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Devex Podcasts

Devex Podcasts

Devex 327 Episodes Aug 20, 2026

Devex is the world's leading independent news organization covering global development. Their podcasts explore topics such as aid, health, and international development, featuring interviews with experts and analysis of key issues. The show aims to inform and engage professionals in the development community.

Episodes

This Week in Global Dev: #158: Famine reporting goes dark in 3 crisis zones, and COP31’s critical test
This Week in Global Dev: #158: Famine reporting goes dark in 3 crisis zones, and COP31’s critical test Aug 20, 2026 00:28:41 Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen, three of the world’s most hunger-prone nations, were removed from the latest reporting by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network — a U.S.-based data and monitoring system which tracks hunger levels across the globe. The move leaves aid organizations supporting these countries in the dark, even though all three have seen an escalation in humanitarian needs. It’s
Theory of Change: #10: Is impact investing due for a reckoning?
Theory of Change: #10: Is impact investing due for a reckoning? Aug 18, 2026 00:53:10 Twenty-five years ago, when Jacqueline Novogratz founded the impact investing nonprofit Acumen, she still had to prove that markets and entrepreneurship could work for people living in poverty — and help lift them out of it. In the years since, that has moved from a relatively fringe approach to fighting poverty, to the center of global development efforts. Development finance institutions, phila
This Week in Global Dev: #157: Inside the State Department's pivot to faith-based organizations
This Week in Global Dev: #157: Inside the State Department's pivot to faith-based organizations Aug 13, 2026 00:29:13 In this episode of This Week in Global Development, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Reporters Michael Igoe and Sara Jerving to discuss the U.S. State Department’s announcement to allocate nearly $2 billion to partnerships with faith-based and community organizations providing global health and humanitarian aid. It is the largest funding package of its kind in over two decad
Special edition: Are jobs for youth development's silver bullet?
Special edition: Are jobs for youth development's silver bullet? Aug 12, 2026 00:41:31 In this week’s special edition episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast, sponsored by the International Youth Foundation and the Caterpillar Foundation, we examine how shifting labor markets, automation, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the job landscape, leaving millions of young people out of work even as employers face widespread skill shortages. We’re joined by Christina
Theory of Change: #9: Mark Dybul says this was never the plan for PEPFAR
Theory of Change: #9: Mark Dybul says this was never the plan for PEPFAR Aug 11, 2026 01:26:35 For over two decades, the U.S. government has been a lynchpin in the global fight against HIV, pouring billions of dollars into treatment, prevention, and health systems strengthening through initiatives like the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. Then came Elon Musk, the foreign aid freeze, and a disruptive set of reforms to U.S. global health programs under President Do
This Week in Global Dev: #156: Tracking the real-world impacts of US foreign aid cuts
This Week in Global Dev: #156: Tracking the real-world impacts of US foreign aid cuts Jul 29, 2026 00:36:24 This week, we discuss The Aid Report, a project supported by a media grant from the Gates Foundation to track the real-world impacts of U.S. foreign aid cuts. Over the past couple of months, the initiative has documented more than 1,000 verified impacts across multiple countries and sectors. We examine the major trends and surprises that emerged, discuss what lessons policymakers and donors ca
Theory of Change: #8: How Kakenya Ntaiya turned pain into progress
Theory of Change: #8: How Kakenya Ntaiya turned pain into progress Jul 28, 2026 01:02:32 Philanthropists and global development donors have made a lot of promises about supporting local leaders and community-based organizations. But their insistence on finding scalable models might be getting in the way of a simpler achievement: helping people. Kakenya Ntaiya is a one-woman case study in persistence. As a girl in southwestern Kenya, she underwent the traditional Masaai practice of
This Week in Global Dev: #155: The new era of US and European foreign assistance
This Week in Global Dev: #155: The new era of US and European foreign assistance Jul 22, 2026 00:30:20 This week we look back at the last 18 months of U.S. foreign assistance — a period defined by the dismantling of USAID and the absorption of foreign aid strategy into the State Department. We break down the types of initiatives the Trump administration is prioritizing and where the funding is flowing. On the other side of the Atlantic, the European Union is currently in the process of negotiating
Theory of Change: #7: Jim Richardson believes we can still agree about US foreign aid
Theory of Change: #7: Jim Richardson believes we can still agree about US foreign aid Jul 21, 2026 01:13:03 U.S. foreign aid advocacy groups are soul-searching in the wake of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and deep cuts to U.S. foreign assistance. Bipartisan support for U.S. aid programs crumbled quickly in the face of Elon Musk’s attack on the agency via the Department of Government Efficiency, and USAID’s legacy is now viewed through a starkly
This Week in Global Dev: #154: Turning World Cup hype into impact and governing AI for good
This Week in Global Dev: #154: Turning World Cup hype into impact and governing AI for good Jul 16, 2026 00:32:00 With the FIFA World Cup entering its final week, we explore how NGOs operating in participating nations can leverage the tournament’s spotlight to advance their work. While tournament hype is notoriously fleeting, we break down how NGOs can translate a short-term spike in curiosity into sustained long-term impact. We also discuss our key takeaways from the United Nations’ Global Dialogue for AI G
Theory of Change: #6: Ebere Okereke believes global health is about power
Theory of Change: #6: Ebere Okereke believes global health is about power Jul 14, 2026 01:29:55 Global health is entering a period of profound upheaval. As governments reassess foreign aid, donors rethink decades-old models, and African leaders push for greater ownership of their health systems, one question looms over the sector: Who should hold the power to shape global health? Dr. Ebere Okereke is a prominent voice in that conversation. She joins Theory of Change for a wide-ranging conve
This Week in Global Dev: #153: Uncertainty over UNAIDS’ future and avoiding sexual abuse in Ebola response
This Week in Global Dev: #153: Uncertainty over UNAIDS’ future and avoiding sexual abuse in Ebola response Jul 9, 2026 00:33:47 With uncertainty lingering over its future, we discuss a new UNAIDS interim report outlining potential pathways forward — including further downsizing the secretariat, turning it into a U.N.-hosted hub, or merging it with another health entity. During the conversation, we explore UNAIDS’ alternative suggestions, as well as how this imminent transition fits into the wider restructuring of the globa

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