Devex Podcasts

Confusion surrounding U.S. foreign assistance deepened this week as USAID reversed several program terminations—including life-saving food aid—just days after announcing them. The World Food Programme called the initial cuts a “death sentence for millions,” and organizations are now raising questions about data accuracy and decision-making inside the administration.

We also look at how European governments are quietly debating whether to fill the gaps left by U.S. cuts, and what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent podcast appearance reveals about the administration’s shifting aid priorities. 

To unpack these developments, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger is joined by Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene and Business Editor David Ainsworth for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters: https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Global Development Headlines

00:58 USAID Program Terminations and Confusion

09:06 Congressional Role and Future of Foreign Aid

12:24 PEPFAR and Bipartisan Support 

16:57 European Foreign Aid Dynamics

25:20 Marco Rubio's Perspective on Foreign Aid

The Trump administration formally informed Congress of its proposal to abolish USAID, merging key aspects of its operations into the State Department. This plan involves the complete shutdown of the agency and subsequent staff layoffs. Despite this, the U.S. government intends to preserve vital programs concerning humanitarian assistance, food security, and global health, potentially leading to the rehiring of some former USAID employees under the State Department.

This week we are also in Oxford, United Kingdom, at Skoll World Forum — the annual gathering for social entrepreneurs. We take a look at the key takeaways from the conference, where leaders from some of the world’s biggest foundations are calling philanthropists to step up and do more to help the nonprofit sector.

To explore these stories, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Business Editor David Ainsworth for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters:

https://www.devex.com/account/newsletters

Summary

Discover why "business as usual" fails in the world's toughest places. Viva Ona Bartkus sits down with Raj Kumar to reveal the counterintuitive tactics that unlock massive opportunities where others fear to tread. Learn why:

The most successful security strategy isn't higher walls – it's community ownership

How to turn "middlemen with guns" into business partners

Why Chinese companies are winning while Western firms hesitate

Plus: The radical partnership model that's transforming dangerous markets from Uganda to Colombia. Bartkus shares explosive insights from 15+ years working with multinationals, Special Forces, and local communities in conflict zones.

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Chapters

00:00

Embedding Business in Local Communities

01:53

The Journey to Frontline Markets

07:02

Understanding Market Dynamics

11:18

The Role of Middlemen in Local Economies

12:45

Security Through Community Engagement

16:14

The Next Round of Globalization

20:02

The Competitive Landscape of Global Investment

23:42

Collaboration Between Security and Development

25:28

Bridging the Gap Between Business and Humanitarian Efforts

28:41

The Role of ESG in Business Strategies

31:17

Adapting Business Models for Extractive Industries

36:43

The Future of Development Finance

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This week, the Trump administration released a detailed inventory of 5,341 discontinued USAID programs, alongside the 898 projects that are still active. We dig into the ins and outs of the data to assess the true scope of the government's policy changes, as well as reveal which programs have been most affected.

During the conversation, we also discussed how the Trump administration’s foreign policy is affecting U.N. agencies and their funding.

On the topic of the United Nations, the U.N. Arab Group, which represents the U.N.’s 22 Arab countries, has formally nominated Palestinian diplomat Riyad Mansour for the U.N. General Assembly presidency, setting the stage for a clash with the U.S. and Israel.

For the latest podcast episode, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger and Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch to discuss these stories and others.

NOTE ON THIS EPISODE: This podcast was recorded before the White House withdrew Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. U.S. President Donald Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social Thursday that he has asked her to step aside so Republicans could keep the majority in the House of Representatives and not risk giving up her seat.

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In this special episode of This Week in Global Development, Devex dives deeper into how climate change is driving increased gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work and the cutting-edge research that’s not only mapping its impacts but also improving our understanding of potential solutions.

Hear directly from Kathy Baughman McLeod, the founder and CEO of Climate Resilience for All, a global NGO dedicated to strengthening women's health and livelihoods in the face of climate-driven extreme heat, and Shikha Silliman Bhattacharjee, the head of research, policy, and innovation at human and labor rights organization Equidem, as they discuss how their research is helping to fill an increasingly urgent gap. In conversation with Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar, they also discuss how research can help document climate-driven GBVH in the world of work in a way that centers the lived experience of women workers.

This episode is sponsored by Funders Organized for Right in the Global Economy (FORGE).

Visit Women Rising — a new narrative series spotlighting the intersection of gender-based violence and harassment and climate change in the world of work.

This week we dig into the different proposals on how the Trump administration could reform foreign assistance. According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s post on the social media platform X, 1,000 programs will be retained, with plans to potentially fold USAID into the State Department.

We also learned that Peter Marocco, who acted as deputy administrator of USAID for 6 weeks, has officially left USAID but remains at the State Department. However, given that the two government bodies may be interlinked in the not-so-distant future, he may still play a role in the shaping of U.S. foreign aid.

With programs being canceled, reinstated, and canceled again, a great deal of uncertainty remains on what programs will be kept at the end of the process.

The Department of Government Efficiency has also taken over the U.S. Institute of Peace, which appears to be the first nonprofit Elon Musk’s agency attempted to breach.

What will become of USAID? Which foreign aid programs will be kept?

To unpack these stories, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

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This week a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay USAID partners for billions of dollars in foreign aid work completed before Feb. 13. The ruling also stated that the president does not have “unbounded power” in the realm of foreign affairs. This means that the U.S. government must spend the money that’s already been appropriated by Congress. We discuss whether this ruling will hold and what it will mean for U.S. foreign assistance.

We also analyze the potential effects of evolving U.S. foreign aid policies on the World Food Programme's fight against global hunger and contemplate whether philanthropy will fill the gap left by governments.

To dig into these stories, and others, Devex’s David Ainsworth sits down with Anna Gawel and Ayenat Mersie for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

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This week the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to not pay billions of dollars in foreign aid to USAID and State Department partners — lifting a temporary reprieve granted by Chief Justice John Roberts.

On the topic of USAID, the U.S. African Development Foundation mounted a direct challenge to the Trump administration. Wednesday saw USADF staff physically prevent Department of Government Efficiency officials from entering their offices.

Across the pond, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the shifting of billions in aid spending to fund a larger military. This means that the U.K.’s aid budget will be cut to just 0.3% of gross national income by 2027, despite a manifesto promise to increase this figure from 0.5% back to 0.7%.

To explore these stories and others, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with Deputy Managing Editor Fiona Zublin and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

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This week we closely followed the latest developments on the U.S. government’s attempt at dismantling USAID.

We learned that the Trump administration has decided to cut 1,600 USAID personnel based in the United States, while also placing nearly all direct hires worldwide on administrative leave by midnight Sunday.

Simultaneously, the Trump administration terminated nearly 10,000 foreign aid awards under USAID and the U.S. State Department, including those delivering critical humanitarian aid.

And following a contentious legal battle in the lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court paused a judge’s order forcing the government to pay $2 billion in frozen foreign aid, giving the Trump administration a temporary reprieve from the directive issued by a U.S. District Court.

What’s next for USAID and U.S. foreign assistance?

To take a look at the situation, Devex Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Senior Reporter Sara Jerving and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

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From refugee camps to Oxfam's helm, Danny Sriskandarajah has witnessed firsthand how real change can happen—not in boardrooms, but on streets and in communities. Drawing from his book "Power to the People," he challenges the development sector's top-down mindset by showcasing how citizen action, from anti-corruption movements to neighborhood repair cafes, creates lasting social transformation. In an era where just 3% of humanity lives in truly open societies, Sriskandarajah presents a compelling case for what he calls "the undergrowth": the vital networks of civic engagement that bypass traditional institutions to build solutions from the ground up. His message is both urgent and optimistic: in a world of climate crisis and democratic decline, our most powerful lever for change isn't waiting for permission—it's citizens reclaiming their power.