President Donald Trump denounces U.S. foreign spending, the Dutch government steps up to fill funding gaps, and both the Global Fund and Adam Smith International start over in different ways. This week in development news.
The Dutch decide. The
"She Decides" campaign to replace lost funding after the U.S. government's reinstatement of the "global gag rule" has raised $190 million, led by the Dutch government. The funding, pledged by governments, private donors and foundations, will be divided between NGOs, the UNFPA and government development programs.
President Donald Trump denounced U.S. foreign spending in his address to Congress Tuesday, igniting further criticism from Democrats, senior figures in his own party and international development groups. Trump's proposed 37 percent cuts to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development are thought to offset significant increases to defense spending — something Tom Hart, ONE's executive director for North America, finds "alarming." Oxfam America Policy Director Gawain Kripke called the proposed cuts "unconscionable." The argument that sees foreign aid as a critical tool in the struggle to counter violent extremism at home and abroad doesn't seem to be yet holding much sway over the Trump administration.
Back to square one. The Board of the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is
restarting its search for a new executive director. The board was expected to choose a new leader from a field of three finalists on Monday but was unable "due to issues encountered in the recruitment process," according to a statement. As
Devex reported last week, a number of global health and development leaders had mixed feelings or were disappointed with the selection process because it hadn't generated candidates especially known for visionary global health leadership. Mark Dybul, the current executive director, will step down after four years on the job when his term ends May 31.
Adam Smith International is also starting over. The top aid contractor for the U.K. Department for International Development
has announced that four senior executives will step down and that the for-profit will move toward becoming a social enterprise. The major reforms follow investigations into misconduct. To start, the company will begin investing "a significant percentage of net earnings" in developing countries through a newly established foundation in a model resembling that of the social enterprise
Crown Agents. Outgoing Executive Chairman William Morrison told Devex: "We recognize that we have lessons to learn and that mistakes were made. And we have been working hard and making major changes to the company to address these problems."
What about tuberculosis? The World Health Organization's first ever list of priority antibiotic-resistant bacteria for research and development has drawn ire from TB advocates. Drug-resistant TB didn't make the list, which
names superbugs that cause deadly blood infections and pneumonia as top priority. WHO explained drug-resistant TB is not on the list because it's already being targeted by other programs. But in a release, the Stop TB Partnership called this an "inaccurate statement" with "significant implications for the manner in which we will fight TB and drug-resistant TB," adding that there are well-known gaps in research and innovation to rapidly detect and treat those afflicted with it.
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