Trump’s approach to global health, and the latest from COP30
This week, we take a look at the details of the new template for bilateral agreements between the United States and partner governments, which sheds light on the ideas floating around the Trump administration on how it will engage with other countries when it comes to global health. However, experts are raising concerns around its implementation. In our update from COP30, we discuss the conference’s most important highlights, including the latest commitments and progress on scaling climate finance. We also investigate whether the meeting is living up to its designation as the “Implementation COP.”To dig into these stories, Devex Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Senior Reporter Sara Jerving and Global Development Reporter Ayenat Mersie, who is on the ground at COP30, for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. During the sponsored segment of This Week in Global Development, brought to you by Pivotal, Kate Warren sits down with Action for Women’s Health grantees Sabine Zink Bolonhini and Adriana Mallet Toueg, co-founders of SAS Brasil, whose leadership brings equity in healthcare by leveraging innovative solutions in access and care delivery. Learn more about the awardees.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.
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Special episode: Can AI safely support mental health?
In this special episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast, we dive into a fast-moving and timely question at the intersection of technology and health care: Can artificial intelligence safely support mental health? Hosted in partnership with PATH, Devex Senior Editor for Special Coverage Catherine Cheney speaks with Bilal Mateen, chief AI officer at PATH, Miranda Wolpert, director of mental health at Wellcome, and Christelna Reynecke, COO at the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, about the role AI can play in addressing the global mental health gap. Around the world, millions lack access to timely, quality mental health support, and AI tools could help extend care in ways previously out of reach. But the risks are real. We’ve already seen some unregulated tools cross into treatment claims, blur regulatory lines, and, in rare but tragic cases, cause harm. This episode explores both sides: The promise of AI to expand access and the safeguards, standards, and oversight required to make that promise real, without leaving patients to absorb the risk.To hear more, listen to this conversation with Bilal Mateen, Christelna Reynecke, and Miranda Wolpert for the This Week in Global Development podcast.
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On the ground at COP30: The latest on climate finance and deciphering the jargon
This week we are on the ground at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP30, in Belém, Brazil, where the intense heat and daily thunderstorms offer an “immersive experience” of the climate crisis right at the conference’s doorstep. In this episode, hosted by Devex Executive Vice President and Executive Editor Kate Warren, reporters Ayenat Mersie and Jesse Chase-Lubitz highlight the key talking points at the conference, including the latest on the loss and damage fund and how multilateral development banks are financing climate action. We also decipher the jargon around climate action for our global development audience, breaking down key acronyms such as NDCs and the controversial new investment fund, TFFF.The sponsored segment of the conversation is brought to you by Pivotal and its Action for Women’s Health initiative to discuss innovations shaping the future of women’s health.In this episode, Devex Senior Editor Catherine Cheney sits down with recently awarded grantee, Serah Joy Malaba, co-CEO of Tiko, whose leadership is deeply rooted in personal experience, fueling her commitment to ensure girls have the best chance for success. Learn more about the awardees and explore the content series — starting at the 12:37 mark.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.
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Special episode: Innovation in Action - Scaling Climate Solutions from the Ground Up
In this week’s special episode of the This week in global development podcast, filmed at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and hosted in partnership with CropLife International, we explore the expanding role of agricultural innovation — including advances in plant science, crop protection, biotechnology, and digital and precision tools — in helping farmers adapt to climate stress and maintain productivity. Devex Executive Editor Kate Warren speaks with Laurie Goodwin, vice president of public affairs and communications at CropLife International, about how innovation and open trade can work together to build climate-resilient food systems. The episode also introduces a new practical guide that compiles global examples of policy approaches that strengthen sustainable agricultural growth and support climate, productivity, and resilience goals. Across the discussion, the importance of collaboration among governments, the private sector, and farmers is emphasized as essential for delivering measurable on-the-ground outcomes — not only at COP30, but across the wider set of global forums connecting climate, trade, and food security agendas.To hear more, listen to this conversation with Laurie Goodwin on this special podcast episode of This Week in Global Development.
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After 2025’s ‘seismic’ shock, what’s next for development and aid?
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s Humanitarian and Resilience Investing Initiative’s Frontier Markets Impact Meeting in Geneva, Devex teamed up with Radio Davos for a special podcast episode. The conversation was cohosted by Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar and Radio Davos host Robin Pomeroy.Driven by shrinking government aid and escalating global needs, the global development sector is facing serious financing headwinds — a financial shock wave comparable to the 2008 crisis. These changes are fundamentally altering the global development architecture, forcing a pivot away from reliance on official development assistance. To maintain progress, the discussion highlighted the crucial need to mobilize private capital and build trust-based, sustainable financial systems.To explore these critical shifts, they sat down with Carla Haddad Mardini, director of UNICEF's private fundraising and partnerships, and Julienne Oyler, CEO of Inkomoko.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.
Dive into the week's most critical global development news with the This Week in Global Development podcast. In each episode, hosts Adva Saldinger, David Ainsworth, and Rumbi Chakamba break down major headlines and invite leading experts for insightful analysis. Get up-to-date on news regarding foreign aid, humanitarian crises, the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, finance, philanthropy, climate, food systems, global health, and stay informed on the latest trends and policy changes shaping global development.Episodes are published every Friday and can also be watched on YouTube.Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@devexSign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters
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