Germany’s €1B push into Africa
As Germany rolls out programs under its €1 billion Development Investment Fund for Africa, the country’s development strategy for Africa is finally coming into focus — and it looks a lot like private sector growth. Most of the fund is dedicated to easing the entrance of German businesses into African markets or helping African businesses grow. […]
Complete World Health Summit 2019 coverage
All of my coverage from the 2019 World Health Summit: Can the Global Action Plan for Health breathe life back into SDG3? The many challenges of tackling substandard or falsified medicines Q&A: The ups and downs of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme
The conference challenging western ideas on development
At the Rhodes Forum, disagreement is the goal. The annual dialogue on the Greek island pulls together several hundred business leaders, academics, and the occasional head of state to debate key geopolitical issues that range from whether new institutions are needed to shape the global order, to the ongoing trade war between the United States […]
The World Food Prize is courting the private sector. What could go wrong?
“Our goal is to be the Davos of global food of global agriculture,” Kenneth Quinn, the president of the World Food Prize Foundation, told Devex. “To bring the intellectual firepower together around where do we go, what are the innovations, how will they impact and affect the poorest developing countries.” Critics, who warn that the […]
Should governments see health care as an ‘investment’?
Leaders of the global health architecture frame health funding as a capital investment. It is central to their case for domestic financing for universal health coverage — the idea that now dominates the global health agenda. There are questions about the implications of positioning health financing as an investment, including whether that approach aligns with […]
Germany, foreign aid and the elusive 0.7%
In 2016, Germany became the world’s second-largest aid donor by volume — but as the country grapples with its new role as a development leader, the debate over the future of its aid budget is far from settled. Civil society groups have complained a small budget increase for 2020 and the failure to commit to […]
Complete EAT Stockholm Food Forum coverage
All of my coverage from the 2019 EAT Stockholm Food Forum: Can the EAT-Lancet diet work for the global south? Who will invest in sustainable food for the ‘real world’?
What’s behind PEPFAR’s funding cut threats?
As it wraps up its latest funding round, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is prepared to introduce unprecedented cuts to country programs in sub-Saharan Africa, designed to spur domestic policy changes and programmatic improvements. Observers warn that if enacted, the cuts could undermine advances those countries have made against the HIV epidemic, particularly among […]
The activists trying to decolonize public health
Decolonizing global health can mean reversing the immediate legacies of colonialism, including the lack of investments in health systems and robust research institutions in former colonies. But it can also mean dismantling “global health,” a term that often stands in for the system of international institutions and donors that govern the public health agenda and […]
Civil society leans on Europe to ensure accountability at AIIB
Researchers claim the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is prioritizing efficiency over rigorous and independent monitoring. As AIIB moves forward with its own large-scale infrastructure projects, activists warn there could be severe consequences for marginalized groups and the environment, with little opportunity for redress. Read more.