirely on how "aid" is defined. We break down the data and the nuance behind the figures.

To discuss these stories, and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Business Editor David Ainsworth and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for episode number 150 of our weekly podcast series.

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At this year’s annual meeting of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Riga, Latvia, discussions centered on a critical structural shift: what development finance should look like in an age of persistent volatility. Ukraine is increasingly shaping the answer, as the bank’s sustained financing during the war emerges as a potential blueprint for future conflicts.

We were also on the ground for the World Bank Fragility Forum, an event uniting global stakeholders to address the challenges of operating in areas experiencing fragility, conflict, and violence. The deteriorating situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo emerged as a central discussion point. Highlighting the complexity of aid delivery in active conflict zones, the governor of the DRC’s South Kivu province issued a stark call to withhold funding for development projects until baseline peace and stability are secured.

Examining the Trump administration’s “America First” foreign policy, we also contemplate how to ensure that domestic resource mobilization becomes an effective way to increase development finance.

To dig into these stories and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Global Development Reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

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This week, we unpack the latest on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. With no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo species driving the spread, we dive into the race to develop a vaccine and the critical funding shortfalls standing in the way. While pledges have been made, much of that support has yet to reach those affected on the ground.

We also discuss the congressional hearings on Trump’s fiscal year 2027 foreign affairs budget request, which featured a debate on the Ebola crisis. With this being the first outbreak since the dismantling of USAID, we break down the United States’ approach to the health emergency.

To dig into these stories and others, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Reporters Sara Jerving and Michael Igoe for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

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In this episode, we look back at the conferences we reported from over the past few weeks, reflecting on how global development narratives are evolving across both the global north and the global south.

With traditional donors stepping back, the African Development Bank is using its annual meetings to urge governments to fix tax inefficiencies and better mobilize domestic resources to drive sustainable economic development.

We found similar themes at the OECD’s Future of Development Co-Operation conference in Paris and the Global Partnerships Conference in London, where unlocking private capital and prioritizing country-led development emerged as key talking points.

To analyze these trends, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with Business Editor David Ainsworth and Global Development Reporter Ayenat Mersie for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

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Filmed live from Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, this episode of This Week in Global Development delves into the critical debates unfolding on the ground in Geneva. That includes the tense atmosphere following the World Health Organization’s rare decision to proclaim a global health emergency over the latest Ebola outbreak, mounting fears regarding the virus tracking into dense urban centers, and how containment efforts are hindered by strict funding restrictions that leave the vast majority of voluntary budgets tied up.

The discussion also looks at the highly anticipated — yet heavily criticized — joint strategy to reform global health infrastructure, capturing the frustration of analysts who feel the plan avoids essential conversations about institutional mergers. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering for the next WHO director-general selection enters the conversation as well, along with the complex legislative hurdles facing the African Medicines Agency as it strives to secure pharmaceutical independence across the continent.

During the sponsored segment of the podcast, brought to you by PATH, Devex Executive Vice President and co-founder Alan Robbins sits down with Dr. Melanie Saville, PATH’s Chief Scientific Officer, to discuss why diagnostics must move from being viewed as a recurring cost to being funded as essential global health infrastructure.