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Blog Post
March 20, 2024
In global development and global health circles, the euphemism “graduation” refers to the “transition” to “sustainability,” another euphemism for the reduction in, and ultimately ending of, support from a donor to a recipient country. But what happens to countries after they graduate? In this piece ...
Blog Post
November 16, 2023
Well done Andrew Mitchell. On Monday he will unveil the UK’s first White Paper on development for 14 years, and the first credible statement of policy and intent on the subject of any kind for more than a decade. (Yes, there have been previous documents claiming to be strategies, including Liz Truss...
Blog Post
October 23, 2023
In times of mounting debt, the quest for universal health coverage (UHC) faces critical challenges. Rising debt has far-reaching effects, including reduced access to financing, political instability, and decreased spending on international aid. The burden of debt, coupled with high inflation, is thr...
Blog Post
October 11, 2023
Budget support offers direct financing to a country’s treasury to create more “fiscal space” for public programs. It has constituted some 14 percent of ODA on average, increasing to over 20 percent in times of crisis. No aid modality is more controversial. Critics argue that, without earmarking fund...
Blog Post
November 22, 2021
One of my overwhelming preoccupations over the last 10 years as a chief executive of international aid organisations, first as permanent secretary of the UK’s Department for International Development and then as head of the UN’s humanitarian affairs, has been that there was never enough money, even ...
Blog Post
October 25, 2021
As Afghanistan enters its harsh winter season, a massive humanitarian disaster appears increasingly likely. Facing food shortages, rising prices, and a breakdown in public services, millions of ordinary Afghans need immediate assistance as their country veers toward economic collapse.
Blog Post
September 09, 2021
Afghanistan’s history is blighted by the actions of foreigners. The near-neighbours have plenty on their consciences; others further afield do too, including the British a century ago, the Russians in the 1980s, and the US-led NATO coalition over the last 20 years. So who wants what now?