In our final episode of 2025, we discuss a tumultuous year in U.S. foreign assistance. It has not always been clear who is calling the shots in the new world of U.S. development funding, but we break down who we believe are the key players in this moment of uncertainty.

We are also seeing that the State Department is rebuilding its workforce, and across the world, positions are opening up to fill the gaps created by the obliteration of the U.S. Agency for International Development. It’s all part of a messy scramble to reassemble the staff needed to oversee billions in foreign aid — and the first visible sign of a system trying to piece itself back together.

To piece together these emerging clues about the future, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Senior Reporter Michael Igoe and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.

During the sponsored segment of This Week in Global Development, Devex's Kate Warren speaks with Terre des Hommes Netherlands' Asia regional director about the organization's commitment to creating systemic change to address the root causes of child exploitation, as well as the importance of a multi-stakeholder protection ecosystem.

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