Think Change: Recent Episodes
ODI
Podcasts ODI - an independent, global think tank. In this show we discuss some of the world’s most pressing global issues with a variety of experts and commentators.
Find out more by visiting the ODI website: www.odi.org.
This episode of Think Change explores the growing environmental footprint of artificial intelligence – from rising energy demand and emissions to the vast quantities of water needed to power and cool the data centres behind today’s AI revolution.
As Europe experiences another summer of record-breaking heat, devastating wildfires and growing water stress, the race to develop and deploy AI raises urgent questions about how we balance technological progress with climate goals. Can the environmental costs of AI be managed? And who bears the burden when new technologies increase pressure on already stretched resources?
The conversation looks beyond technology alone to the governance challenges shaping AI’s future: who sets the rules, whose interests are prioritised, and how we can ensure that AI development supports rather than deepens existing inequalities.
Recorded during London Climate Action Week, the episode brings together perspectives on energy systems, climate policy and international cooperation to ask what it will take to build an AI future that is innovative, sustainable and fair.
Guests:
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Divij Joshi, Research Fellow, ODI Global
- Joaquim Levy, former Finance Minister of Brazil and a Commissioner of the Future of Development Cooperation Coalition
- Fiona Macklin, Head of Climate, Apolitical
Related resources
- AI’s climate consequences: why AI governance needs to confront climate injustice
- The Paris AI Summit: is geopolitical rivalry derailing AI governance?
- The environmental risks of generative AI: why better global governance is urgently needed
- Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025
Following Andy Burnham’s appointment as Britain's Prime Minister, there is renewed interest in what some have described as ‘Manchesterism’ – a political philosophy rooted in place, economic renewal and the belief that national prosperity begins with strong local communities.
But if this approach were to shape government thinking, what could it mean beyond Britain’s borders?
This episode explores whether a place-based politics could shift Britain’s foreign policy. Would international engagement be judged less by Britain’s global status and more by whether it delivers prosperity and security for communities at home? Could trade, diplomacy and development become tools of regional renewal?
Any new government would also inherit profound constraints. With pressure to increase defence spending, sluggish economic growth and difficult choices over taxation and public services, how would a Manchesterist approach balance competing priorities? What role would overseas development assistance play? And what happens to Britain’s soft power if resources become increasingly scarce?
More broadly, does Britain need a different organising principle for foreign policy in an era where domestic resilience and international engagement are becoming increasingly intertwined?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Roli Ashtana, Senior Advisor, ODI Global & Senior Research Associate at South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
- Laura Chappell, Associate director for international policy, IPPR
- Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director, Protection Approaches
Related resources
- Burnham, Manchesterism and the return of place in foreign policy (LSE blog, by Roli Ashtana)
- Navigating trade-offs in the global economy: A framework for a world between orders (Report, IPPR)
Across the world, a familiar story is being retold with striking success: that stagnant wages, housing crises and crumbling public services are the fault of migrants and outsiders - not the billionaires and global systems quietly getting richer. It's a story reshaping elections, hardening divisions, and in some places, fuelling violence.
In this episode of Think Change, Sara Pantuliano is joined by Dimi Reider (Othering and Belonging Institute / Shared Futures Institute), Tania Cheung, Libby Lenkinski and Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou to ask: why do stories so often beat facts? Why has fact-checking failed to stop divisive narratives from taking hold? And what would it actually take to build a competing story - one rooted in justice and redistribution, not nostalgia for a status quo that wasn't working either?
The conversation ranges from the mechanics of how harmful narratives spread, to what's breaking down in how NGOs and philanthropy communicate, to where power, money and attention need to shift if progressive narratives are ever going to compete.
Guests:
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Tania Cheung, Head of the Shifting the Power Programme at Comic Relief
- Dimi Reider, journalist, policy analyst and facilitator at the Othering and Belonging Institute and Shared Futures Institute
- Libby Lenkinski, Founding President of Albi
- Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director Politics and Governance, ODI Global
Related resources:
- Building Narratives for Change: where culture strategy meets policy (Event recording, ODI Global)
- ODI Global Strategy, 2026-2031
- Shifting Narratives: From Aid to Agency Shifting the Power Comms Lab Report (Report, Comic Relief)
Our first episode of Think Change, recorded in March 2022 just after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, explored how disinformation was shaping narratives around a fast-moving conflict. We asked who was producing it, how it spread through digital platforms, and how it influenced public understanding of war in real time.
Three years on, to mark our 100th episode, we return to these same questions – which have become pivotal to understanding not only conflicts around the world but also international politics.
Information has become a battleground. Trust in institutions and the media is waning. And AI is transforming how narratives are created, amplified, contested – often faster than we can make sense of them.
In this special episode, leading commentators and thinkers reflect on what has changed since our first episode, and what happens to a society when its members can no longer agree on what is true.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Global (Think Change host)
- Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent
- Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, Former UN diplomat & Former President of the Open Society Foundations
- Ksenia Iliuk, Co-founder, LetsData
Related resources
- Disinformation and the Russia-Ukraine War (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- A war on many fronts: disinformation around the Russia-Ukraine war (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Has AI ushered in an existential crisis of trust in democracy? (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Digital Societies Hub (ODI Global)
The first-ever International Peacebuilding Week, which will run from 22-26 June, comes at a critical moment. Violent conflict is becoming more protracted, global cooperation is under strain, and climate shocks, displacement and weak institutions are compounding risks in some of the world's most fragile settings.
Can a dedicated week for peacebuilding help shift the conversation from crisis response to long-term investment in peace?
In this Think Change episode, guests discuss what it will take to turn renewed attention into meaningful action.
Together, they explore the politics of peacebuilding, the importance of accountability, the growing links between climate and conflict, and why countries most affected by fragility must be at the centre of shaping solutions.
As calls for accountability grow in conflicts, including Gaza and Sudan, the conversation asks whether International Peacebuilding Week can become more than a forum for discussion and help build a truly global movement for peace.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support, Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
- Michael Keating, Executive Director, European Institute of Peace
- Habib Ur Rehman Mayar, Deputy General Secretary, g7+ Secretariat
- Mauricio Vazquez, Head of Policy, ODI Global Risks and Resilience programme
Related resources
- What can – and can’t – the private sector deliver for climate action in fragile states? (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Transforming research practices in fragile and conflict contexts: insights from those working on the frontline (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Building resilience in complex and conflict settings (ODI Global)
- The Summit of the Future – how can we build peaceful societies in a fragmented world? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
Multilateral development banks (MDBs) are under growing pressure to prove their relevance in a world where development finance is becoming increasingly fragmented, financing needs are rising, and fiscal space is tightening across many countries.
Governments are asking these institutions to deliver more finance, more quickly, and with greater efficiency and impact. MDBs are also in the middle of a far-reaching reform agenda – driven through successive G20 presidencies and shareholder processes – aimed at strengthening their financial capacity, improving coordination, and making operations faster and more effective.
However, despite this momentum for reform, a central question remains: what is actually changing for the countries these institutions exist to serve?
This episode of Think Change explores that question through the findings of ODI Global’s latest MDB client survey, drawing on the views of nearly 650 government officials across 125 countries.
Guests examine how client countries assess MDB performance across financing, policy advice, delivery speed, coordination and project quality, and whether reforms agreed in recent years are translating into meaningful operational change.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Anna Bjerde, Managing Director for Operations at the World Bank
- Annalisa Prizzon, Principal Research Fellow at ODI Global
- José Antonio Ocampo, Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and former Minister of Finance of the Government of Colombia
Related resources
- Reforming multilateral development banks: perspectives from client countries
- Maximising operational effectiveness and impact: key priorities for multilateral development banks
- Are MDBs becoming ‘better’ institutions for their clients? Early insights from the 2025 survey of clients of multilateral development banks
At a moment of fiscal constraint and growing geopolitical fragmentation, international development is being reshaped in real time. This episode of Think Change explores the shift from aid to investment and the growing emphasis on partnerships across governments, development finance institutions, philanthropy, and the private sector.
Recorded alongside the Global Partnerships Conference, we bring together four of the conference chairs to answer the following question: are we seeing a meaningful transformation in how global development cooperation works, or a repackaging of existing approaches under tighter constraints?
With the UK increasingly positioning itself as “thinking like an investor, not a donor,” the conversation also explores what this shift signals politically – about the future direction of development policy, the role of the state, and who ultimately shapes development priorities.
From mobilising private capital at scale to aligning climate and development goals in frontier markets, the conversation unpacks what it will take to deliver impact in an era defined as much by constraint as by ambition.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Kate Hampton, CEO, The Children's Investment Fund Foundation
- Leslie Maasdorp, CEO, British International Investment (BII)
- Melinda Bohannon, Director General – Global Issues, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
- Maropene Ramokgopa, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Republic of South Africa
Related resources
- Centre for Private Finance in Development (ODI Global)
- What’s really “in it” for private investors in emerging markets? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- Five ways European governments can support greater private capital mobilisation to low- and middle-income countries (Expert comment, ODI Global)
Recorded at the Women Deliver conference, this episode of Think Change – produced in partnership with GWL Voices – sets out the stakes for gender equality and multilateralism at a moment of deep geopolitical strain, and asks what the race for the next UN Secretary-General reveals about both.
Recent rollbacks on gender rights and climate action are not isolated. They are part of a broader political project that mobilises “traditional values” and divisive narratives to hold onto power, weaken accountability and challenge universal rights.
These dynamics are playing out not only within states, but inside multilateral institutions themselves – and they are already shaping the race for the next UN Secretary-General.
As the selection process begins, the question is not only who leads the UN, but what kind of leadership is politically possible. Campaigns like 1 for 8 Billion, supported by ODI Global, are calling for a more transparent, inclusive and merit-based process, and for Member States to nominate women candidates.
But this is not a neutral contest. It is a deeply political one.
We are already seeing how gender is being weaponised within it, with opposition to candidates framed through ideological lines, including attacks on candidates who support rights-based positions on abortion and women’s autonomy.
In this episode, we explore how these dynamics are playing out and whether feminist leadership offers not just a normative vision, but a practical strategy for rebuilding legitimacy, resisting backlash and making multilateralism work in a more contested world.
The video recording of this episode is now available on our website and on YouTube.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Cristina Gallach, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information
- Kate Gilmore, Former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
Related resources
- Inside the global backlash (Resources hub, ODI Global)
- Advancing gender rights at the Human Rights Council in times of backlash (Report, ODI Global)
- How women's movements lead demands for democracy in the face of backlash and politicised religion (Report, ODI Global)
For years, food systems transformation has been guided by shared global visions, grounded in the idea that sustainable food production and consumption are essential to a resilient, healthy and equitable future. But progress has stalled – and in some places it’s even gone into reverse.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), around 673 million people faced hunger in 2024. More than 2.3 billion experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, and 2.6 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet.
As global cooperation fragments and geopolitical tensions reshape national priorities, food systems are increasingly governed less by shared global visions such as the Sustainable Development Goals, and more by power, security, trade and finance.
In this episode of Think Change, senior leaders examine what this shift means for the future of food systems governance, exploring who shapes the rules, how competing political priorities are redefining cooperation, and what choices will determine resilience, equity and sustainability in the decade ahead.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, President & CEO, the ONE Campaign
- Maryam Rezaei, Food systems lead, Research Fellow, ODI Global
- Anna Taylor, CEO, The Food Foundation
Related resources
- Five forces reshaping food systems in 2026 (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Politics, power, and the slow march to just agrifood systems (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Healthy islands and islanders: towards a new paradigm for integrating climate change, food security and nutrition in Small Island Developing States (Policy brief, ODI Global)
Mobilising private capital has become central to development finance and to the future of the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) itself. In this episode of Think Change, we unpack what private capital mobilisation actually means in practice, and why it has become such a defining measure of success.
We explore the pressures facing the IFC, the changing expectations of global and institutional investors, and what’s really “in it” for the private sector as well as for development outcomes in emerging markets.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano, (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Alfonso García Mora, Vice President for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)
- Nazmeera Moola, Chief Commercial Officer, Private Markets at Ninety One
- Martin Koehring, ODI Principal Research Fellow and Head of the Centre for Private Finance in Development
How do wars actually end, and what does it take to make peace lasting and just? What lessons has the world still not learned about how wars end?
In collaboration with Conciliation Resources, this episode reflects on what past conflicts can teach us about the pathways out of war, what current wars might tell us about the limits and possibilities of peacemaking today, and how peace processes can be designed to be not only durable but also just and inclusive.
Looking ahead, we ask: in a world of increasing geopolitical tension and fragmented global governance, how might wars end in the future, and what role can civil society, diplomacy and public engagement play in making peace possible?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Founder and CEO, International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN)
- Jonathan Cohen, Executive Director, Conciliation Resources
- Claire Hajaj, Executive Director, Inter Mediate
- Jago Salmon, Principal Policy Fellow, ODI Global
This episode is dedicated to Nicholas “Fink” Haysom – a close friend and an extraordinary figure in global peacebuilding.
Over a lifetime of service, Haysom played a pivotal role in some of the world’s most complex conflicts, from supporting Nelson Mandela during South Africa’s democratic transition to leading UN missions and peace processes across Burundi, Sudan, Sri Lanka and beyond. He was widely respected not only for his expertise, but for his integrity, humility, and deep commitment to dialogue as a path to lasting peace.
For those who knew him, his loss is deeply personal. This episode honours his legacy and the values he lived by, and reflects on the responsibility to carry that work forward.
Across many countries, legislative strategies are increasingly being used to roll back hard-won rights related to gender and bodily autonomy.
This International Women's Day, we're asking: what can be done at national and multilateral levels to resist further erosion of sexual and reproductive rights worldwide?
This episode explores the political and ideological forces behind the growing politicisation of Women's Sexual Health and Reproductive rights, the weaponisation of gender issues globally.
Building on new evidence on efforts to undermine safe abortion - Sierra Leone, efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights in Kenya, and initiatives to reverse the ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia - we examine the narratives that allow these agendas to gain traction and the role our institutions play in safeguarding rights.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Global (host)
- Aatif Somji, Senior Research Officer, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion ODI Global
- Satang Nabaneh, Director of Programs for the Human Rights Center at the University of Dayton, and Member of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
- Maria Antonieta Alcalde Castro, Incoming Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation
Related resources
Navigating the politics of backlash: women's rights and repealing the FGM ban in The Gambia (Working Paper, ODI Global)
Think Change episode 85: Algorithms and online misogyny – how do we fix a system built to harm women? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
Research series: Navigating the politics of backlash to sexual & reproductive rights (Research series, ODI Global)
Why is abundant global capital is not translating into stronger productive investment, and what role the G20 can play in shaping a more resilient and sustainable capital flows framework in an increasingly fragmented global economy?
Global finance has demonstrated considerable resilience despite persistent economic uncertainty, geopolitical tension and worsening debt dynamics. Capital flows and investment remain central to economic performance - particularly in emerging and developing economies.
Yet assets held by non-bank financial institutions have expanded rapidly, reaching an estimated US$250 trillion, around 400% of GDP in advanced economies. At the same time, real investment as a share of GDP across many emerging and advanced economies has stagnated or declined since the 2008 global financial crisis.
Persistent frictions, coordination failures and mispriced risk continue to constrain capital mobilisation for productivity-enhancing investment. Closing this gap is critical for long-term growth and sustainable development.
If capital is abundant, why is productive investment lagging? And in an increasingly fragmented global economy, what role can the G20 play in shaping a more resilient and sustainable capital flows framework?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Ali Cakiroglou, Director of Emerging Markets Research, HSBC
- Marcello Carvalho, Former Global Chief Economist, BNP Paribas
- Phyllis Papadavid, Senior Research Fellow, International Economic Development Group, ODI Global
Related resources
- Towards a G20 framework for capital flows to EMDEs: informing the UK Presidency (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- The case for a G20 liquidity shield amid geoeconomic fragmentation (Expert comment, ODI Global)
Europe is again confronting war on its continent at a moment when old assumptions and rules about security are breaking down. Alliances feel less certain, deterrence less predictable, and responsibility more contested.
Military-first, state-centric models of security are dominating the debate. But this narrow view doesn't capture the overlapping risks shaping the world Europe now faces – from conflicts and humanitarian crises to climate stress, tech disruption and deepening trust between major powers.
Rearmament alone isn't enough. Social cohesion, energy security, resilience and political legitimacy are just as central to what security looks like in practice.
In this episode, our guests explore how security should be redefined – who bears responsibility, how risks are understood, and what must change in policies and institutions if Europe is to navigate a more complex and contested world.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Benedetta Berti, Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
- Ingeborg Denissen, Deputy Director of Security Policy, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Dora Meredith, Director, ODI Europe
Related resources
- The security we need: rebalancing military spending for a sustainable and peaceful future (Event video recording, ODI Global)
- How is Ukraine redefining global security? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- Read more about ODI Europe
A year into Trump’s second term, guests examine how India, China, Russia and other big powers are recalibrating strategies in a shifting global order.
2026 has already been marked by significant geopolitical upheaval. US military intervention in Latin America points to a wider trend: the return of a world order shaped by hard power, where rules and international law are increasingly sidelined.
The international landscape is rapidly evolving. But how are other major powers responding? How is this impacting international financial markets?
This episode explores how India, China, Russia and other big powers are changing their strategies in response to this new phase of US foreign policy. Moving beyond the usual focus of what’s happening in Washington, D.C., it examines the perspectives of other key regions and how these shifts are redefining their economic interests, and defence and security agendas.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- H.E. Fatafehi Fakafānua, The Prime Minister of Tonga
- Mr. Manish Singh, Chief Investment Officer Cross Bridge Capital
- Dr Rebecca Nadin, Director of Global Risks and Resilience and The Centre for Geopolitics of Global Change at ODI Global
Related resources
- Trump’s Monroe Doctrine 2.0 redefines great power competition in the Americas - now it's Beijing's move (Insight, ODI Global)
- The year ahead in global risks: foresight for a world in transition 2026 (Insight, ODI Global)
- The Centre for Geopolitics of Global Change (ODI Global)
- The Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (ODI Global)
As global leaders gather in Davos later this month amid shrinking aid budgets and hardening geopolitical priorities, development finance is being recast through the language of investment – raising urgent questions about who shapes this new model, who carries the risk, and who benefits.
Development finance is entering a period of profound transition. Traditional aid models are under strain, squeezed by fiscal pressure, political fragmentation and shifting global priorities. In their place, investment-led approaches, from impact investing and blended finance to philanthropic capital and deeper private sector engagement, are gaining prominence as the future of development.
In this episode of Think Change, we examine what this shift looks like in practice. How is capital being deployed across Africa and other emerging markets? What role do micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play in translating finance into inclusive growth? And how viable is the move from grants to risk-tolerant investment in fragile and underserved contexts?
Experts discuss where impact investing is delivering real outcomes, where expectations may be overstated, and how power, incentives and accountability are shifting as development increasingly speaks the language of capital.
As Davos conversations turn towards mobilising private finance and redefining global cooperation, the episode asks whether investment genuinely deepen development, rather than simply reshaping it in the image of existing markets.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Amit Bouri, Co-Founder and CEO, Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)
- Neil Gregory, Senior Advisor to ODI Global's Centre for Private Finance in Development
- Dorothy Nyambi, President and CEO, Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA)
Related resources
- IRIS+
- Impact Principles
- Impact Investor Survey
After a year of extraordinary upheaval, this special episode looks ahead to the forces set to shape 2026. From deep aid cuts and accelerating AI to renewed geopolitical tension, political violence and humanitarian catastrophe, guests explore what a fractured global landscape means for democracy, development and the future of international cooperation.
2025 has tested the resilience of the international system. Aid budgets have been slashed, debt pressures have mounted across low-income countries, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence have outpaced political and regulatory responses. At the same time, political violence, democratic backsliding and public dissent have intensified while humanitarian crises and genocide continue to expose the limits of existing multilateral responses.
Against this backdrop, global power is fragmenting as supply chains are being reshaped, economic nationalism is on the rise, and geopolitical competition is increasingly defining how states engage with one another.
Tune in as we explore how dynamics of technological disruption, economic stress and geopolitical realignment are redefining cooperation and what realistic shifts could help strengthen global governance and collective action as we move into 2026.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Comfort Ero, CEO, Crisis Group
- Sir Vince Cable, Former Secretary of State for Business and Trade and Distinguished Fellow, ODI Global
- Dr. Urvashi Aneja, Founder, Digital Futures Lab
Related resources
- Donors In A Post-Aid World December 2025 update
- Think Change episode 61: what trends will shape 2025?
- How geopolitical fragmentation is reshaping finance for emerging markets
After one of the most challenging years for the humanitarian system, Sudan offers both a stark warning and a source of new thinking. This episode of Think Change examines how local actors are reshaping aid around solidarity, dignity and community leadership.
Sudan’s crisis is unfolding at an extraordinarily difficult moment. Since violence escalated in April 2023, state institutions have collapsed, essential services have disappeared and millions have been displaced. Yet despite the scale of suffering, the conflict has remained one of the world’s least visible, receiving minimal political attention and limited media coverage.
But as formal systems fell away, communities themselves stepped forward. Mutual aid networks – most prominently the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs) – have grown out of Sudan’s long history of neighbourhood organising and now play a central role in protecting civilians, coordinating life-saving assistance and sustaining basic services. Operating as volunteers with scarce resources, they have become the only functioning governance structures in many areas.
At the same time, global recognition of their efforts is growing. The ERRs’ innovation and courage have earned nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in both 2024 and 2025, highlighting not only the impact of their work but also the larger challenge they pose to international actors: to reconsider power, legitimacy and the role of civic leadership when states can no longer function.
With Sudan’s future hanging in the balance, the questions are urgent. What does genuine locally led leadership look like in a moment of institutional collapse? How can global actors support community-driven resilience without undermining it? And what might the ERRs’ example mean for the future of humanitarian action worldwide?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Alsanosi Adam, External Communications Coordinator for the Emergency Response Rooms of Sudan
- Luka Biong Deng, Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Peace, Development and Security Studies; Former National Minister of Cabinet Affairs of Sudan & Minister in the Office of the President of South Sudan
- Denise Brown, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sudan
- Freddie Carver, Director, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI Global
Related resources
- From 'ego-systems' to 'ecosystems': renewing humanitarian action(Publication, ODI Global)
- ODI Global and NEAR's advisory panel on the future of humanitarian action
- ODI Global's Sudan resources hub
Online misogyny is becoming a defining feature of digital life, amplified by algorithms and enabled by platforms that fail to protect users. As violence against women intensifies across online spaces, the stakes for gender equality and for democracy itself have never been higher.
Violence online is surging at a moment when digital spaces should be becoming more inclusive. Algorithms reward outrage, platform design obscures abuse, and hostile online communities allow those who target women to organise and radicalise. As a result, violence that begins online increasingly spills into public life.
But the consequences go far beyond individual harm. Abuse aimed at women in politics is already deterring them from seeking re-election, while global progress on gender equality is slowing. With governments struggling to regulate fast-moving platforms and profit incentives working against user safety, digital spaces are becoming sites where exclusion is reproduced at scale.
With the stakes rising, the questions are pressing. What is driving this rapid escalation in online misogyny? How are design choices and political inaction enabling it? And what would it take to turn digital spaces into environments that strengthen equality rather than deepen exclusion?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Sasha Havlicek, CEO & Founder, Institute for strategic dialogue
- Seyi Akiwowo, Author, How To Stay Safe Online and Founder 21/20 Studios
- Diana Jiménez Rodriguez, Senior Research Officer, ODI Global
Related resources
- Hidden in plain sight: how the infrastructure of social media shapes gender norms | ALIGN Platform
- Digital sexual violence against women in Mexico: role of the Olimpia Law in transforming underlying gender norms | ALIGN Platform
- Social media, violence and gender norms: the need for a new digital social contract | ALIGN Platform
- Drivers of tech-facilitated GBV in Mexico: A behavioural research study in Oaxaca and Estado of México | ALIGN Platform
- Why online safety policies and digital advocacy are essential for women’s political participation | ALIGN Platform
- Break the bias to challenge gender norms on social media | ODI Global
World leaders are heading to the Amazonian city of Belém this month for COP30, as Brazil aims to deliver the most consequential climate summit in years.
This year’s negotiations come at a difficult moment. Concerns around trade relations and national security are dominating the political landscape, whilst a resurgence of disinformation has also pushed climate to take a back seat.
But every five years, the Paris Agreement compels nations to reveal their progress and ambition. Brazil’s COP30 Presidency is expected to launch a landmark plan to mobilise $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for low-income countries, while negotiators refine how to measure adaptation goals and resilience. At the same time, a rising wave of anti-environment and anti-gender movements threatens to undermine global commitments.
With the world’s biggest emitters under scrutiny, the questions are urgent. What does real success look like in Belém? Can climate ambition survive amid political headwinds? And how can global diplomacy steer the transition toward a fairer, more resilient world?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Ehsan Masood, Bureau Chief, Africa and Middle East, Nature
- Helen Mountford, CEO, ClimateWorks Foundation
- Sinead Walsh, Principal Research Fellow ODI Global
Related resources
- ODI Global at COP30 (Resources hub, ODI Global)
- Country Platforms (Project, ODI Global)
- From Washington to Belém and beyond: a new era for climate finance (Expert comment, ODI Global)
This episode examines the shifting landscape of Palestenian statehood as recognition spreads and new peace initiatives test the future of governance and diplomacy.
Momentum around Palestinian self-determination is building. Following a landmark summit chaired by Saudi Arabia and France on the margins of last month's UN general Assembly, the UK formally recognised Palestine, with nine other countries soon following suit. At the same time, Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for Gaza, proposing a “Board of Peace” led by Tony Blair to oversee governance, demilitarisation and reconstruction.
With recognition spreading and new peace initiatives on the table, some welcomed, others highly contested - the questions are urgent: What do these developments mean for Palestinian statehood? How can governance be structured to support stability, rights, and accountability? And what is the role of international diplomacy in shaping a just and lasting peace in the region?
Guests:
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Nimer Sultany, Reader in Public Law, SOAS University of London
- Nomi Bar-Yaacov, international negotiator, arbitrator and mediator
- Sultan Barakat, Professor in Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Related resources:
- Gaza and the 'day after' – international protection for reconstruction (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Israel-Gaza crisis(Our topics, ODI Global)
- Stop the siege, stop the starvation – political gestures won't save Gaza (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Political economy: an antidote to outrage on Gaza (Expert comment, ODI Global)
- Three key takeaways from UNGA 80 (Expert comment, ODI Global)
This episode examines the evolving role of philanthropy in shaping global development cooperation at a time when official aid is under strain.
According to the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad), global official development assistance (ODA) hit a record $223.7 billion in 2023. But many governments are cutting back under pressure from debt, Covid recovery, and domestic priorities.
At the same time, needs are exploding: climate adaptation could cost $300 billion a year by 2030, and low-income countries already spend more on debt than on health and education combined.
Philanthropy is being called to step up. But what should that look like? Beyond filling gaps, can foundations help reshape systems themselves – and do so with accountability and long-term impact?
Guests ask what lessons we can take from the Gates Foundation's bold decision to double its annual spending – with a plan to disburse $200 billion over 20 years before closing down. Could it spark a new model of North-South cooperation?
We hear how philanthropy can complement shrinking aid flows, address structural inequalities, and respond to emerging challenges – from climate shocks to pandemics to debt crises in the Global South.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Alice Albright, Former Chief Executive Officer, Millennium Challenge Corporation
- Gargee Ghosh, President, Global Policy & Advocacy, Gates Foundation
- Alexia Latortue, ODI Global Board Member & Former Assistant Secretary for International Trade and Development, US Treasury Department
Related resources
- Donors in a Post-Aid World (Project, ODI Global)
- What’s next for global cooperation? (Event video, ODI Global)
- Can multilateralism be saved? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- The case for development in 2025: exploring new narratives for aid in the context of the EU’s new strategic agenda (Report, ODI Global)
- The future of aid (Resources hub, ODI Global)
- Climate-responsive social protection: A primer for philanthropy (Report, ODI Global)
From the suffragette movement and the fight against apartheid to today’s campaigns for climate justice and Palestine, what defines legitimate protest? And who gets to decide?
This episode explores the contested politics of protest through history. We examine what happens when legal and political channels for change are blocked, and how states respond when protest challenges entrenched power.
As politicians celebrate historic acts of civil disobedience while criminalising modern movements, we ask: who gets to decide what counts as legitimate protest – and how will history judge us?
Helen Pankhurst CBE, Chancellor of University of Suffolk and great grand-daughter of iconic suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, discusses what we can learn from shifting attitudes to protest movements over time. We hear from Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK Sacha Deshmukh, who explains why proscribing Palestine Action sets a dangerous precedent for criminalising peaceful protest. And Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou (Director of Politics and Governance programme, ODI Global) assesses how definitions of 'protest' are shaping grassroots movements globally.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive, Amnesty International UK
- Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director of Politics and Governance programme, ODI Global
- Helen Pankhurst CBE, Chancellor of University of Suffolk; Convenor of Centenary Action and Advisor to CARE International
The 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) is under way at a time when the UN faces existential challenges.
Established 80 years ago to safeguard peace, foster cooperation and uphold the rights and dignity of all people, today the very foundations of the UN’s mission are being tested by various global trends: intensifying geopolitical rivalries, the climate crisis, record levels of forced displacement, eroding trust in multilateralism, and a systematic disregard for international humanitarian law – as is being witnessed in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere.
The UN80 initiative was meant to generate fresh ideas and commitments to revitalise the organisation for the future. But the results so far have been limited – more a patchwork of incremental reforms than the kind of bold transformation many hoped for.
As world leaders gather in New York for UNGA, this episode examines the credibility crisis facing the UN, and whether it can deliver the ambitious and urgent reforms needed to respond to today's fractured global order.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Heba Aly, Director of Article 109 (formerly known as the UN Charter Reform Coalition) & Facilitator, ODI Global's Donors in a Post-Aid World (dPAW) dialogue series
- Freddie Carver, Director, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI Global
- Natalie Samarasinghe, Executive Director of the Public Engagement Platform for climate action; Co-founder of the 1 for 8 Billion; CEO of the United Nations Association-UK
Related resources
- ODI Global on UNGA 80(Resources hub, ODI Global)
- Overcoming the obstacles to UN reform (Op-ed, Project Syndicate)
- Donors in a Post-Aid World (Project, ODI Global)
- What role should donors play in a post-aid world? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- The future of global humanitarian action (Event video, ODI Global)
- What’s next for global cooperation? (Event video, ODI Global)
The soaring cost of capital for many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, is one of the most urgent and overlooked development challenges.
High borrowing costs are hindering vital investments in energy, infrastructure, food security and public services – threatening development progress and deepening global inequality.
But this decisive year for Africa could present opportunities for reform. South Africa is hosting the G20 Presidency – a first for an African country – whilst the next African Development Fund replenishment is due in November.
In this critical moment, guests examine what it would take to make development finance fairer, more affordable and aligned with African countries' priorities. We hear about the political choices and practical mechanisms that could create a system that is more effective and better equipped to respond to today's challenges.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Valerie Dabady, Manager, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Department, African Development Bank
- Hanan Morsy, Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
- Bright Simons, Visiting Senior Fellow, ODI Global
Related resources
- Investor Herding and Spillovers in African Debt Markets (Report, American Economic Association)
- Tackling the 'cost of capital' crisis in small vulnerable nations (Policy Brief, ODI Global)
- How can development financing be reformed? The road to Seville (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- On borrowed time? The sovereign debt crisis in the Global South (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
Despite fractured politics in the US (and elsewhere) around foreign aid, Congress recently reauthorised plans to fund PEPFAR – the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – even though the programme itself has not been formally reauthorised.
Since being established in 2003, PEPFAR funding for prevention, care and treatment programmes is estimated to have saved over 26 million lives. It's one of the most successful global health initiatives, and against all odds it remains a symbol of bipartisan cooperation.
But this moment raises bigger questions about what comes next. How sustainable is a model that depends so heavily on political will in the Global North? How can countries in the Global South set their own agendas? And how will increasingly polarised US politics shape PEPFAR's future, especially on issues around sexual and reproductive health and rights?
Guests dissect these questions and examine how PEPFAR and the wider global health architecture must evolve to meet today’s urgent challenges.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive
- Elizabeth Campbell, Executive Director, ODI Global Washington
- Doris Macharia, President, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
- Fionnuala Murphy, Head of Global Advocacy, Frontline AIDS
Related resources
- PEPFAR Latest Global Results & Projections Factsheet (Dec. 2024) (US Department of State)
- Frontline AIDS welcomes the news that PEPFAR will be spared from US cuts to aid (Frontline AIDS statement)
- How do US policy changes target transgender rights and undermine democracy? (Insight, ODI Global)
The humanitarian system and its principles are being destroyed. Over 1,000 people have been killed seeking aid in the past weeks in Gaza, caught between famine and bullets. With humanitarian actors systematically prevented from reaching people affected by crisis in many contexts, governments are turning to the private sector – security firms, consultants, and ex-military operatives.
From Gaza to Sudan to Myanmar, this shift raises urgent questions. Is a privatised model of humanitarianism going to become dominant? What would it mean for humanitarian operations and principles? And how can it be proactively addressed?
This episode examines what’s driving governments to outsource aid, and what this means for trust, principles, and the future of humanitarian response. Joshua Craze shares insights from his recent investigation into the operations of for-profit US company Fogbow in South Sudan. We hear how these dynamics play out on the ground in the West Bank from Oxfam’s Bushra Khalidi, and ODI Global’s Dustin Barter unpacks the wider implications for the international aid system.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Dustin Barter, Senior Research Fellow, ODI Global
- Joshua Craze, writer and researcher on South Sudan
- Bushra Khalidi, Policy Lead at Oxfam in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Related resources
- Fogbow operations in South Sudan and beyond raise red flags for faltering aid system (The New Humanitarian)
- Beyond the reset: Five priorities for genuine humanitarian transformation (The New Humanitarian)
- Stop the siege, stop the starvation – political gestures won't save Gaza (Insight, ODI Global)
- What does the failure of humanitarianism in Gaza mean? (Insight, ODI Global)
- The politics of hunger – can famine in Gaza and Sudan be stopped? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- The future of aid (Resources hub, ODI Global)
This episode examines a challenge at the heart of development finance. Much energy is focused on mobilising more capital in low-income countries and emerging economies, but funding alone isn't enough. A deeper issue persists: there simply aren’t enough bankable projects – ventures that are ready to absorb investments at scale.
Traditionally, development finance has been demand-led – waiting for the right opportunities to emerge. But this model is evolving. Some development institutions (DFIs) are now looking to actively help create the very markets we want to invest in.
Our recent report explores this shift, highlighting how institutions like British International Investment (BII) and Norfund are stepping in to initiate entirely new commercial ventures in challenging markets. These aim to generate critical investments in sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture and healthcare.
So what does it take to build truly investable opportunities from the ground up? Experts discuss how to create sustainable, locally owned ventures that can deliver lasting development impact.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Paddy Carter, Director of Development Economics, British International Investment
- Frederique Dahan, Director, Development and Public Finance team, ODI Global
- Shaun Githuku, Director, Gridworks Development Partners LLP
- Noah Law, Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay & Member of the International Development Committee, UK Parliament
Related resources
- DFI sponsorship of new platforms and ventures: why and how? (Report, ODI Global)
- DFI sponsorship of new platforms and ventures: why and how? (Video of report launch event, ODI Global)
- Risk, return and impact (Report, British International Investment)
- Gridworks Development Partners LLP (British international Investment)
- MedAccess (British International Investment)
Climate disasters are intensifying globally, with vulnerable nations facing disproportionate impacts despite minimal contributions to global emissions. From prolonged droughts in East Africa to intensifying cyclones in the Pacific, these events reveal a troubling paradox:
As the Expert Review on Debt, Nature and Climate demonstrates, countries must borrow to recover from disasters, yet face financial systems that:
- Penalise them for climate risks they didn't create
- Exacerbate vulnerabilities through rising sovereign defaults
- Fail to support long-term resilience investments
This episode examines three critical dimensions:
- Systemic reforms needed to align debt frameworks with climate reality
- Distributional challenges preventing finance from reaching frontline communities
- Innovative proposals to achieve climate justice through financial transformation
Guests
- Moritz Kraemer, Chief Economist, LBBW; Co-Chair, Expert Review on Debt, Nature and Climate
- Yussuf Hussein, Climate Finance Advisor, Kenya’s Special Envoy on Climate Change
- Sarah Colenbrander, Director, Climate and Sustainability Programme, ODI Global
Resources:
- Tackling the Vicious Circle: The Interim Report of the Expert Review on Debt, Nature and Climate
- Healthy Debt on a Healthy Planet: Towards a virtuous circle of sovereign debt, nature and climate resilience
- Indebted: how to support countries heavily reliant on oil and gas revenues to secure long-term prosperity
Climate impacts are continuing to intensify. More severe storms, droughts, floods and heatwaves are inflicting devastation on the most vulnerable communities – those who also bear the least responsibility for the climate crisis.
But as the need for climate action becomes ever more urgent, international aid is retreating. USAID has been dismantled, whilst wealthy countries across Europe have slashed their aid budgets.
This episode asks what the aid cuts mean for the most climate-vulnerable countries. With fiscal space tightening and multilateralism on the decline, guests discuss how governments and international organisations can incentivise more private sector investment, scale up climate finance and channel it to where it’s most needed. We also hear what impact regional partnerships could have in delivering meaningful climate action in this new global landscape.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (Chief Executive, ODI Global)
- Hans Peter Lankes (Deputy Chief Executive, ODI Global)
- Sara Schonhardt (international climate reporter, Politico)
- Lord Nicholas Stern (Chair, Grantham Research Institute)
Related resources
- A Fair Share of Climate Finance (Project, ODI Global)
- Revitalising finance for adaptation: what role for the multilateral climate process? (Working paper, ODI Global)
- Vulnerable nations on the brink: the double shock of aid cuts and US tariff increases (Insight, ODI Global)
- The relationship between climate action and poverty reduction (Report, LSE)
- Small change? Our projections for the conflict blind spot in climate finance by 2030 (Insight, ODI Global)
At a time of major geopolitical turbulence, Europe finds itself at a crossroads. Long regarded as a pillar of stability and multilateralism, the continent's role in today's increasingly divided world is being tested in numerous ways – as are its key institutions.
There is a new fragility to Europe's external relationships – underscored by Trump's threats to impose tariffs on EU imports, and by disagreements on security guarantees for Ukraine.
This episode dissects Europe's changing role and influence in the world today. Experts explore how European nations can come together to face external threats effectively, and identify some immediate opportunities for change.
Among our guests is ODI Europe’s Board Chair, Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, who shares ideas put forward in his thought-provoking new book The Divorce of Nations: A Diplomat’s Inside View as the Global Order Collapses. We also hear from historian and political writer Timothy Garton Ash, and Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford
- Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King’s College London & Director, UK in a Changing Europe
- João Vale de Almeida, Chair of the ODI Europe Board and a former European Union Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations
Related resources
- The Divorce of Nations: A Diplomat’s Inside View as the Global Order Collapses (João Vale de Almeida, The History Press, 2025)
- Homelands: A Personal History of Europe (Timothy Garton Ash, Penguin Random House, 2023)
- How is Ukraine redefining global security? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- Europe and the new world order: an updated approach to foreign engagement (Briefing paper, ODI Global)
- Can ‘the West’ be trusted? The future of European humanitarian aid (Insight, ODI Global)
- Navigating aid and national interest in Ukraine: the development toolbox of European donors (Insight, ODI Global)
Since 2011, Syria has been ravaged by conflict, foreign interventions and political fragmentation – leaving millions displaced and communities in crisis.
But amidst the devastation, a new conversation is taking shape.
Just months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a new interim government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa has formed. A recent poll shows 70% of Syrians feel hopeful, but that hope is colliding with hard realities.
More than 1,300 people – many believed to be civilians – have been killed in Syria’s worst violence since the fall of the Assad regime, as clashes erupt between forces loyal to the new government and Assad holdouts. Meanwhile, reconstruction is stalled. Western sanctions, unpaid civil servants, and new US tariffs risk deepening the crisis.
In this episode, we ask whether this fragile but hopeful moment for Syria can endure. Can international partners support recovery without repeating the mistakes of the past? And how can we centre the voices of Syrians in the process of rebuilding their country?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Sana Kikhia, Executive Director, Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP)
- Leen Fouad, Senior Research Officer, Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), ODI Global
- Amy Rodgers, Coordinator, Middle East Durable Solutions Platform
Related resources
- Syria’s chance to build better, not backward (Insight, ODI Global)
- Lifting sanctions on Syria: a bumpy path (Insight, ODI Global)
- Tens of thousands of people forcibly disappeared: will the international community step up for Syrians? (Insight, ODI Global)
- Syria's pursuit of justice: navigating accountability amidst ongoing turmoil (Insight, ODI Global)
- Revolution and rupture: humanitarianism and human rights in Syria and Myanmar (Event video, ODI Global)
Minerals like lithium, cobalt and rare earth are not just commodities. They are strategic assets which are shaping global power and the future of the energy transition.
As US-China trade tensions escalate, countries across Africa (and elsewhere) where these minerals are found are now renegotiating their role in an increasingly fragmented global economy.
This episode asks how Africa’s mineral wealth can truly benefit its people and future generations. Guests discuss the challenges countries face in adding value domestically, and whether there’s an opportunity to push for a more equitable, sustainable governance of the mineral supply chain.
Drawing on the latest developments in the South China sea, Greenland and the new US-Ukraine minerals deal, we also hear how resource scarcity, trade, and geopolitical and economic interests are closely intertwined today against a backdrop of ongoing violence and instability.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Akim Daouda, Founder and CEO, Mwaana Inc.
- Rebecca Nadin, Director, Global Risks and Resilience team, ODI Global
- Silas Olan’g, Africa Energy Transition Advisor, Natural Resource Governance Institute
Related resources
- The critical minerals race to net zero (Event recording, ODI Global)
- Critical minerals, critical moment: Africa’s role in the AI revolution (Insight, ODI Global)
- The ‘strategic mirage’ of Africa’s green minerals wealth (Insight, ODI Global)
- Why China is seeking greater presence in Africa – the strategy behind its financial deals (Insight, ODI Global)
With economic uncertainty, rising debt burdens, and a growing share of the world’s poorest people living in fragile contexts, the stakes for the upcoming 4th Financing for Development Conference (FfD4) in Seville have never been higher.
According to a recent OECD report, the gap between development financing needs and available resources could reach $6.4 trillion by 2030 if the global financing system isn’t significantly overhauled.
The conference in June present a pivotal opportunity to ignite reform. It's a vital forum where UN members, international institutions, businesses, and civil society come together at the highest level to rethink how we fund global development.
In this episode, we dissect the key questions set to shape discussions at FfD4. How can we mobilise the trillions needed to meet the SDGs? How can the global financial architecture be made more inclusive and responsive? And what bold steps must be taken to unlock investment where it’s needed most?
Development finance experts share insights on multilateral development bank reform, the role of concessional finance, and opportunities to build a more sustainable, equitable future.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Mónica Colomer, Ambassador at Large for Financing for Development, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain
- Alvaro Lario, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
- Annalisa Prizzon, Principal Research Fellow, ODI Global
Related resources
- Development finance needs major overhaul to achieve global goals (OECD report)
- Financing development at a crossroads: What's at stake and what reforms are needed? (Development Policy Review)
- ODI Global at the Spring Meetings (resources hub)
- Are Southern-led MDBs the future of development finance? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- MDB Insights Spring Meetings 2025 (Newsletter, ODI Global)
- Unlocking the potential of blended concessional finance: making aid work harder (Event video, ODI Global)
- Maximising operational effectiveness and impact: key priorities for multilateral development banks (Report, ODI Global)
Development finance is no longer just about aid. It’s about power, priorities, and who gets to decide.
For decades, institutions like the World Bank and IMF have set the agenda, with high-income countries holding the reins. But a shift is underway. Southern-led multilateral development banks (MDBs) – where borrowing nations are also the majority shareholders – are rewriting the rules.
These banks, like CAF (Development Bank of Latin America) and the Trade and Development Bank (TDB) Group, bring something different to the table: speed, flexibility, and a laser focus on local needs. But they also face hurdles: higher borrowing costs, limited global visibility, and the challenge of financing a just climate transition in economies still grappling with poverty.
With the Spring Meetings taking place later this month, this episode dives into the rise of these institutions. Are they the future of development finance? Can they complement – or even challenge – traditional MDBs? And what reforms are needed to unlock their full potential?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Alejandra Botero, Director of Strategy and Development, CAF
- Chris Humphrey, Senior Research Associate, ODI Global
- Admassu Tadesse, Group President and Managing Director, TDB Group
Related resources
- ODI Global resources on multilateral development banks
- Southern-led multilateral channels for climate finance (Working paper, ODI Global)
- What makes an MDB an MDB? Southern-led multilateral banks and the sovereign debt crisis (Working paper, ODI Global)
- Climate-smart reform of multilateral development banks: priorities for the G20 (Policy brief, ODI Global)
- Investing for resilience: a panel discussion with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Jin Liqun (Event video, ODI Global)
- What do borrowing countries think of MDB reform? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
Trade policies are more than economic levers. Today they are instruments of influence, competition and – at times – conflict.
We have seen how Trump’s recent tariff hikes on Mexico, Canada and China have heightened geopolitical tensions.
The global trade system is also undergoing a deeper transformation. Countries are diversifying supply chains and rethinking alliances. Regional trade agreements are gaining momentum. Take the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is vital for strengthening Africa’s resilience.
This episode takes stock of this changing global trade landscape. What direction is it heading? Are we on the brink of a new era of economic fragmentation, or can innovative trade mechanisms and agreements provide stability?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre. - Teddy Soobramanien, Chief Executive Officer, COMESA Business Council
- Jodie Keane, Senior Research Fellow, ODI Global
Related resources
- US implements sweeping reciprocal tariffs, igniting global economic challenges (Insight, ODI Global)
- Responding to Trump’s tariffs: the EU needs a new trade weapon to protect its economic security (Insight, ODI Global)
- Supporting Investment and Trade in Africa (Project, ODI Global)
- Implementing the Digital Trade Protocol of the African Continental Free Trade Area: expected impacts, early experiences and challenges ahead (Publication, ODI Global)
- Remaking global trade: how does the UK measure up to the Villars Framework? (Insight, ODI Global)
As the world shifts toward a more regionally driven order, where power and security are dictated by strength rather than law, multilateralism faces an existential crisis.
This has been made strikingly clear by recent events in the US. Oscillating between retreat and selective engagement, the US now sees global cooperation in transactional terms – as a business not a shared responsibility.
This shift has created uncertainty and left a vacuum. From Africa to Asia, nations are adapting. Some are welcoming a less interventionist US, others are seizing opportunities in a lawless landscape.
This episode examines what’s at stake for multilateralism as this new global order unravels. We hear what practical steps that can be taken to strengthen and reinvent multilateralism, including through a new coalition of smaller powers. Our guests also examine the role of China, and the significance of next year’s UN Secretary-General election.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, Advisor, Bretton Woods at 80 initiative
- Ambassador Antônio Patriota, Brazil’s Ambassador to the UK
- Yunnan Chen, ODI Global Research Fellow
Related resources
- Out of the rubble (Insight, ODI Global)
- Reimagining multilateralism: seizing the opportunity for change (Insight, ODI Global)
- Navigating fragility: the new multilateral agenda (Event video and podcast, ODI Global)
- What are the costs and impacts of shutting down USAID? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- ODI Global's work on China
Ukraine stands at a pivotal point as its war with Russia enters its third year. With high-stakes talks between the US and Russia taking place in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine finds itself excluded from crucial discussions, which raises alarms in Kyiv and Europe. As Western unity begins to fracture, the debate intensifies over whether to prioritise negotiations or continue military support.
With NATO under increasing pressure, shifting US positions and growing concerns from Europe about future defence strategies, can Ukraine harness its resources for US support for peace talks and reconstruction, or will they further complicate its future? What will be the far-reaching implications for global security and economic stability?
In this episode of Think Change, our host and Chief Executive Sara Pantualiano was joined by:
- Nathalie Tocci (Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali)
- Ann Linde (ODI Europe Board Member and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Nordic Cooperation)
- Olena Borodyna (Senior Geopolitical Risks Advisor, ODI Global)
Related resources
- Navigating humanitarian dilemmas in the Ukraine crisis (Publication, ODI Global)
- As the war grinds on, political risks in Ukraine are heightening (Insight, ODI Global)
- The systemic impacts of the war in Ukraine: a triple shock (Insight, ODI Global)
- A war on many fronts: disinformation around the Russia-Ukraine war (Insight, ODI Global)
- Think Change episode 3: will the war in Ukraine cause a food crisis? (Think Change Podcast, ODI Global)
- Navigating aid and national interest in Ukraine: the development toolbox of European donors (Insight, ODI Global)
- Supporting Ukraine is costly – but Europe should be clear on the risks of letting Russia win (Insight, ODI Global)
- Securing Europe's Future: financing defence, supporting Ukraine, and navigating the Russia-China challenge (Insight, ODI Global)
- Condemnation of Russia’s invasion isn’t enough – Ukraine needs stronger European support now (Insight, ODI Global)
- Economic vulnerability to the Russia–Ukraine War: which low- and middle-income countries are most vulnerable? (Publication, ODI Global)
For decades, US foreign aid has played a vital role in humanitarian assistance, development and global security.
But last month, the US government – the world’s biggest aid donor – announced a sudden 90-day freeze on foreign aid. This will have a devastating impact on communities globally who depend on it to survive. It has triggered widespread uncertainty across the global development sector.
In the days following the decision, the harm was already visible. Reports show that antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients ran out, landmine clearance efforts stopped, and critical humanitarian operations were left in limbo.
Although an exemption was later introduced for “life-saving humanitarian assistance”, its scope remains unclear. Many organisations are scrambling to understand the full implications of USAID's brutal shutdown.
This episode examines these developments in detail. Experts formerly at USAID join us to assess what the freeze means for communities dependent on this funding and the global development sector, and what should come next.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (Chief Executive, ODI Global)
- Elizabeth Campbell (Executive Director, ODI Global Washington and former Deputy Assistant Secretary, US State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration)
- Sarah Charles (Former Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, USAID)
- Kate Almquist Knopf (Senior Advisor, Former Director of the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, US Department of Defense, and Former Assistant Administrator for Africa, USAID)
Related resources
- Out of the rubble (Insight, ODI Global)
- Donors In A Post-Aid World January 2025 update (Newsletter, ODI Global)
- What role should donors play in a post-aid world? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- Investing in frontier economies – what can public-private collaboration achieve? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
Nearly a decade ago, nations worldwide committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the first goal focused on ending poverty in all its forms by 2030. Whilst some progress has been made, we remain well off track to reach this ambitious target.
Poverty reduction has stalled, whilst a new report by Oxfam – launched during the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos – highlights how rising inequality is being driven by today’s colonial economic system. It finds billionaire wealth rose three times faster in 2024 than in 2023, and most of this is taken – not earned.
What’s driving these worrying trends? Are policy-makers addressing the root causes, or are systemic issues being overlooked? And what must be done to shift the course, especially amidst rising global uncertainties that could reshape international cooperation?
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Anthony Kamande, Inequality and Policy Research Advisor, Oxfam International. Anthony was also one of the key authors of Oxfam’s annual inequality report this year.
- Sofía Sprechmann Sineiro, Chair, Pledge for Change on Decolonising Aid and former Secretary General, CARE International
- Kevin Watkins, Distinguished Fellow and former Executive Director, ODI Global. Kevin has long been a key voice on education, development finance, and the need for equitable public policy.
Related resources
- Rethinking policy for a new era of poverty (Event video, ODI Global)
- Takers Not Makers: The unjust poverty and unearned wealth of colonialism (Report, Oxfam International)
- SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs)
- Financing the fight against poverty and hunger - mobilising resources for a sustainable development goal reset (Report, ODI Global)
- What does poverty really mean today? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
The term ‘fragility’ is used to describe various complex challenges including protracted conflicts, weak state capacity, and vulnerability to climate-related shocks.
Development progress has been the hardest in these contexts. But the landscape is changing, with new development players emerging – notably in the private sector. Private capital is reaching frontier economies (those in low- and middle-income countries impacted by so-called fragility), fuelled by an impact investing market of more than $1 trillion.
Ahead of next week’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, this episode examines who is shaping this new vision of development in frontier markets. Guests dissect the innovative approaches and collaborations needed to strengthen development efforts in areas affected by conflict and instability.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Jake Cusack, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, CrossBoundary Group
- Heike Harmgart, Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
- Andrej Kirn, Head of International Organisations and Humanitarian Agenda, World Economic Forum
- Surer Mohamed, Research Fellow, Politics and Governance programme, ODI Global
Related resources
- Humanitarian and Resilience Investing Initiative (World Economic Forum)
- Mobilising European Institutional Investors into Emerging Markets and Developing Economies: three critical areas to address (Insight, ODI Global)
- Trillions or billions? Reassessing the potential for European institutional investment in emerging markets and developing economies (Report, ODI Global)
- Blended finance’s broken promise and how to fix it (Event, ODI Global)
- Trillions or billions? The Future of European Institutional Investment in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (Event video, ODI Global)
Fast fashion has transformed how we consume clothing. A staggering 11.3 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in US landfills alone every year.
This global fashion waste crisis has far-reaching consequences for the environment, economy and local communities. Sites which often appear like dumping grounds for unused goods can transform themselves into major sources of creativity and livelihoods. One such place is Kantamanto market in Ghana, a vibrant community and trading hub where waste is reimagined into beautiful, sustainable fashion. But Kantamanto is also a site of environmental hazards.
On 2 January 2025, shortly after recording this episode, the market was hit by a devastating fire that has left over 100 shops and many livelihoods in ruins. It’s the latest of several incidents, and illustrates the complex and precarious nature of daily life in Kantamanto.
This episode examines this reality in closer detail. Millions of second-hand garments are sent to Kantamanto from the West every week. Many are repaired, altered and resold by local businesses, whilst others are sent unusable, but at a cost to local traders.
Guests dissect what we can learn from Kantamanto market about how fast fashion and consumer behaviour is impacting African countries. We hear about how to create a fairer, more sustainable fashion industry, and why it’s so critical the voices and realities of communities most directly impacted by fashion’s waste problem are at the heart of solutions.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Marta Foresti, Founder and CEO, LAGO & Visiting Senior Fellow, ODI Global
- Ekaette (Eka) Ikpe, ODI Global Board Member & Director, African Leadership Centre
- Yayra Agbofah, Founder and Creative Director, the Revival
Related resources
- LAGO Collective website: https://www.lagocollective.org/
- The Revival website: https://www.therevival.earth/
Culture and the creative economy: https://odi.org/en/topics/culture-and-the-creative-economy/ (Resources hub, ODI Global) * Under the tangerine sun: the creative economy in global cities: https://odi.org/en/publications/under-the-tangerine-sun-the-creative-economy-in-global-cities/ (Insight, ODI Global) * Tensions and duality in developing a circular fashion economy in Kenya: https://academic.oup.com/cjres/article/17/3/577/7721557 (Paper, Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society) * Fashion designers as lead firms from below: creative economy, state capitalism and internationalization in Lagos and Nairobi: https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/lWrXCE92zc3qnonCBCkI7tf_Q?domain=journals.sagepub.com (Paper, Sage Journals) * Can art and design change the world? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global) * Creating our collective future: what the arts and design can do for development: https://odi.org/en/insights/creating-our-collective-future-what-the-arts-and-design-can-do-for-development/ (Insight, ODI Global)
2024 was a year of significant transitions – characterised by rapid technological progress, shifting geopolitical landscapes, and ongoing crises and conflicts. In this final episode of the year, we reflect on its defining moments and look ahead to the key trends likely to shape 2025.
As the world becomes increasingly multipolar, the shift towards a more balanced global power structure brings both new perspectives and opportunities for collaboration. But this transition also presents challenges, with competing interests potentially impeding global cooperation. The redistribution of power may also deepen economic inequality and instability, and shift priorities in unexpected ways.
In the face of these changes, leading commentators give their take on what to expect from the year ahead.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Jeremy Bowen, International Editor of BBC News
- Bright Simons, Visiting Senior Fellow, ODI Global and President of mPedigree
- Linda Yueh, Fellow in Economics, University of Oxford
Related resources
- Rising China-US tensions fuel global economic slowdown ahead of Trump’s inauguration (Insight, ODI Global)
- Tens of thousands of people forcibly disappeared: will the international community step up for Syrians? (Insight, ODI Global)
- Holding states to account: do humanitarians undermine civil society? (Insight, ODI Global)
- Europe and the new world order: an updated approach to foreign engagement (Briefing paper, ODI Global)
- Will China’s influence in Africa’s AI revolution undermine its sovereignty? (Insight, ODI Global)
- The environmental risks of generative AI: why better global governance is urgently needed (Insight, ODI Global)
Since April last year, Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal civil war which has claimed over 150,000 lives, displaced over 11 million people and created acute food insecurity.
It is arguably the world's most devastating conflict. So why, over 600 days on, is Sudan still not getting the media and international attention it needs? And what can be done to spur more recognition and action for the people of Sudan, at a time when other crises like those in Gaza and Ukraine dominate the headlines?
Journalists from Al Jazeera and the BBC join us to give their take and share lesser reported stories that highlight both the suffering and unwavering strength of Sudanese people.
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Hiba Morgan, Reporter, Al Jazeera English
- James Copnall, Newsday Presenter, BBC World Service
- Mohanad Hashim, Journalist, BBC World Service
Related resources
- Event recap: Sudan’s humanitarian crisis slips further from sight (Event video, ODI Global)
- Event recap: Sounding the alarm on Sudan’s hunger crisis (Event video, ODI Global)
- Remembering Darfur – marking 20 years of conflict and its fallout (Disasters journal, ODI Global)
- The politics of hunger – can famine in Gaza and Sudan be stopped? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- Three months into Sudan’s conflict: humanitarian leaders on the violence, the humanitarian response and the future (Event video, ODI Global)
- Sudan conflict – how did we get here and what next? (Think Change podcast, ODI Global)
- From El-Fasher to Khartoum: The fallout from 20 years of conflict in Darfur (Event video, ODI Global)
Have your say on Think ChangeWe'd love to get your feedback so we can continue to improve and grow the show. Please take this short survey.
Our new Donors in a Post-Aid World (DPAW) dialogue series provides an informal space for reimagining the functions of Northern bilateral donors in an evolving global landscape. Last month, our first dialogue focused on creating a new narrative for Northern ‘donorship,’ identifying opportunities for a refreshed approach to development cooperation.
This episode discusses key takeaways from the first dialogue. Guests examine the challenges Northern donor institutions face in a post-aid world, and how they might redefine their roles for the future.
Why does this matter? Today, Official Development Assistance (ODA) is expected to address a growing array of complex agendas: countering China, managing migration, tackling the climate crisis, and more.
As demands grow for concessional public finance, donors lack the scaffolding of a single 'story' that they once had. What’s more, as the lines between ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries blur, and the donor-recipient model of aid as charity is increasingly rejected, the traditional rationale for aid has reached its limits.
In this episode, guests discuss how to navigate these challenges and build momentum for reforms that could influence key global policy processes.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Nilima Gulrajani, Principal Research Fellow, ODI Global
- Heba Aly, former CEO of The New Humanitarian
- Fadhel Kaboub, Senior Advisor, Power Shift Africa
- Omar Bargawi, Deputy Director and Head of the Development Policy & Partnerships Department, FCDO
Engage with us
We want to hear from voices that do not get heard yet have deep insights and knowledge to reimagine donorship for the 21st century. Please do reach out to
Nilima Gulrajani if you have any ideas or would like to write for us.
The second dialogue will take place early in 2025, with four to take place over the next 18 months. Sign up to our Donors in a Post-Aid World newsletter to get updates about the dialogue series.
Related resources
- Donors in a Post-Aid World (Project, ODI Global)
- Dialogue #1: Crafting a new rationale for northern donorship (Summary note, ODI Global)
- Should a Northern donor exist in the 21st century? Introducing a new dialogue series (Insight, ODI Global)
- Donors In A Post-Aid World – January 2024 update (Insight, ODI Global)
- Crafting development power: evolving European approaches in an age of polycrisis (Report, ODI Global)
- Boosting gender equality with finance and fiscal policy (Project, ODI Global)
Have your say on Think Change
We'd love to get your feedback on the show so we can continue to improve and grow it. Please take this 5 minute survey.
The world is experiencing significant shifts, and the recent US election stands as one of the most influential. This could introduce a new level of unpredictability to global politics, economic relations and social dynamics worldwide.
Donald Trump’s decisive victory has surprised many, and his re-election raises several important questions about how it will impact on global dynamics. A continued focus on "America First" could strain international alliances and fragment global cooperation, if US interests overshadow multilateral agreements.
As Trump prepares to take office for the second time, he may also adopt a more assertive approach to foreign policy, likely impacting NATO relations and potentially intensifying tensions with China, Iran and Russia. His previous scepticism about the climate crisis may see reduced federal action which will hinder global climate agreements and slow carbon reduction efforts.
In this episode guests analyse what to expect from Trump's return to the White House, both for the US and the world, including potential shifts across foreign, security, development, climate and migration policies.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
- Karin Von Hippel, Director-General, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
- Ramsey Day, ODI Global Washington Board member and former USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa
- Jeremy Konyndyk, President, Refugees International
Related resources
- Managing anti-immigration populism (Insight, ODI Global)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: US country profile (Briefing paper, ODI Global)
- Four cost-effective ways the U.S. can pay its “fair share” of climate finance (Insight, ODI Global)
- Institutional misogyny is a threat to reproductive justice everywhere (Insight, ODI Global)
- Global approaches to refugee response: what difference can they make? (Insight, ODI Global)
- American journeys (Feature, ODI Global)
In the wake of our decision at ODI to suspend all activity on X (formerly Twitter), this episode examines the polarisation and hate so prevalent in today’s social media landscape and what is driving it.
Since Elon Musk took ownership of X two years ago there has been a rise of hate speech, mis- and disinformation on the platform. The UK riots, which we dissected in a recent episode, are a case in point. This worrying trend – alongside the commercialisation of its validation functions – led many politicians and organisations to stop using X.
But are we just putting plasters on a much deeper issue? To what extent has this divide in society already existed?
This episode examines these questions, and asks what action is needed to build safer, fairer digital societies. Guests explore the potential of social media to tackle subconscious biases, and take a stand against misinformation and online hate.
We hear about the role policy-makers should play in tackling fake news and misinformation as well as social media platforms themselves, and what role AI could play in influencing these dynamics.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Nanjala Nyabola, Kenyan author, political analyst and and activist
- Sandra Pepera, Chief Strategy and Governance Officer, ODI
Related resources
- ODI suspends activity on X (Statement, ODI)
- Riots, race and misinformation – has alarmist rhetoric on migration gone too far? (Think Change podcast, ODI)
- How to tackle mis/disinformation with a human centred approach (Insight, ODI)
- 10 things to know about misinformation and disinformation (Graphics/Briefing note, ODI)
- Has AI ushered in an existential crisis of trust in democracy? (Insight, ODI)
- Influencers and incumbency: digital disinformation and discontent in Nigeria's Presidential elections (Insight, ODI)
- Misinformation in Brazilian elections: can the judiciary stem the tide of political misinformation? (Insight, ODI)
- A war on many fronts: disinformation around the Russia-Ukraine war (Insight, ODI)
- How can AI become a force for social good? (Think Change podcast, ODI)
- Hidden in plain sight: how social media infrastructure shapes gender norms (Report, ODI/ALIGN)
Income inequality is high or worsening within many countries globally. This not only raises serious moral concerns. It also contributes to political instability and undermines inclusive economic growth.
Governments can use taxation to reduce inequality. They do this by taxing people fairly and spending a share of the revenue on social safety nets for the poor, sick, unemployed or those most impacted by negative shocks, such as Covid-19 the climate emergency, and by investing in human capital through education and health.
But many lower income countries cannot afford comprehensive social safety nets. Their options are limited because of rising costs of borrowing and narrow tax bases. This means not enough revenue is collected and not everyone pays their fair share.
In this episode, guests examine how lower income countries can build more effective tax and transfer systems that can support fairer, more resilient and sustainable societies.
The episode unpacks what is really meant by tax systems and social spending, why equitable taxation is critical, how governments can go about improving tax and social protection systems in practice.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Hazel Granger ( Senior Research Fellow, ODI)
- Professor Andrés Velasco (Dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and former Minister of Finance, Chile)
- Alex Cobham (Chief Executive, Tax Justice Network)
Related resources
- TaxDev - The centre for tax analysis in developing countries
- Income inequality, gender and the role of tax and transfers (Event video and podcast, ODI)
- Fiscal policy and gender income inequality: the role of taxes and social spending (Report, ODI)
- The problem with tax potential estimates – key considerations to develop sustainable tax systems (Insight, ODI)
- Inflation, incomes and inequality – how can lower-income countries use fiscal policy to the greatest effect? (Insight, ODI)
As conflicts continue to spiral in many parts of the world, from those who dominate the headlines daily to the ones that we barely hear about, global instability is increasing in the context of rising food insecurity, forced displacement, and climate change. We need to step up our collective commitment to building peaceful societies.
In September 2024, the United Nations hosted the Summit of the Future, bringing together world leaders to create a new international consensus on how to address global challenges and create a better future, with the aim to settle conflicts peacefully and expand youth participation in global decision-making, amongst others.
This episode discusses how we can prevent conflict and rebuild solidarity and accountability in a fragmented world. What are the challenges and how can we mitigate against them? How can we involve marginalised groups to build an inclusive global architecture that serves those on the ground working on peacebuilding initiatives?
Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in advance of the Summit.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Elizabeth Spehar, Elizabeth Mary Spear, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, UN Department of Political Affairs
- Joyce Mendez, United Nations Secretary General's Youth Advisory Group
- Jago Salmon, Senior Research Associate, Politics and Governance
Resources:
https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/content/2025-review-un-peacebuilding-architecture (Peacebuilding Architecture Review, UN)
https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future (Summit of the Future, UN)
https://odi.org/en/insights/a-pact-for-the-future-needs-a-stronger-awareness-of-un-financing-in-the-present/ (Blog, ODI)
https://odi.org/en/events/women-at-the-forefront-the-transformative-impact-of-the-unscr-1325-on-women-peace-and-security/ (Event, ODI)
https://odi.org/en/publications/working-with-humanitarians-is-a-nightmare-dynamics-surrounding-locally-led-peacebuilding-in-somalia/ (Report, ODI)
https://odi.org/en/insights/event-recap-community-engagement-armed-actors/ (Event, ODI)
https://odi.org/en/publications/meeting-report-security-and-climate-change-implications-for-hdp-programmes-in-somalia/ (Meeting Report, ODI)
https://odi.org/en/publications/community-engagement-protection-and-peacebuilding-reviewing-evidence-and-practice/ (Journal article, ODI)
https://odi.org/en/insights/physician-heal-thyself-a-new-agenda-for-peace-must-look-inwards-first-to-address-institutional-obstacles-to-building-and-preventing-peace/ (Expert Comment, ODI)
The fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana back in July ignited riots which have swept across the UK and made global headlines.
What followed from the tragedy was a racist, Islamophobic and anti-migrant campaign fuelled by misinformation and disinformation, which spilled into the streets with targeted attacks on mosques and ethnic minorities.
This senseless violence again cast a spotlight on systemic issues of racism and inequality, and highlighted the potentially deadly consequences of our collective failure to tackle false information online, as well as the demonisation of migrants.
This episode dissects these problems, asking what the recent riots reveal about the rise of the far right in the UK and elsewhere, and how to counter alarmist rhetoric on migration. Our guests discuss how we can move forward towards a place of greater solidarity, understanding and trust.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Afua Hirsch, Journalist
- Fizza Qureshi, CEO, Migrants’ Rights Network
- Marvin Rees, Visiting Senior Fellow, ODI and former Mayor of Bristol
- Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director, Politics and Governance programme, ODI
Related resources
- Migration and Displacement Hub (ODI)
- Migration decision-making: beyond political rhetoric and guesswork (Event, ODI)
- As UK public attitudes toward migration are increasingly positive, it’s time for more balanced and evidence-based narratives (Blog, ODI)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: UK country profile (Briefing, ODI)
- Public and political narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: implications for action (Project, ODI)
- Hearts and minds: How Europeans think and feel about immigration (Data visualisation, ODI)
- Why many policies to lower migration actually increase it (Blog, The Conversation)
- Humanitarian hypocrisy, double standards and the law in Gaza (Blog, ODI)
- Navigating narratives in Ukraine: humanitarian response amid solidarity and resistance (Blog, ODI)
- How to tackle mis/disinformation with a human centred approach (Blog, ODI)
- 10 things to know about misinformation and disinformation (Briefing, ODI)
This episode examines the challenges leaders at the forefront of tackling today’s multiple crises are facing, and the leadership skills and approaches desperately needed to navigate these uncertain times.
We are teaming up with Tandem for this episode – ODI's Global Executive Leadership Programme. Tandem is building a community of humanitarian and development leaders around the world, equipping them with the skills and connects to today’s most pressing global challenges and build a brighter future for all.
Fresh from graduating from the Tandem programme, two inspirational leaders join our host Sara Pantuliano to reflect on the unique challenges facing humanitarian leaders today – at a time when political instability, conflicts, geopolitical tensions and climate crisis are all creating increasingly complex operating environments.
We hear about what their experiences with Tandem over the past nine months have taught them, and how these are reshaping their own approach to leading in crisis settings.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Sasha Kapadia, Director of Global Advisory, ODI
- Gaurav Ray, Head of the Bangladesh Office, German Red Cross
- Lisa Jean, Iraq Country Director, Mines Advisory Group
Related resources
- Tandem Leadership LinkedIn page
- Tandem website
- Leading through crisis: what works and what doesn’t (event video/podcast)
- Better leadership, better world: introducing Tandem (ODI blog)
- Humanitarian leadership: learning from the past and directions for the future (Tandem/ODI paper)
- Refugee leadership – how do we move from talk to action? (Think Change podcast)
To mark World Humanitarian Day, this episode examines how the rules of war have changed in our increasingly polarised world and asks how we can better protect the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
World Humanitarian Day recognises and raises awareness of the courageous work of humanitarians around the world. It was established by the UN to commemorate the anniversary of a bomb attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003, which killed 22 humanitarian workers including the UN’s chief humanitarian in Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Last year was the deadliest on record for humanitarian workers, and 2024 could be even worse. The past few months have seen egregious attacks against aid workers in Gaza and in lesser reported conflicts, including in Sudan and South Sudan. International Humanitarian Law – designed to protect aid workers and civilians – has been repeatedly flouted.
This episode puts these crises under the spotlight. We reflect on what these worrying trends reveal about the humanitarian aid system and the evolution of armed conflict today, as well as state of our global rules-based order.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Sorcha O’Callaghan, Director of the Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI
- Abby Stoddard, Partner, Humanitarian Outcomes
- Ola Mohammed, Gaza Programme Manager, Muslim Aid
Related resources
- Humanitarians in the line of fire: when acting for humanity proves deadly
- The meeting of humanitarian and civic space in Sudan: lessons for localisation
- Event recap: Sounding the alarm on Sudan’s hunger crisis
- Whatever happens now, South–South solidarity with Gaza has already exposed the West
- Gaza: a litmus test for the humanitarian sector’s commitment to decolonisation?
- Humanitarian hypocrisy, double standards and the law in Gaza
We are taking a break from our regular schedule this month to look back on some of the most popular episodes released since Think Change first aired back in March 2022.
This episode revisits a conversation we released last year, and the halfway point of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline to end poverty and reduce inequalities.
We asked what poverty really means today, and if old notions of ending poverty simply by increasing individual income above an arbitrary line are even useful anymore.
This year we have looked closely at trends across a range of issues – both globally and by region – which has revealed just how much effort is needed if we want to meet these targets by 2030, with no one left behind.
With the so-called ‘polycrisis’ pushing more people into poverty, and the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform’s global poverty estimates at 712 million people living below the $2.15 per day poverty line, we asked our guests how we define and fight poverty today.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Rathin Roy, Visiting Senior Fellow and former Managing Director, ODI
- Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research
- Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva, Chief Economist for DataPop Alliance and former Director of the Equity and Social Policy Programme, ODI
This episode revisits some of our favourite conversations since the first Think Change podcast aired back in March 2022.
Since that time we have released over 50 episodes and been lucky to host some brilliant guests, who have shared their analysis and stories with us on a range of critical global issues – from MDB reform and the debt crisis in the Global South to the future of the Africa-China relationship and the latest concerning developments in Gaza.
The themes examined across all episodes are incredibly diverse, but they share a focus on reimagining a new vision for international cooperation in our polarised world – and a hope for building a more equal, peaceful and resilient planet.
Browse and listen back to all episodes of the Think Change podcast.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group
- Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director, Politics and Governance programme
- Alexis Akwagyiram, Managing Editor, Semafor Africa
- Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, Executive Vice President, African Center for Economic Transformation
- Arancha González, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs
- Linda Calabrese, Research Fellow, ODI
- Yunnan Chen, Research Fellow, ODI
- Ronak Gopaldas, Director, Signal Risk
- Alex de Waal, Executive Director, World Peace Foundation
Related resources
- ODI in conversation with Achim Steiner
- Think Change episode 22: On borrowed time? The sovereign debt crisis in the Global South
- Think Change episode 25: Africa-China – where is the relationship heading?
- Think Change episode 37: what trends will shape 2024? Part 1
- Think Change episode 38: what trends will shape 2024? Part 2
- Think Change episode 31: what do borrowing countries think of MDB reform?
- Think Change episode 40: will the ICJ ruling change anything for Gaza?
The impacts of the climate crisis are widely known and have rightfully spurred international action, but the hastening collapse of global biodiversity receives far less attention.
Biodiversity is the life support system of our planet. We also depend on intact ecosystems for our food and water supplies, medical advances and disease prevention, climate stability, shelter and so much more.
In financial terms, a staggering 55% of global GDP depends on high-functioning biodiversity.
But nearly all species on earth are currently undergoing population declines, at speeds far quicker than scientists would expect.
Reversing the decline of nature depends on international cooperation. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework represents a watershed moment for multilateral governance and action to conserve biodiversity and restore ecosystems. One of the goals of the framework is to "invest and collaborate", but currently, the biodiversity finance gap stands at $700 billion a year.
So what can be done to mobilise resources to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity? Experts examine ways forward and reflect on what must be done to reduce the harmful incentives that fuel biodiversity loss.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Laetitia Pettinotti, Research Fellow, ODI
- Anaid Velasco, Environmental Lawyer and Mexico Director, Climate Finance Group for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Jeremy Eppel, Co-Founder, Eppel Sustainability and Senior Adviser, Nature Finance
Related resources
- A fair share of biodiversity finance: apportioning responsibility for the $20 billion target by 2025
- Biodiversity finance in Mexico
- Biodiversity finance in Nepal
- Biodiversity finance in Namibia
- What do we have to lose? Understanding and responding to climate-induced loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services
The recent European elections came at a pivotal time for Europe and its relations with the rest of the world. In the continent, the economic squeeze, along with the public’s concern around security and migration, drove the outcome of the elections.
Across the world, the rise in protectionist and nationalist ideology threatens the future of the multilateral system. At risk is the global commitment to the climate crisis and human rights.
The Brussels policy debate is highly Eurocentric, but has extraterritorial impact, often with unanticipated consequences, across the globe. There is an urgent need for European Institutions and Member States to navigate these challenges effectively, to shape a European response.
In this episode of the Think Change podcast we discuss the outcome of the European elections and how this will influence the EU’s foreign policy; the future of the multilateral system; and how dialogue and more equal partnerships with the rest of the world is essential to maintain Europe’s standing in the world.
Guests:
- Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI
- Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, previously Ambassador of the European Union to the United Nations; Ambassador of the European Union to the United States; and following Brexit, the first head of the future EU delegation to the UK.
- Professor Carlos Lopes, Honorary Professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance Faculty of Commerce at the University of Cape Town
- Suzanne Lynch, journalist andauthor of POLITICO’s Global Playbook
Related resources:
- Where next for feminist foreign policy on funding feminist movements?
- Supporting Ukraine is costly – but Europe should be clear on the risks of letting Russia win
- Can the Displaced Talent for Europe pilot address green skills shortages in Europe?
- Can ‘the West’ be trusted? The future of European humanitarian aid
- Reflection on what’s next for EU policy on migration and development
- Whatever happens now, South–South solidarity with Gaza has already exposed the West
Small island developing states (SIDS) suffer disproportionately from external shocks. They face an existential threat from the climate emergency, while global economic uncertainty and geopolitical shifts have derailed recent progress that SIDS have made towards achieving growth and resilience.
That’s why governments of SIDS and their international partners met in Antigua and Barbuda a fortnight ago for the SIDS4 conference, which aimed to formulate a 10-year action plan intended to chart ‘the course toward resilient prosperity’ for small island nations.
In this episode, guests review this seminal conference, setting it in context of the unique challenges that SIDS face. We hear about the strengths of the Antigua and Barbuda Plan (ABAS) that emerged from it and what is missing from this framework. Guests outline reforms that are urgently needed to drive meaningful change for SIDS.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI
- Ambassador Walton Webson, Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN
- Emily Wilkinson, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
- Jean-Paul Adam, Director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management in the UN Economic Commission for Africa
Related resources
- Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
- Small Islands Big Picture podcast: Will the 4th UN International Conference on SIDS generate ‘resilient prosperity’?
- Small Islands Big Picture podcast (all episodes)
- The SIDS Future Forum 2024: Shaping the future of Small Island Developing States
- Preparatory meetings for the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States: participation, priorities and outcomes
- Financing resilient prosperity in SIDS
- Why small islands need their own Marshall Plan
Time is running out to keep the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement within reach. Wealthy countries have introduced new industrial and green trade policy measures, but there are concerns that some of these are having adverse effects – hitting countries that have contributed the least to the climate crisis the hardest.
This episode examines the concept of the ‘green squeeze’ – the notion that climate-related trade policies are negatively impacting low-income countries, unfairly putting the burden of adjustment on them. We ask what the ‘green squeeze’ means, both at a broader policy level and on the ground for producers having to adapt to these new trade measures.
What can be done to help exporting countries navigate such measures? Would the Villars Framework enable a more equitable way forward?
At a time when geopolitical tensions are running high and countries are fighting for leadership on green technology, guests discuss what action is needed to drive fair and sustainable progress on green trade.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI
- Faizel Ismail, Director of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town
- Jan Yves Remy, Director of the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services (the SRC), University of the West Indies
- Jodie Keane, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Related resources
- New EU trade rules could put poor countries in a billion dollar ‘green squeeze’ (ODI blog)
- The ‘green squeeze’: an explainer (ODI paper)
- Navigating green trade measures: avoiding a “green squeeze” (ODI event video)
- Leading experts gather at ODI to reimagine global trade for a sustainable future (ODI statement)
- COP28 side event | Enabling a “green seize” of new trade opportunities for LDCs: learning from the Covid-19 response to address the climate emergency (ODI event video)
- Avoiding a “green squeeze” and advancing new trade opportunities for LDCs (ODI event video)
- Africa’s green trade opportunities: policy insights for aligning trade and climate action (ODI blog and event video)
- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms: clarity needed on support for adjustment (ODI blog)
- Air Miles 2.0? How to ensure Africa is not penalised by net-zero policy spillovers (ODI blog)
The Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace was signed last year at COP28 in Dubai. This recognised the unique challenge of addressing the climate emergency in areas affected by conflict and fragility, and called for “bolder, collective action” to support them.
But what does this look like in practice?
Despite being among the most vulnerable to climate change, conflict-affected countries receive just a fraction of the climate finance that is allocated to more stable regions.
As we build up to the UN Summit for the Future and COP29, this episode examines what can be done to address this critical conflict blind spot in climate action.
Guests assess the security impacts of the climate crisis, and the urgent need to scale up funding and support where it is most needed to avoid deepening instability.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa
- Katarina Kertysova, Climate Security Officer, NATO
- Rosita Najmi, Co-Founder, CIFAR and ODI Board Member
Resources
- COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace
- Climate Innovations for Adaptation and Resilience (CIFAR) Alliance
- Call to Action: Responsible Digital Payments to Accelerate Climate Action (Better Than Cash Alliance)
- Bolstering Women’s Climate Resilience and Adaptation through Financial Services (CGAP)
- Climate Landscape Series (BFA Global)
- COP28 finally shines a spotlight on conflict-affected countries (ODI blog)
- Building Forward Better: a pathway to climate-resilient development in fragile and conflict-affected situations (ODI report)
- Climate adaptation in no-man's land: research bridging the conflict-climate gap (ODI report)
- What the case of Somalia can show us about financing climate action in conflict-affected countries (ODI blog)
- A New Agenda For Peace (UN brief)
The question of how multilateral development banks need to reform themselves so they are fit to face today's global challenges was again high on the agenda at the recent World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
These debates and recommendations for reform can be technical and complex, but what do the people these financial institutions were set up to serve think about what changes are needed?
This episode, which was recorded from the sidelines of the Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., considers whether development finance is really reaching those who need it most. We ask how we can harness recent trends and technological advances so they work for – rather than against – the most vulnerable.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Liesbet Steer, President and CEO of the Education Development Center & Chair of the ODI North America Board
- Andrew Herscowitz, Executive Director, ODI North America
- Sheila Warren, CEO, Crypto Council for Innovation and ODI North America Board Member
Related resources
- ODI's Spring Meetings resources hub
- How to better reach underserved borrowers (ODI event)
- Towards an MDB agenda for reform in FCV (ODI paper)
- Navigating fragility: the new multilateral agenda (ODI event)
- Matching finance to need (ODI event)
- Do we need a new Bretton Woods agreement for the post-Covid era? (Think Change podcast)
- Will early blooms bear fruit? Key takeaways from the 2024 World Bank Spring Meetings (ODI blog)
- MDB Insights: 2024 Spring Meetings previewed (ODI blog)
The crises of hunger in Sudan and Gaza are grave humanitarian emergencies with profound consequences for affected communities.
A recent UN briefing to the Security Council stated that Sudan is set to face the “world’s worst hunger crisis”, while an international committee of experts issued a dire warning that famine is not only imminent in Northern Gaza, but a risk across the entire territory.
While man-made famine continues to be used as a weapon of war for political gain, the prevailing response from international humanitarian agencies is to provide food aid. But is this really the solution? And how does it affect local humanitarian efforts?
This episode dives into these questions and seeks to hold those responsible for these hunger crises to account.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Alex de Waal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation
- Omima Omer Jabal, Khartoum State ERR Jabal Awliya Program Office
- Hamish Young, Senior Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, State of Palestine
- Nuha Yousif, ERR Sennar state, Programme office
Related resources
- Sounding the alarm on Sudan’s hunger crisis (ODI event recap)
- Sudan conflict – how did we get here and what next? (Think Change podcast)
- From El-Fasher to Khartoum: The fallout from 20 years of conflict in Darfur (ODI event)
- Sudan’s humanitarian crisis slips further from sight (ODI event recap)
- Humanitarian hypocrisy, double standards and the law in Gaza (ODI blog)
- Will the ICJ ruling change anything for Gaza? (Think Change podcast)
Global public debt is at unprecedented levels. The UN has reported that nearly half of the world’s population lives in countries that spend more paying off debts to other countries than they spend on healthcare for their own people.
While needs soar as countries try to address the impact of the poly-crisis and invest significantly to transform their economies and societies, economic growth is in sharp retreat in many nations in the Global South.
The World Bank is calling for donor governments to step up. They have put ‘IDA replenishment’ top of the agenda at this month’s Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
But why is the World Bank calling for this record replenishment? Join us as we explore the case for the IDA to become more effective and efficient at a time of soaring needs.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Annalisa Prizzon, Principal Research Fellow, ODI
- Seynabou Sakho, Director of Strategy and Operations for the World Bank Office of the Managing Director of Operations
- Gregory Chen, MD of Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative, BRAC International
Related resources
- ODI on multilateral development banks
- ODI Day at the 2024 Spring Meetings
- Bigger, but also better: why MDB reform must go further (ODI blog)
- One year on, the World Bank must focus on how to implement its Evolution Roadmap (ODI blog)
- Matching finance to need (Davos 2024 event video)
- Strengthening MDBs: the triple agenda (Annual Meetings 2023 event video)
- What do borrowing countries think of MDB reform? (Think Change podcast)
When it comes to development, creative and cultural practitioners are too often overlooked and underestimated as agents of change.
According to UNESCO, the creative and cultural sector is one of the most powerful engines of global development. It accounts for nearly 50 million jobs worldwide, representing 6.2% of all existing employment and 3.1% of global GDP.
On this episode, our guests discuss the immense potential of art, design and creativity to inspire social development and tackle global injustices. They unveil the ways in which creative projects are more than aesthetic pursuits – they are at the heart of change and testament to our shared humanity, fostering human connections and challenging the status quo.
Join us as we explore the intersection of creativity and development, and ask why – and how – creative and policy communities must work more closely together to change the world.
This episode was produced in partnership with LAGO.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Federica Fragapane, Information Designer and ODI Research Associate
- Adama Sanneh, CO-Founder and CEO, Moleskine Foundation
- Marta Foresti, Visiting Senior Fellow, ODI
Related resources
- Creating our collective future: what the arts and design can do for development
- On Freedom of Movement (wi de muv) trailer (youtube.com)
- Hearts and minds | How Europeans think and feel about immigration
- Key workers: migrants’ contribution to the COVID-19 response
- The Beauty of Movement: arts and research for new migration narratives | ODI: Think change
- Data and design: making stories visible
- The ALIGN - Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms - Platform | Align Platform
Between 2008 and 2016, 21.5 million people a year were forcibly displaced from their homes by weather-related events, and the UNHCR predicts that globally, 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050 due to climate change.
This represents a hugely impactful but often overlooked consequence of climate change – one we are ill equipped to deal with.
With immigration expected to dominate the elections happening throughout 2024, today we are discussing how and why our changing climate is creating a new wave of migration and what this means for approaches to immigration policy and the rise of nativism.
Guests
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Gaia Vince, Environmental Journalist and Author of Nomad Century: How climate migration will reshape our world
- Michai Robertson, Research Fellow, ODI
- Claire Kumar, Senior Research Fellow, ODI Europe
Femicide – the intentional killing of women and girls with a gender-related motivation – affects every society around the world.
According to UN Women, nearly 89,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2022 – the highest number recorded in the past 20 years. And over half of all female homicides were committed by family members or intimate partners.
This episode puts a spotlight on this global atrocity. Experts from Italy, Kenya and Mexico share insights on how femicide is impacting their countries. We examine its root causes, how women’s movements are countering it, and what further action is urgently needed to bring about truly lasting change.
While comprehensive legislation is a critical starting point, we hear why challenging gender norms which make misogyny so deeply entrenched in society is fundamental if we are to curb femicide and see transformational change.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Dinah Musindarwezo, Co-CEO, Womankind Worldwide
- Diana Jiménez Thomas Rodriguez, Senior Research Officer, ODI
- Nicoletta Mandolini, Researcher, CECS, Universidade do Minho, Portugal
Related resources
- Gender-related killings of women and girls (femicide/feminicide): Global estimates of female intimate partner/family-related homicides in 2022 (UN Women report)
- 10 ways to transform gender norms (ALIGN booklet)
- Transforming gender norms for women’s economic rights and empowerment (ALIGN report)
- Is no space safe? Working to end gender-based violence in the public sphere (ALIGN briefing paper)
- Mobilising for change: how women’s social movements are transforming gender norms (ALIGN report)
- Think Change podcast: how can we counter the anti-feminist backlash? (ODI)
- From allyship to action: how men can step up to end violence against women (ODI event video/podcast)
- ODI in conversation with Emma Dabiri: can coalitions counter the anti-feminist backlash? (ODI event video/podcast)
- Women's organisations and feminist mobilisation: supporting the foundational drivers of gender equality (ODI briefing paper)
In November, South Africa approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to consider whether Israel is committing genocide.
All eyes were on the Hague last month as the ICJ made its interim ruling, calling for Israel to "take all measures within its powers" to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza. But it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.
The court also ruled that aid must be allowed into Gaza. But since then, allegations from Israel that some employees of UNRWA – Gaza's biggest aid agency – were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks has resulted in 16 donor countries suspending UNRWA funding.
In this episode, legal, humanitarian and foreign policy experts take stock of these events and dissect what the ICJ ruling really means for Israel, Gaza and wider geopolitical relations.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Kate Mackintosh, Executive Director, UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe
- Raz Segal, Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Stockton University
- Ronak Gopaldas, Director, Signal Risk
- Sorcha O’Callaghan, Director of Programme, Humanitarian Policy Group
Related resources
- South Africa’s ICJ case has already altered its foreign policy space (Institute for Security Studies)
- Humanitarian hypocrisy, double standards and the law in Gaza (ODI insight)
- Gaza | The politics of narrative (ODI event)
- Israel/OPT crisis - what's needed to stop the bloodshed? (ODI podcast)
- Palestine and Israel - How can justice prevail? (ODI podcast)
Artificial intelligence (AI) dominated conversations at the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.
The release of ChatGPT to the public in December 2022 put AI firmly in the spotlight. And today it is all around us, promising to transform how we live our lives. But there are plenty of concerns and warnings about how it could impact the world. Many have sounded the alarm, even the so-called “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton, who has been vocal about the dangers of the technology he helped to create.
In this episode, experts reflect on the ethical implications of these technological advances. We ask how AI can become a force for social good which empowers people globally rather than entrenching inequalities. And with over half the world due to go to the polls in 2024, what impact will AI have on politics in this major election year and beyond?
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Vilas Dhar, President, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and advocate of data and AI for good
- Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO
- Stephanie Diepeveen, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Resources
- Has AI ushered in an existential crisis of trust in democracy? (ODI insight)
- International AI Governance must be truly global (ODI insight)
Last year was a bumpy one for the global economy, with sluggish growth, high inflation, tightened monetary policy and instability in the financial sector. This all played out against a backdrop of increased geopolitical tensions and fiscal pressures.
This second podcast in our two-part mini-series on 2024 trends examines the global economic outlook for the year ahead. Will the next 12 months be defined by more uncertainty, or are there reasons to be optimistic about changes ahead?
Experts discuss the big economic trends and developments to watch out for in 2024, including the outlook for global trade, prospects for India’s economy and green investment, and what needs to happen to tackle persistent income inequality within and between countries.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Arancha González Laya, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs
- Rathin Roy, Visiting Senior Fellow, ODI
- Michael Jacobs, Professor of Political Economy, University of Sheffield & ODI Visiting Senior Fellow
Related resources
- Think Change episode 37: what trends will shape 2024? Part 1
2023 has been another year marked by major crises. This final episode reflects on where we are now, and the major global themes shaping 2024.
The world is at a pivotal moment as we try to cope with multiple, interconnected crises. The number of people fleeing war, persecution and violence is at an estimated 114 million, against a backdrop of rising geo-political tensions, carbon emissions, food and energy crises, and economic instability.
All this comes at a time when systems are overwhelmed, and international cooperation remains fragmented. But are there reasons for optimism?
Next year will be the biggest election year in history with more than half the world due to exercise their right to vote, putting the spotlight on the state of global democracy.
In this episode our guests share their unique perspective on the major themes and forces shaping 2024.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group
- Alexis Akwagyiram, Managing Editor, Semafor Africa
- Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director of Programme, Politics and Governance, ODI
An increase in modern slavery in the last five years has been met with a decrease in the political will needed to address it.
But what can consumers do to make more ethical choices this holiday season and beyond? In this episode we navigate the intricate web of human trafficking, exploitation and forced labour within global supply chains. We put the spotlight on the retail industry, exposing its role in the disproportionate vulnerability of women and children to forced labour.
Our guests delve into the evolving response of the world to human trafficking challenges, exploring the complexities tied to migration and government policies. As the discussion unfolds, the conversation draws crucial links to the theme of sustainability and provides practical advice for consumers.~
Join Sara Pantuliano and guests in this exploration of ethical consumerism, human rights and the collective responsibility to create a sustainable world.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Nasreen Sheikh, Survivor, Author and Social Entrepreneur
- Grace Forrest, Founding Director, Walk Free
- Ekaette Ikpe, Director, African Leadership Centre, Kings College London, and ODI board member
Related resources
- Walk Free
- Local Women's Handicrafts
- Africa Fashion Futures: Creative economies, global networks and local development
- African Fashion Futures podcast
- Intertwined: Fashion, Textile and Heritage in Nigeria exhibition at King's College London, 2022 and African Leadership Centre, Nairobi
- Ikpe E, England, L., and Comunian, R. (Forthcoming). Fashion designers as lead firms from below: creative economy, state capitalism and internationalisation in Lagos and Nairobi. Competition and Change.
The rights and treatment of refugees is never far from the media headlines. Hostile narratives and politicised rhetoric dominate the news at a time when globally, solidarity for refugees continues to decline.
But with devastating conflict and climate hazards forcing more and more people from their homes, is the international community failing on its shared commitment to refugees?
It’s been five years since the global compact on refugees was established in 2018, a commitment that enshrines responsibility to governments, international organisations, and other stakeholders to support refugees and host communities.
With the Global Refugee Forum due to take place in Geneva this December, on this episode we look critically at the difference these agreements can make and how can we hold signatories to account. We ask our guests if the vision of global solidarity for refugees and their hosts is still achievable.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Shaza Alrihawi, Human Rights Activist, Global Refugee Network
- Zoe Gardner, Migration Policy Specialist
- Amanda Gray Meral, Research Fellow, ODI
- Lauren Post Thomas, Senior Advocacy Officer, Hilton Foundation
The Global Food Security Summit is about to get under way, where political leaders and experts will come together to discuss how to make urgent progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: to achieve zero hunger and end all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
Around 345 million people experience acute food insecurity according to the World Food Programme – an increase of 200 million compared to pre-pandemic levels. And the UN has warned we are not on track to achieve this global goal.
So how did we get here? And do these alarming numbers mask longer-term progress towards achieving SDG 2?
This episode paints a full picture of global hunger and malnutrition today. We ask whether the food system is really broken, and how the humanitarian system can better respond to food crises around the world. Our guests also share their hopes for what can be achieved at the upcoming Summit.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Valerie Guarnieri, Deputy Executive Director, Programme and Policy Development, World Food Programme
- Dr Stella Nordhagen, Senior Technical Specialist, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
- Dr Luka Biong Deng Kuol, Adjunct professor at Institute of Peace, Development and Security Studies, University of Juba, South Sudan
- Steve Wiggins, Principal Research Fellow, ODI
The world today is grappling with a multitude of conflicts, each of which different levels of global attention.
In this episode, we shine a spotlight on a deeply under-reported humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh), situated in the South Caucasus. Historically predominantly inhabited by Armenians, Nagorno-Karabakh falls within the internationally recognised borders of Azerbaijan.
On September 19, 2023, after decades of simmering tension and warfare, Azerbaijan launched an offensive against the ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. This offensive came after more than nine months of a complete blockade imposed by Azerbaijan, resulting in the displacement of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Prominent experts and humanitarian organisations have condemned this offensive as an act of ethnic cleansing.
This episode delves into the dire humanitarian situation in the region in the wake of these events and explores the future prospects for its ethnic Armenian population.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Lara Setrakian, journalist and Founder, Applied Policy Research Institute of Armenia
- Geoffrey Robertson, Human Rights barrister and co-head of Doughty Street Chambers
- Siranush Sargysan, freelance journalist from Nagorno-Karabakh
Resources
- Lessons from an unending conflict (The Daily podcast, New York Times)
- Resolution on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s attack and the continuing threats against Armenia (European Parliament)
- Nagorno-Karabakh resources (Human Rights Watch)
- Azerbaijan: Blockade of Lachin corridor putting thousands of lives in peril must be immediately lifted (Amnesty International)
- A humanitarian disaster is under way in Nagorno-Karabakh (The Economist)
- What cultural genocide looks like for Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh (TIME)
We are now two weeks into the latest escalation of the long and bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Gaza, prompting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to call for an immediate ceasefire to stop the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and civilian objects.
But on the same day, a UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ‘humanitarian pause’ was blocked by the US government – with the UK and Russia abstaining. Political action is needed now but global leaders are in a diplomatic gridlock, which risks further destabilising the region.
In this episode, experts discuss the horrifying situation in Gaza and what action is needed immediately to uphold international humanitarian law and stop the bloodshed.
Speakers:
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Robert Mardini, Director-General, ICRC
- Sari Bashi, Program Director, Human Rights Watch
- Ihsan Adel, Founder and Chair of Law for Palestine, international lawyer
- Sorcha O’Callaghan, Director of Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI
The question of how multilateral development banks (MDBs) must transform themselves to address today’s most pressing global challenges will again be under the spotlight at next week’s World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech.
Business as usual will no longer do. In this episode – produced in collaboration with the
Center for Global Development – we ask what the countries these banks were set up to serve think about how MDBs should adapt and evolve. After all, their demands and preferences should shape the lending volumes, strategies and operations of MDBs.
But the reality is we know little about these preferences, what client countries value about MDBs, and what they think the banks’ weaknesses are – potentially curbing their demand for assistance in the medium to long term.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development
- Annalisa Prizzon, Principal Research Fellow, ODI
- Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, Executive Vice President of the African Center for Economic Transformation
- Amadou Hott, Special Envoy for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa, AfDB and former Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation of Senegal
- Iyabo Masha, Director and Head of Secretariat, G24
Related resources
- ODI at the Annual Meetings
- MDBs can drive transformative change – now the G20 must inject urgency and sustain its support
- Country perspectives on multilateral development banks: a survey analysis
- A fair share of climate finance? An appraisal of past performance, future pledges and prospective contributors
- MDB Reform Accelerator (Center for Global Development)
- Interactive African Transformation Index (African Center for Economic Transformation)
The High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly is about to get under way. This is a significant year because it marks a halfway point in the delivery of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or ‘Global Goals’), which were adopted in a 2015 UN resolution known as Agenda 2030.
These goals were designed to provide a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.” Following the Covid-19 pandemic and other compounding shocks which we’ve come to call the “poly-crisis”, there has been much debate about how to get the SDGs back on track. But were they achievable in the first place? And as governments face stark trade-offs in the face of multiple crises, how useful are the SDGs as a framework for navigating them?
This episode examines what collective progress has been made towards Agenda 2030, and what a post-Agenda 2030 could look like.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI (host)
- Ambassador David Donoghue, ODI Distinguished Fellow
- Rachel Kyte, the 14th Dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University
- Ambassador Macharia Kamau, Kenya's Principal Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Related resources
- What are the Sustainable Development Goals? (UN Development Programme)
Following the Israeli government’s recent attacks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and against its own Supreme Court, our new Think Change podcast explores the growing threat to human rights for all those affected.
According UN experts, the recent Israeli air strikes and ground operations in the occupied West Bank focussing on the Jenin refugee camp, which left many dead and displaced 4000 people, constitute war crimes and a violation of international law.
As Israel’s far-right government continues to attack its own checks and balances, we look at the chilling effect this could have on democratic values around the world. After five decades of occupation, what are the implications of a ‘one state reality’ for human rights and the rule of law?
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Kenneth Roth, attorney, human rights activist, and writer
- Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories
- Ihsan Adel, lawyer, PhD researcher and Founder and Chair of Law for Palestine
Related resources
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967
On the cusp of the Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda this episode explores the growing anti-rights agenda relating to women and sexual minorities.
Women’s rights and freedoms are being compromised and are under threat in many parts of the world. Well-funded, ultra conservative forces are pushing a narrative which directly targets the liberties of women, girls and sexual minorities.
How can we counter the anti-feminist backlash in a coordinated and effective way? Can advocates for women’s rights work together to confront and dismantle this dangerous trend? And what role can global pacts and policy movements play in the face of landmark legislation such as Roe v Wade being overturned?
We speak to four experts heading to Kigali about the challenges, and reflect on how feminists movements might come together to present a coordinated response.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI
- Maliha Khan, President and CEO, Women Deliver
- Evelyne Opondo, Director of the International Center for Research on Women, Africa
- Alvaro Bermejo, Director General, International Planned Parenthood Federation
- Ayesha Khan, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Related resources
- Facing the backlash: what is fuelling anti-feminist and anti-democratic forces? (Align platform)
- LGBTQI+ rights are not just for Pride Month
- ODI in conversation with Emma Dabiri: can coalitions counter the anti-feminist backlash?
- Think Change episode 5: how can global feminists help fight back on Roe?
- From allyship to action: how men can step up to end violence against women
- How to partner with feminist movements for transformative change
To mark Refugee Week, we highlighting the transformational impact that refugee leadership and expertise can bring to refugee responses.
The importance of refugee leadership is now widely recognised. It is a key focus of the Global Compact on Refugees, which pledges to support refugee-led organisations (RLOs) and enable meaningful participation.
But is this rhetoric materialising into practical action on the ground? Is refugee leadership taken seriously at an international level? Why is there a gap between theoretical pledges and tangible support? And what needs to happen now to strengthen refugee leadership and drive meaningful change?
Experts from some of the world’s leading refugee-led organisations discuss the opportunities and challenges they face.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Rez Gardi, international lawyer, human rights advocate & Co-Managing Director of Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT)
- Jean Marie Ishimwe, refugee advocate, journalist, and Partnerships Lead & Co-Founder At Youth Voices Community
- Anila Noor, refugee activist, speaker, researcher and Founder of Network Women Connectors
Related resources
- What do Europeans really think about migrants? (ODI podcast)
- To address complex refugee problems, the refugee regime should be accountable to the population it serves (ODI blog)
- Refugees and IDPs need to be included in public services, how do we do this in practice? (ODI blog)
Next week, world head to Paris for the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact.
In the words of French President Emmanuel Macron, the Summit will ‘provide a forum to take stock on all the means and ways of increasing financial solidarity within the South.'
It builds on the so-called Bridgetown Initiative launched at COP by Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, but goes beyond Bridgetown’s climate focus to cover a broad range of issues, from poverty and human development to the debt crisis.
Politically, the message is clear: this Summit will be different from the others. This time, there will be true pledges and concrete deliverables. This time, it is all about building a new contract between the North and the South.
Is this realistic? Can we expect a true dialogue this time? And what is at stake if this Summit doesn’t deliver on its promises?
Related resources
- Where has the money come from to finance rising climate ambition? (ODI emerging analysis)
- Multilateral development banks as catalysts for private sector mobilisation: in conversation with EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso (ODI event video)
- The time is now: what the World Bank’s (R)evolution Roadmap should look like (ODI insight)
- Open letter to new World Bank President Ajay Banga: be the catalyst for reform the World Bank so urgently need (ODI insight)~
- Governance of multilateral development banks: Options for reform (ODI report)
- Think Change episode 22: On borrowed time? The sovereign debt crisis in the Global South (ODI podcast)
African countries have had close economic relationships with China for many years. China is a major trade and investment partner, technology and infrastructure collaborator and development finance player in Africa.
This has challenged traditional Western donors who had colonial relationships with many African countries as well as the US, until now the unquestionable dominant security and military power interacting with the continent.
Earlier this year Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that
‘leaving Africa in China’s hands is a big mistake’. Just last month, the UK’s Minister of State for Development Andrew Mitchell hinted at the
competition in Africa between the West on one side, and China and Russia on the other side.
But as always, the reality is way more complex than this simple narrative. African countries entertain relationships with Europe, North America and Asia at the same time. What does the partnership with China mean for African countries? Will this mean a boost to Africa’s economic diversification and manufacturing growth? Will it bring greater independence and autonomy to African actors?
In this episode we explore how African countries are shaping their own relationship with China beyond big infrastructure projects and the role the Chinese private sector is playing in fuelling investment and growth on the African continent.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Tin Hinane el Kadi, political economy researcher, London School of Economics and Political Science
- Yuezhou Yang, researcher, London School of Economics and Political Science
- Linda Calabrese, Research Fellow, ODI & Doctoral Fellow, Lau China Institute, King’s College London
- Anzetse Were, Senior Economist at Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Kenya
The current terrible violence in Sudan comes almost twenty years to the day of when the genocide in Darfur started. Darfur was headline news at the time, but forgotten by the international community since. Only the recent escalation of violence between powerful armed groups in Khartoum has put Sudan back in the spotlight.
This episode continues the conversation from an ODI event this week on
the fallout from 20 years of conflict in Darfur. We convened the event to better understand the roots of the current violence and the country’s long history of conflict.
Recent international media coverage has unhelpfully focused on the evacuation of expatriate personnel and third party citizens from Sudan. In response, we go behind the headlines to build a picture of the current situation in the country, focussing on the humanitarian impact and the local response to support those fleeing the violence.
We dig deeper into the history of the conflict to better understand what is happening today, and ask how humanitarians, politicians and diplomats must now respond.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Mohanad Hashim, BBC journalist
- Kholood Khair, Founder and director, Confluence Advisory
- Eddie Thomas, Fellow, Rift Valley Institute
Related resources
- From El-Fasher to Khartoum: The fallout from 20 years of conflict in Darfur (event video)
- Remembering Darfur – marking 20 years of conflict and its fallout (Disasters journal)
On the face of it, the global outlook for democracy looks pretty bleak. Democratic norms are eroding all over the world. According to International IDEA, ‘half of the world’s democracies are in retreat’.
In Tunisia we have seen President Saied dismiss parliament and re-write the constitution. In Hungry, President Orbán has packed the courts and attacked the press. And in the US, Trump refuses to accept the results of an election he lost, inciting an insurrection to overturn them.
Against this backdrop, and of course Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US recently co-hosted the second Summit for Democracy to bring attention to the threats it faces.
But will the promises made at the summit hold any weight, or was this more about geopolitical interests? And what can the US and allies do to effect democratic change abroad given the challenges they face at home?
This episode explores these questions, and asks whether the whole notion of 'democratic backsliding' is a Western lens that ignores more diverse and innovative processes of political change.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Idayat Hassan, Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, Abuja
- Sandra Pepera, Director for Gender, Women and Democracy at the National Democratic Institute, Washington DC
- Samuel Sharp, Senior Research Officer, Politics and Governance, ODI
In just over a week’s time, the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF will see the first formal session for a Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable.
The problem of debt, and debt sustainability, has become one of the most urgent issues facing many low and middle-income countries around the world. The IMF estimates currently 36 low-income countries are at high risk of, or are currently in, debt distress, with the highest proportion of these in the African continent.
Prior to the pandemic, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were already facing a high risk of debt distress. This has been compounded by the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as rising interest rates from the US Federal Reserve. Just days ago, the Fed again raised its benchmark interest rate another quarter of a percentage point to 5%. We’ve yet to see how this will ripple out, but it’s going to add even more pressure on indebted sovereign governments, their ability to service their existing debts, and their prospects for financing an economic recovery.
So how did we get here, and more importantly, what can be done about it? What does an insolvency crisis look like for different countries today, and how will it impact vulnerable populations and other citizens?
In this episode, we'll explore the challenges facing borrowing countries right now in managing their debt, and we’ll look at potential solutions, and the role different groups, including bilateral creditors, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and the private sector, can play.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Gregory Smith, Emerging Markets Fund Manager, M&G Investments; Author, Where Credit is Due: How Africa's Debt Can Be a Benefit, Not a Burden
- Yunnan Chen, ODI Research Fellow, Development and Public Finance
- Bright Simons, Honorary Vice President, IMANI Center for Policy and Education; President, mPedigree, Ghana
Related resources
· Where Credit is Due: How Africa's Debt Can Be a Benefit, Not a Burden (book)
· Old wine in new bottles? China, the G7 and the new infrastructure geopolitics (blog)
· China’s lending landscape and approach to debt relief (briefing note)
· Rising interest rates are threatening debt sustainability in Africa (blog)
· Providing climate finance in the context of a looming debt crisis (blog)
The rhetoric around migration in Europe has become increasingly politicised and polarised. National governments are taking a more hostile approach in both the narrative used, and the implementation of regressive policies that are costly and ineffective.
In the spirit of ‘deterrence’ we are seeing pushbacks of migrants arriving by sea in southern Europe and at numerous land borders with severe consequences.
In the UK, there has been much debate around the government’s proposed zero-tolerance stance on migrants arriving illegally, with a particular focus on the Channel small boats crossings. This is in stark contrast to the widespread support for Ukrainian refugees arriving in Europe being granted full protections, access to public services and the right to work.
Meanwhile, our research suggests that the public attitudes towards refugees and other migrants is increasingly positive.
In this episode we will discuss what policies are working, how and why public opinion is often at odds with the political narrative, and what our political leaders can do better.
Speakers:
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future, UK
- Gonzalo Fanjul, Director of Research, Fundación porCausa, Spain
- Claire Kumar, Senior Research Fellow, ODI Europe
Related resources:
- Will the conflict in Ukraine reset the narrative on refugees in Europe? (event video)
- Hearts and minds: how Europeans think and feel about immigration (data visualisation)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: UK country profile (paper)
- Refugees and other migrants in Poland: a spotlight on city leadership (blog)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: Poland country profile (paper)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: Ireland country profile (paper)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: Spain country profile (paper)
- Massacres in Melilla and Libya: nothing new on European borders (blog)
- The rise of the far right in Denmark and Sweden – and why it’s vital to change the narrative on immigration (blog)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: Denmark country profile (paper)
- Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: Sweden country profile (paper)
This International Women's Day, we ask how and why men should care more about feminist visions for a fairer society.
Every year on 8 March, women organise together to collectively demand their rights – specifically to transform gendered inequalities in paid and unpaid labour.
But there is an aspect of this conversation that is not talked about enough. It is about men’s neglected role at home in unpaid care work and in supporting women's activism.
This episode answers the question of why men should care more, highlighting the direct links between equal division of domestic responsibilities to women’s labour participation and autonomy.
These voices can help inspire wider discussions on the role of men in breaking down gender norms around what is perceived as women’s work, and how they can contribute to building change at home, at work and through progressive policy.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Gary Barker, President & CEO, Equimundo
- Khawar Mumtaz, feminist scholar & activist, former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women, Pakistan
- Aatif Somji, Senior Research Officer, ODI~
Related resources
- ALIGN platform
- From allyship to action: how men can step up to end violence against women (ODI event video/podcast)
- Is no space safe? Working to end gender-based violence in the public sphere (ALIGN briefing paper)
- How to partner with feminist movements for transformative change (ODI policy brief)
- Women’s economic empowerment: supporting transformative change (ODI briefing note)
- The MenCare 50/50 Commitment (MenCare)
- International men and gender equality survey (equimundo)
- Men and gender: a global status report in 15 headlines (equimundo)
On 6 February, two major earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, bringing widespread destruction to both countries. Scientists had issued warnings, but the scale of damage caused was never anticipated and had not been prepared for.
In this episode we hear a range of perspectives, including from those on the frontline of the response in both Türkiye and Syria, to build a picture of the different challenges facing both countries today. Experts reflect on the impact of the disaster, how the relief effort is going so far, and what further action is needed to support survivors and rebuild – now and in the long-term.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Dr Burçak Başbuğ Erkan, Associate Professor, Middle Eastern Technical University, Türkiye
- Wesam Sabaaneh, Director, Jafra Foundation for Relief and Youth Development in Syria
- David Alexander, Professor of Emergency Planning and Management, University College London
- Sorcha O’Callaghan, Director, Humanitarian Policy group, ODI
- Evren Aydogan, Executive Director, Ihtiyac Haritasi (Needs Map)
- Khadija Khatib, White Helmets, Syria
Related resources
- Disasters journal – earthquakes in Turkiye: reflections from past experience
- ODI on the Türkiye-Syria earthquakes
- ALNAP’s relevant learning for the earthquake response in Türkiye and Syria
Protests have gripped the country over the past four months. It’s not the first instance of civil unrest since the Iranian Revolution 44 years ago, but is there something different about how today’s women-led movement, whose rallying cry of ‘zan, zendegi, azadi’ – ‘woman, life, freedom’ – has galvanised activism today?
This episode dives into the current situation in Iran. We hear what the protests signify for rights and freedoms, for Iranians and women around the world, and ask how the international community should respond.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Azadeh Pourzand, researcher and writer
- Hoda Katebi, community organiser, writer and activist
- Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion & ODI Trustee
Related resources
- Women's organisations and feminist mobilisation: supporting the foundational drivers of gender equality
- Mobilising for change: how women’s social movements are transforming gender norms
- Feminist advocacy, family law and violence against women: international perspectives
- Writer, entrepreneur, and activist Hoda Katebi on France’s Proposed Hijab Ban
Until recently, conversations about ending poverty were very mainstream. The sustainable development goals spoke of ending extreme poverty, and reducing poverty in all its forms to very low levels by 2030.
But poverty seems to have fallen out of common parlance when discussing the many crises we face today.
More fundamentally, are traditional notions of ending poverty simply by increasing individual income above an arbitrary line even useful any more? Poverty has changed over time, but general definitions and perceptions are still stuck in the past.
In this episode our guests share their unique perspectives on why we need to rethink how we define and fight poverty today, ahead of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting at Davos next week.
To find out more, sign up to watch the livestream of our Davos event on
rethinking policy for a new era of poverty.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research
- Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva, Director of Equity and Social Policy, ODI
- Rathin Roy, Managing Director, ODI
This final episode of 2022 reflects on the year that has just been and looks ahead to 2023.
It has been a year of major and often cascading crises. Many have been covered on this podcast, from the war in Ukraine and its spill over effects, to other shocks like the US decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
But there have been some positive steps towards solutions. We have discussed some of those too, including the growing momentum around reforming international financing institutions, and new agreements to address the climate emergency.
As these events continue to unfold, it’s often hard to see the links between them and how they connect together, which we need to do in order to plan ahead. The word
‘polycrisis’ has been used more and more in 2022, and we need to think more about what this term means for how we design policy.
In this episode our guests share their unique perspective on the risks and shocks the world is facing, and the wider trends we are observing.
Speakers
- Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
- Heba Aly, CEO, The New Humanitarian
- Sir Suma Chakrabarti, formerly president of EBRD, and Chair of the ODI Board
- Richard Smith-Bingham, Executive Director at Marsh & McLennan Advantage Insights
Related resources
- World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2022
- Think Change episode 3: will the war in Ukraine cause a food crisis?
- Think Change episode 5: how can global feminists help fight back on Roe?
- Think Change episode 6: how can we break the silence on famine in the Horn of Africa?
- The systemic impacts of the war in Ukraine: a triple shock
- The crises we choose
COP27 ended with the launch of a new ‘loss and damage’ fund, which will provide financial assistance to poor nations stricken by climate disaster. But this money is unlikely to reach fragile communities in areas affected by conflict. These communities are also the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and the least ready to adapt.
So the more unstable a state, the less climate finance it receives. And that’s despite the fact that ‘Least Developed Countries’ – many of which are conflict-affected states – were prioritised in the Paris Agreement for support because of their vulnerability to climate change.
In this episode – the final in our three-part COP27 series – we hear about the unique challenges facing conflict-affected communities when it comes to climate adaptation. What can be done to support them and ensure COP27 commitments are delivered?
Speakers
Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
His Excellency Abdirahman Abdishakur, Special Envoy for Humanitarian & Drought Response in Somalia
Robert Mardini, Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC);
Rebecca Nadin, Director of the Global Risks and Resilience programme, ODI
To read reports cited in this episode and related content, visit: Think Change episode 15: the climate and conflict double challenge – has COP27 delivered?
With COP27 now under way in Sharm El Sheikh, this episode explores why loss and damage is a key focus for this year’s negotiations through the perspective of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
SIDS are most heavily impacted by the impacts of climate change, despite being the least responsible for them. Average annual losses from extreme weather events are projected in the trillions of dollars by 2050, and pressure for financial redress is growing.
At COP26 in Glasgow last year, the G77+China negotiating group proposed a loss and damage finance facility. This was blocked by the US and EU in favour of a ‘dialogue’ on loss and damage finance – the Glasgow Dialogue – which, to date, has made little progress.
So where do we go from here? In this second instalment of our three-part series for COP27, ODI climate specialists and leading voices in the loss and damage debate from SIDS discuss what outcomes are needed at the negotiations and – just as importantly – what is happening outside them.
Speakers:
Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Avinash Persaud, adviser to the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley Bakoa Kaltongga, Vanuatu’s Caretaker Minister of Agriculture and Special Envoy on Climate Change Emily Wilkinson, Senior Research Fellow, ODI Charlene Watson, Senior Research Associate, ODI
The International Energy Agency last year found that there is no room for any new coal, oil or gas if the world is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 – a crucial target to keep global heating to 1.5°C. But how do we balance this with the stark reality that fossil fuels today account for around 80% of the world’s energy consumption and that in many countries these energy needs are growing?
Renewables are cost-competitive and growing, but many countries are still hugely dependent on fossil fuels – not only for their energy needs, but also for government revenue through their exports.
In this episode, we discuss the urgent need for a just energy transition that also meets development objectives, and the role of the international community, in particular the wealthy countries and big emitters, in supporting this transition.
This is the first of a three-part series focusing on COP27, the 27th annual UN climate conference, which is taking place in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November. It will be the fifth COP to be hosted in Africa – a continent responsible for less than 4% of global emissions, but which faces some of the worst impacts of climate change. Questions around taking responsibility for addressing climate change will be high on the agenda – and in the next two episodes, we will focus on climate adaptation and what to do about loss & damage as a result of climate change.
Speakers:
Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Chukwumerije Okereke, Professor of Global Climate and Environmental Governance and Director of Center for Climate and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Nigeria Michael Jacobs, Professor of Political Economy, University of Sheffield Ipek Gencsu, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors and leaders of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are heading to Washington for the Annual Meetings, to discuss how to respond to the grim forecast captured in the latest outlook for the global economy.
The IMF and the World Bank emerged from a pact between world leaders in the aftermath of another international catastrophe – World War II. Many other multilateral development banks have been created since then. Our research has shown that these banks are providing valued assistance to low- and middle-income countries around the world. They are also a critical tool for meeting our climate finance commitments.
But the effectiveness and the relevance of this system has long been challenged by member states. The Annual Meetings come just after the UN General Assembly, where this year the calls to reform the so-called Bretton Woods institutions were louder than ever before. There are no simple solutions and the stakes are high.
How should economies protect themselves from the continuing impacts of the pandemic and the global supply chain crisis, while they fight the longer-term battle against climate change? Are the tools we have at our disposal fit for purpose, and if not – what should be done?
Speakers:
Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI José Antonio Ocampo, Minister of Finance, Colombia Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, Egypt Alexia Latortue, Assistant Secretary for International Trade and Development, US Treasury Annalisa Prizzon, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Global energy prices continue to rise. Coal prices are projected to increase by 81% in 2022, crude oil prices by 42% and natural gas prices by 74%. But these costs aren’t shared equally, especially for natural gas which requires specialised distribution infrastructure. The Russia-Ukraine war has therefore had an especially profound impact on Europe, which has been beset by a cost of living crisis.
European countries are already introducing radical policies to ensure there is enough fuel to last the winter: windfall taxes, consumption caps, extra subsidies for consumers, extra liquidity for utilities. But there is an anomaly: the UK. The UK is relatively less reliant on Russian energy than its European neighbours, but as of July 2022 its electricity prices were the second highest on the continent. UK energy bills are not just a function of the cost of energy, but also level of demand. The UK’s old housing stock means a lot of energy is required to heat homes. British households – particularly the poorest families who live in the lowest-quality housing – will need a lot of very expensive energy this winter.
In this episode, which our Chief Executive Sara Pantuliano hosts from New York Climate Week, we ask how the UK has ended up in this situation. Have efforts to decarbonise left the UK vulnerable to price shocks? Will the government protect citizens and at whose cost? And will the UK – and other wealthy countries – revert on climate commitments?
Speakers
Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Simon Evans, Deputy Editor and Policy Editor, Carbon Brief Leo Barasi, Strategic Communications Manager, European Climate Foundation Sarah Colenbrander, Director of Climate and Sustainability programme, ODI
Twenty years of western intervention in Afghanistan were bought to an abrupt end a year ago after the Taliban’s swift advance on Kabul.
Their takeover sparked international disarray. Short-term, humanitarian solutions have failed to address the most critical challenges Afghans face.
The Taliban were ‘semi-governing’ everyday life in parts of Afghanistan long before the fall of Kabul. Reports from the country have been troubling albeit not surprising over the past year – with restrictions on freedom of speech, erosion of the rights of women and girls, and a devastating economic and food security crisis across the country. But with the war in Ukraine dominating the headlines and funding, it has been tricky to get a clear picture of what is really happening.
This episode delves into the current situation in Afghanistan, as seen through the eyes of Afghan women who have played key roles in the development of their country. They discuss the role that regional and international partners have been playing and explain what needs to change.
Speakers:
Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Seema Ghani, human rights activist Nargis Nehan, Afghan former Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Industries Forozan Rasooli, women’s rights activist
Since the birth of Bitcoin in 2008, cryptocurrency (or crypto) has had a significant impact on the way we think about money and financial services. It has even prompted discussion of a ‘new dawn’ in global financial inclusion. Many argue that cryptocurrencies – as well as the blockchain technology that forms the basis of this digital money – can help create more open and democratic financial systems in parts of the world that have historically lacked these privileges. But some have cast doubt on the idea that crypto represents a more cost-effective alternative to traditional financial transactions, while the price volatility of the likes of Bitcoin has been well documented. Environmental and regulatory concerns are also often cited. In this episode, experts weigh up these arguments and assess the potential of crypto to create more inclusive, democratic financial systems.
Speakers
Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Cathal Long, Research Fellow, ODI Sheila Warren, CEO, Crypto Council for Innovation Mercina Tillemann Perez, Vice President, Circle Impact
The Rwanda asylum plan refers the UK’s government’s controversial proposed policy to deport people identified as illegal immigrants, or seeking asylum, to Rwanda for resettlement.
A judicial review of the policy is now set to take place in September, but the UK government continues to defend it and has not ruled out deportation flights over the summer.
The case itself has been hugely divisive in the UK, Rwanda, and internationally. What started as a legal argument has caused a ripple effect into areas of religious morality and political ideology, while raising practical questions about whether this plan is lawful and workable, and why Rwanda is the destination of choice.
And with a Conservative Party leadership contest now under way following the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the plan is featuring highly on the list of issues for leadership candidates.
So what next? We dive into these issues with experts from the legal profession, humanitarian policy and refugee action.
Speakers: Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Sorcha O'Callaghan, Director of ODI’s Humanitarian Policy Group Becca Hird, Associate at Mishcon Private specialising in immigration Isabel Alonso García, Programmes Manager, Calais, Collective Aid
This month global trade ministers held talks at the World Trade Organization for the first time in five years. As the conference spilled into a sixth day, an agreement was finally reached to waiver Covid-19 patents (the TRIPS waiver).
This deal temporarily removes intellectual property barriers around patents for Covid-19 vaccines and postpones the discussions on extending the waiver to treatments and tests by six months. But it has been heavily criticised for watering down the original text proposed by India and South Africa.
So what benefit will it really have? This episode assesses the impact of the deal and asks what other action is needed to respond to this pandemic and prepare for future ones.
Speakers:
Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand Tom Hart, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
Following four failed rains and with the threat of a fifth, the Horn of Africa is now facing the worst drought for 40 years, with up to 20 million people at risk of going hungry. The current crisis is drawing parallels to the famine in 2011 that killed nearly 260,000 people in Somalia alone.
Aid agencies and food security experts raised the alarm about the impact of failed rains long ago, so why are we here again? And why is this devastating crisis not getting the attention it urgently needs? In this episode, experts join us from Mogadishu discuss the situation on the ground. We assess why the famine is continuing to evade media and donor attention, and what can be done to break this silence and mobilise action.
Speakers:
Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Mary Harper, Africa Editor, BBC World Service Nimo Hassan, Director, Somalia NGO Consortium Daud Jiran, Somalia Country Director, Mercy Corps
What does overturning Roe vs Wade mean for people living beyond US borders? We discuss the international aftershocks of the news that this 1973 Supreme Court decision is likely to be overturned.
How can global activists safeguard existing abortion rights and at the same time prevent backsliding? How can we collectively navigate this new context while supporting a comprehensive agenda on reproductive justice and bodily autonomy?
Join us and our invited guests as we unpack the gender norms at the heart of overturning Roe vs Wade, exploring what this means for people everywhere.
Speakers: - Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI, - Françoise Moudouthe (CEO, African Women’s Development Fund), - Dr. Anu Kumar (President & CEO, Ipas), - Megan Daigle, Senior Research Fellow, ODI.
For more information, including further reading and references, visit https://odi.org/en/insights/think-change-episode-5-can-global-feminists-fight-back-on-roe/
This episode examines how we can stop wars and better support peace efforts around the world. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has again put the spotlight on the failures of current approaches, but could this also be a critical moment to reform the agenda? Our experts discuss what we have been getting wrong and what needs the change.
Speakers: · Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI · Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, UN · Paul Murphy, Executive Director, Saferworld · Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director of Politics and Governance programme, ODI
Around the world, countries are feeling the effects of the ‘triple shock’ caused by the Ukraine war – the perfect storm of economic, energy and food risks. A looming food crisis could have devastating consequences globally, exacerbating inequality and further slowing the recovery from the pandemic. In this episode, we take a step back to understand what’s really going on here. How is the war impacting global prices, supply chains and markets? What countries are most at risk? And how should governments respond?
Speakers: Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI; Sarah Taber, crop scientist; Sherillyn Raga, Research Fellow, ODI; Steve Wiggins, Principal Research Fellow, ODI.
Further reading at https://odi.org/en/insights/think-change-episode-3-will-the-war-in-ukraine-cause-a-food-crisis/
French President Emmanuel Macron will face Marine Le Pen in the second round of the country’s presidential election, with both candidates doing better than expected in the first round. We delve into the policy positions of each of the candidates and explore potential implications for the economy, Europe-Africa relations, migration, peace and security, and more. How might their campaigns evolve to scoop up those left and right voters, and how is this election influencing France’s place in the world?
Speakers:
Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Julien Marcilly, Chief Economist at Global Sovereign Advisory Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Director of Programme (Politics and Governance), ODI Marta Foresti, Executive Director of ODI Europe, ODI
This horrific war is displacing millions of people, challenging the region’s stability and threatening peace and security in our time. But what role has disinformation played to get us to this point? We hear a lot about Russia’s methods to disrupt narratives, paint false pictures and spread conspiracies. But how do they do it? What’s the significance of it? And how should we really be responding to it?
Speakers: Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive at ODI, Nathalie Van Raemdonck, researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Stephanie Diepeveen, Research Fellow at ODI, Theo Tindall, Research Officer at ODI.
For more info and further reading, visit https://odi.org/en/insights/think-change-episode-1-disinformation-and-the-russia-ukraine-war/
In the fifth and final episode of this series, we explore how young refugees cope when multiple problems or sets of needs collide – or intersectionality.
We hear from Christophe, a 13 year-old Congolese refugee who lives in a two-roomed house in Rwanda with his grandparents, six sisters and three brothers. Christophe has a physical disability and can’t walk. He longs to play with the other children outside but without his family bringing in an income, resources are very limited.
We hear from experts like Dr Ola Abualghaib, who works for UNPRPD, a joint United Nations initiative to advance the rights of persons with disabilities. She says that listening to people like Christophe and understanding his needs is key to working out a way forward. “Evidence is still lacking. There is this ad hoc, anecdotal evidence but what does that mean? What are the implications on the real lives of people on a daily basis?” she says.
Intersectionality comes in many forms. We hear from Disanka, a 17-year old living in with her daughter in one of the Rwanda camps. Being a young mother and a refugee living in a camp brings with it a set of unique challenges: “It's not easy because I am a kid too. I am a child”, she says.
“It’s terrible if you have membership in many groups – you are disabled, you are poor, you are a refugee”, says Kifah Banioweda, our GAGE researcher working in Palestine.
“We know the things that will work to support UN's overall aims to leave no one behind” says Nicola Jones, GAGE Director. These support mechanisms – education, social protection, psychosocial support to address violence or trauma – need to be reimagined as a core part of refugee support, not merely a ‘nice to have’.
This episode’s guests: • Maryam Palestinian girl in Gaza – facing conservative atmosphere in the camp she lives in which restricts her education options • Disanka 16-year-old Congolese refugee living in Rwanda • Christophe* 13-year-old Congolese refugee living in Rwanda • Kifah Banioweda GAGE Researcher Palestine • Isimbi Roberte GAGE researcher Rwanda • Dr Ola Abualghaib UN partnership on the rights of people with disabilities. UNPRPD
*The names are pseudonyms to protect individual adolescent identities.
Subscribe to ODI podcasts through your preferred podcast app to download all episodes.
Adolescent mental health has become a major casualty of conflict, persecution, and climate crisis. Adolescents who have had to leave everything they know behind to flee to safety are often forced to take on the pressures and responsibilities of adulthood, before their time.
In episode 4 of GAGE’s podcast series, Adolescents in Crisis: Unheard Voices, we hear from 18-year-old Syrian refugee Kareem who started going to school in Lebanon, but dropped out because his family needed him to earn a wage for them to survive. He says: “The main reason that made my family leave Syria and come to Lebanon was the war that made no differentiation between civilians and militants. Everyone could be killed and there was no security. (In Lebanon) I feel that I am not productive. I can’t express my skills, my dreams. I have no expectation in life.”
We hear from 21 year old Rami, a Syrian adolescent living in Lebanon who lives with 12 members of his family in a two-room apartment. Rami dropped out of school at 13 to be the main breadwinner for the family because his father had cancer. “It was very psychologically distressing to leave school and start to work. Normal people have the chance to live their lives without having to do these hard jobs before reaching the age of 18”, he says.
The economic crisis in Lebanon has hit the country’s nearly 7 million people hard. A recent UN report says poverty has drastically increased, with 82 % of people in Lebanon now living without a proper means of support.
Episode 4 focuses on adolescent refugees and their mental health, drawing on GAGE research with hundreds of adolescents as it follows their life path over nine years. We hear from those working with adolescents in the Lebanon and Ethiopia who believe that hearing from the young people themselves is key to finding solutions to the growing mental health crisis.
This episode’s guests: • Assem Chrief, The Lebanese Organisation of Studies and Training (LOST) • Marcel Saleh, GAGE researcher, Lebanon • Kiya Gezahegne, GAGE researcher, Ethiopia • Kareem (pseudonym) – 18-year-old Syrian boy living in Lebanon. Can’t sleep at night. Frustrated because he is working in a hard labour construction environment, and he wants to continue his education. • Rami (pseudonym) 21-year-old Syrian youth boy living in Lebanon. Works as a painter/decorator. Feeling hopeless.
*The names are pseudonyms to protect individual adolescent identities
Future episodes will be released every other Monday. Subscribe to ODI podcasts through your preferred podcast app to get notified.
According to the UN, up to 650 million women and girls were married under the age of 18. Most are in countries deemed fragile states marked by conflict, climate crisis, and weak institutions.
In episode three, we learn about the issues adolescent girls face with violence and child marriage.
We hear from Sabreen*, an adolescent refugee from Syria who was married at the age of 16 and now lives in a camp in Lebanon in a small tent with her family and in-laws. We hear about life in the camp and the challenges of being a young mother, and her advice to other young girls.
We meet Noor*, a Palestinian adolescent married at the age of 16 who is part of GAGE’s longitudinal study group. We hear of her journey into, and out of marriage, and about the pressures and challenges of fighting for a better future for herself.
“Child marriage is wrong for anybody. It’s wrong for girls because they are denied opportunities to go to school and realise their full potential. But it’s worse for refugees” says Dr. Faith Mwangi Powell, CEO of ‘Girls not Brides’ a global partnership to end child marriage.
Future episodes will be released every other Monday. Subscribe to ODI podcasts through your preferred podcast app to get notified.
Episode 3 guests:
- Dr. Bassam Abu Hamad Research director, GAGE, Palestine (Mena region)
- Noor*, a divorced girl from Gaza who faced physical abuse in marriage
- Sabreen*, a Syrian refugee girl living in tent in Lebanon
- Sally Youssef, GAGE, Lebanon
- Madeleine Forster, UNRWA
- Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, CEO, Girls Not Brides
-
Mohammed Nasr, UNFPA
-
The names are pseudonyms to protect individual adolescent identities
The UN blueprint, the Global Compact for Refugees, has education as one of its top priorities. But despite this, many adolescents are excluded from schools and denied a proper education when they are forced to flee.
In episode two, we focus on this crisis of education, and compare the plight of young refugees who have settled in Bangladesh and Jordan.
We speak to Yasin*, a 14 year old refugee who currently lives in a two-room tent with seven members of his family in Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh. After his home was burnt down in Myanmar, his family moved to a refugee camp and now he has no access to school.
We also meet Layla*, a 14 year old Syrian refugee now living in Amman, Jordan. Layla has been participating in UNICEF’s Makani community programme which provides education, child protection services and psychosocial support along with life skills to children in crisis.
We look at what is needed in order to turn young adolescent lives around, the resources available to refugee’s and what we can do to improve the current situation.
Future episodes will be released every other Monday. Subscribe to ODI podcasts through your preferred podcast app to get notified. You can also listen to all episodes as they are released on ODI’s soundcloud channel.
Speakers in this episode:
- Sara Al Heiwidi, GAGE Jordan qualitative researcher
- Kenan Madi, Makani Programme Manager, UNICEF Jordan
- Khadija Mitu, GAGE Bangladesh qualitative researcher, University of Chittagong
- Dr Nicola Jones, ODI Principal Research Fellow and GAGE Director
- Layla*, a 14 year old Syrian refugee living in Amman
- Yasin*, a 14 year old refugee living with his family in Cox’s Bazaar
*The names are pseudonyms to protect individual adolescent identities
The first episode sets the global scene for adolescents in crisis. We talk to Khalid, a 13 year old Syrian refugee living in a tent in Jordan with his family, and Fatuma, a mother of two small children who was brutally forced from her home at the age of 18. She lives in a government-supported centre for internally displaced people south of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
Like the many thousands of young refugees they both face many vulnerabilities because of their legal status. Forced to grow up fast, any employment is confined to sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing that require low skills and are rewarded with low pay, no benefits and no health insurance.
For all the agencies tasked with supporting refugees and internally displaced persons, understanding the different needs of adolescents is vital to designing age and gender appropriate support and services. Listening to the voices of the young people affected by crisis is the first important starting point.
Episode 1 speakers: 1. Dr Prerna Banati, UNICEF 2. Dr Nicola Jones, Director, ODI Principal Research Fellow and GAGE Director 3. Workneh Yadete, GAGE Ethiopia Qualitative Research Lead and Research Uptake and Impact Coordinator 4. Jude Sajdi, GAGE Jordan researcher 5. Fatuma, adolescent IDP in Ethiopia facing dearth of economic opportunities 6. Khalid, adolescent Syrian refugee working in gruelling conditions in ITS in Jordan
- The names are pseudonyms to protect individual adolescent identities.
Humanitarian Practice Network: A conversation on 'Accelerating localisation through partnerships' by ODI
In this special episode, we're live from New York City at the UN Climate Action Summit, discussing the intersection of conflict, climate change and disaster risk reduction.
Interviewees: • Eliot Levine, Director, Environment, Energy and Climate, Mercy Corps • Anne Hammill, Director, Resilience, International Institute for Sustainable Development • Alec Crawford, Senior Policy Advisor and Lead, Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding, International Institute for Sustainable Development • Aditya Bahadur, Research Associate, Risk and Resilience, Overseas Development Institute (ODI) • Yves Daccord, Director General, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) • Ms Mami Mitzouri, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction • Loretta Hieber Girardet, Regional Director, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for Asia and the Pacific
In this episode, we share six logical and also some radical ideas for how we can improve the support provided to communities who are living with the risk of disasters while also contending with conflict.
Interviewees: • Chitra Nagarajan, Senior Advisor, Centre for Civilians in Conflict • Oenone Chadburn, Head of Humanitarian Support, Tearfund • Kassem Chalaan, Disaster Risk Reduction Programme Manager, Lebanese Red Cross • Raghida Abdel El Hamid Chasim, Director, Takmiliyat Al Kobba Secondary School • Animesh Kumar, Deputy Chief, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, UNDRR • Rina Meutia, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery • Dr Ayesha Siddiqi, Lecturer in Human Geography, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London • Loretta Hieber Girardet, Regional Director, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for Asia and the Pacific
In this episode, we focus on the politics of disaster risk reduction policies and strategies and how disaster risk manifests on the ground. We draw on observations from research in Chad, Colombia and Lebanon to reveal the realities of disaster risk reduction in conflict-affected contexts.
Interviewees: • Dr Ilan Kelman, Reader, UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction • Ms Mami Mitzouri, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction • Zahi Chahine, Project Manager of Disaster Risk Management Unit, Lebanon • Loretta Hieber Girardet, Regional Director, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for Asia and the Pacific • Dr Ayesha Siddiqi, Lecturer in Human Geography, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London • Bina Desai, Head of Policy and Research, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) • Chitra Nagarajan, Senior Advisor, Centre for Civilians in Conflict
‘When disasters and conflict collide’ is a podcast series that explores how conflict increases people’s vulnerabilities to disasters around the world.
In this episode, we explain why disasters are not natural, how conflict has been the elephant in the diplomatic meeting room for decades and what’s being done to rewrite a better future for affected people.
Interviewees: • Banak Joshua Dei Wei, Director General for Disaster Management and National Focal Point for the Implementation of Sendai Framework in South Sudan for the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Republic of South Sudan • Margareta Wohlstrom, President of the Swedish Red Cross • Dr Ayesha Siddiqi, Lecturer in Human Geography, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London • Loretta Hieber Girardet, Regional Director, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for Asia and the Pacific • Oenone Chadburn, Head of Humanitarian Support, Tearfund • Zahi Chahine, Project Manager of Disaster Risk Management Unit, Lebanon
Constructive deconstruction is a three-part podcast series where change makers pitch radical new visions to shake up the future of humanitarian aid.
This episode redefines ‘crisis’ and the humanitarian role, and pitches a vision of a whole-of-problem crisis response based on humanitarian principles.
Interviewees: - Christina Bennett, Head of Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), ODI - Marc Dubois, author, former Executive Director of MSF UK - Abdurahman Sharif, Director of the Somalia NGO Consortium - Nan Buzard, Head of Innovation, ICRC
Constructive Deconstruction is a three-part podcast series where change makers pitch radical new visions to shake up the future of humanitarian aid.
This episode examines how technology is disrupting power structures in the humanitarian sector, drawing on real life examples from across the world including the Mediterranean refugee crisis.
Interviewees: - Christina Bennett, Head of Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), ODI - Paul Currion, author and humanitarian consultant - Jaz O’Hara, Founder, World Wide Tribe - Aimee Ansari, Executive Director, Translators without Borders
Constructive Deconstruction is a three-part podcast series where change makers pitch radical new visions to shake up the future of humanitarian aid.
This episode explores the pitch for a humanitarian social economy based on opportunities for displaced people, and unpacks the potential of cooperatives and community investment funds with insights from Syria.
Interviewees: - Christina Bennett, Head of Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), ODI - Tahir Zaman, author and lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Sussex - Nils Carstensen, Local to Global Protection - Rouba Mhaissen, economist, activist and development expert
This episode introduces the concept of gender norms and explores how they are changing. It looks at gender norms through a historic lens to demonstrate that while change is slow, it is happening.
Part 1: What are gender norms? Part 2: Change happens
In this podcast, we speak to: - Dr Caroline Harper, Head of Programme/Principal Research Fellow, ODI - Dr Nicola Jones, Principal Research Fellow, ODI and Director, GAGE - Dr Anita Ghimire, Director, Nepal Institute for Social and Environmental Research - Rachel Marcus, Research Associate, ODI - Bekele Tefera, independent consultant, Ethiopia - Nikki Van Der Gaag, Director of Gender Justice and Women’s Rights, Oxfam Great Britain
This episode unpacks some of the many challenges associated with changing gender norms.
Part 1: The paradoxical nature of change creates challenges Part 2: What are the wider conditions needed to facilitate change? Part 3: Even if change is happening, there are powerful forces pushing back
Interviewees (May also appear in the previous and following episode)
Carol Watson, independent researcher Dr Florence Kyoheirwe Muhanguzi, Senior Researcher, Makerere University, Uganda Paola Pereznieto, Research Associate, ODI Dr Fiona Samuels, Senior Research Fellow, ODI
We explore three distinct areas of opportunity to change gender norms: policy and the law, communications, and education. We conclude the series with a reflection on the nature of gendered norms and provide opportunity for listeners to individually act on the lessons learned.
Part 1: Policies and laws to empower adolescent girls Part 2: Communications, girls’ clubs and norms Part 3: Girls’ education Conclusion: Gender norms affect all of us: knowledge and understanding leads to change
Interviewees (also featuring interviewees from previous episodes)
Dr Erin Murphy-Graham, Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California - Berkeley