Anthony Kamande still remembers the aid-funded polio vaccine he received at his Kenyan school at the age of eight. As such transformational aid is abruptly pulled across Africa, local governments cannot plug the gap, he says – much as we would like them to. Without a turnaround in aid policies, much of the continent faces a bleak future of surging health inequalities and rising poverty.
Why the UK must take a bold stance against global attacks on women’s rights
Amid a worldwide backlash against women’s rights, and after its own aid cuts that further threaten those rights, it has never been more urgent for the UK government to speak up loudly for global gender equality, says the Gender and Development Network.
Leadership in a global aid meltdown – top tips from 25 people who know
Duncan Green shares some advice from humanitarian leaders in this bleak time for the sector – including talk more often to staff and partners, “watch the fog closely” and “don’t blabber” – and offers a couple of thoughts of his own. This post is taken from his new blog about activism, influencing and change, hosted by the LSE, which we’ll sharing highlights from here.
‘It feels like a more innocent time for Oxfam and for our belief in progress’: looking back on Make Poverty History
Twenty years after he watched Nelson Mandela’s rousing launch speech in Trafalgar Square, Dominic Vickers reflects on the impact of the landmark Make Poverty History campaign for trade justice, debt relief and better aid – and wonders if a new generation can take up the cause again.
Public engagement with aid: What do we know from 10 years of research?
How do you persuade more people in rich countries to back increased funding for international development? Duncan Green on insights from the Development Engagement Lab
We worked so hard to win the climate loss and damage fund. But will it be an empty bucket?
One hundred days after COP27, Juliet Suliwa Kasito looks back on the hard road to winning a loss and damage fund. Now, she says, campaigners must confront their next big challenge: pushing rich countries to put enough cash in.
Four things the new UK Prime Minister must do to show she is serious about tackling poverty
Sam Nadel on Liz Truss’s to-do list – and how you can demand action
Gambling on development: why I’m (mostly) convinced by Stefan Dercon’s big idea
Duncan Green reviews a provocative new book, which argues that countries’ economic progress depends on a ‘bargain’ struck by the elite to push for growth and development
The UK’s new development strategy shows it’s in the midst of an identity crisis
Despite warm words about doing ‘what works’ for the world’s poorest, there are worrying elements in this new strategy, says Sam Nadel – including what looks like a shift towards aid for trade
They were promised a fair share of power and resources… so why are local humanitarian actors still waiting?
In May 2016, at the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit, world leaders, humanitarian actors and the UN pledged to share power and resources with the local, front-line organisations who are critical to saving lives in humanitarian crises. Five years later, have they delivered on their commitments? The answer, unambiguously, is no. The Istanbul summit promised to “empower national and local humanitarian …