Devex

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio took steps to provide $600 million in congressionally allocated funding to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, ending months of uncertainty over whether the Trump administration would honor the allocation. #StateDept #Trump #Gavi #globalhealth

The global labor migration system faces a critical structural challenge: For millions, the search for opportunity begins not with hope, but with deception and debt bondage. Forced labor has grown into a multibillion-dollar business that exploits workers before their jobs even start. As we mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, tackling this reality is more urgent than ever. Sustainability & Community Action at Amazon and the IOM - UN Migration are working together to strengthen ethical recruitment and help prevent human trafficking of migrant workers moving from Nepal to Gulf Cooperation Council countries. This initiative aims to tackle misleading job offers and exorbitant recruitment fees by educating prospective migrants and recruitment agents. Outlining this proactive approach, IOM’s Parul Mehra states, “Preventing exploitation requires more than responding to abuse after it occurs — it requires investing in awareness, responsible recruitment systems, and partnerships that empower people to migrate safely from the outset.” Explore how cross-sector coordination is driving safer migration pathways: https://dvx.cm/n7h1fv #WorldDayAgainstTraffickingInPersons #EndHumanTrafficking

The structural playbook for global health emergency financing is facing a critical test. The ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak reveals that outbreak control fundamentally relies on whether global health decision-making can move at the speed of an epidemic. In a joint analysis, Dr. Jean Kaseya of Africa CDC, European commissioner Hadja Lahbib (🇪🇺), (🇩🇪), and Éléonore Caroit (🇫🇷) argue that fragmented funding models actively delay the work that interrupts transmission. They emphasize aligning global investments behind one unified continental framework. As the authors note, “The most dangerous gap in the Ebola response is not a shortage of commitments. It is the time and distance between a pledge made in a capital and the support that reaches a contact tracer, laboratory, treatment centre or community radio.” Read the full analysis on operationalizing health sovereignty: https://dvx.cm/uzh6li #EbolaResponse #GlobalHealth

The playbook for global growth is being rewritten at a time when progress in maternal, newborn, and child survival has slowed significantly, despite decades of proven interventions. Persistent funding cuts, conflict, and economic instability continue to threaten the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, proving that technical solutions alone are insufficient without robust national implementation frameworks. During a high-level discussion at WHA79, hosted by Devex in partnership with MSD for Mothers, UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere, and Child Survival Action, health leaders from across the globe analyzed critical bottlenecks and regional successes. Leaders such as Honorable Aden Bare Duale, professor abla alalfy, Yeshoda Aryal, and Dr Nadeen Hilal emphasized that political accountability and quality of care must drive future interventions. As Jacquelyn Caglia, head of Mission Aligned Initiatives and executive director of social impact and sustainability, MSD for Mothers, noted, “The task now is ours to meet this challenge and to do it working together in partnership with families, with equity and quality at the center.” Watch the full panel discussion and explore the data. ➡️ https://dvx.cm/as8slq #DevexWHA79 #GlobalHealth #MaternityMatters #HealthEquity

Alexia Latortue helps set the agenda for where global development goes next. As head of secretariat for the Future Of Development Cooperation Coalition her read on this moment carries weight. Her take: The future of global development requires breaking out of the aid-industry box. Trade, investment, and private capital are now all in the mix. But that shift brings two risks, she says. Either freezing up, where people are unsure how to engage with the private sector and pining for the old aid model. Or swinging too far the other way, assuming private capital alone can solve everything.   So what does she think leadership will look like in this next era? Individuals coming together across sectors — including some who’ve never considered themselves part of the development world, but who care about growth and transformation — with real ideas on why nations need to cooperate. Watch to get more of her take from the recent Aspen Security Forum, hosted by Aspen Global Innovators Group.

Sponsored by GSK and ViiV Healthcare. Every morning in Recife, Brazil, a community center opens its doors to young people experiencing homelessness, substance use, and social exclusion. Thousands of kilometers away in western Kenya, community health workers walk from home to home educating families on how to prevent and treat malaria. Different places. Different challenges. One shared lesson: healthcare is most effective when communities lead the way. Read the full visual story to discover how ViiV Healthcare, together with GSK, is funding community-led partnerships that are bringing care closer to those too often left behind ➡️ https://dvx.cm/jgfoi3 #DevexSeries #GlobalHealth #Malaria #HealthEquity

The global development ecosystem faces an unprecedented structural shift as official development assistance drops, forcing the sector to confront a fundamental question: When the aid stops, who remains? In a new op-ed by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative, Sister Abby Avelino, MM, of Talitha Kum, Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, and Sister Georgette Sidbewendin Sawadogo of Donum Dei Sisters contend that the traditional view of faith-based leaders misses their core value to country-led growth. As they write: “For too long, Catholic sisters have been viewed primarily as service providers or faith-based charities — if we are thought of at all. We respectfully suggest that this understanding is incomplete.” Read the full op-ed to explore how these original “last-mile” leaders are redefining local sustainability: https://dvx.cm/ue8jhc #SistersLead #CatholicSisters #GlobalDevelopment #Localization

The future of global governance depends not on top-down international declarations — but on whether multilateral commitments can deliver tangible results where people actually live. As the deadline for the 2030 Agenda approaches, the international system faces a critical crisis of public trust, geopolitical fragmentation, and strained domestic resources. In a new op-ed, Emilia Saiz, secretary general of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), argues that subnational groups are essential to connecting international agreements with community realities. As global leaders prepare to negotiate post-2030 frameworks, major coalitions such as the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments are demanding a structural seat at the decision-making table. As Sáiz stresses, “Local and regional governments cannot remain mere implementers of international agendas.” Read the full analysis: https://dvx.cm/53e2kx #Listen2Cities #UCLGCongress #HLPF2026 #SDG11 #NewUrbanAgenda

Health funding is still organized around diseases, projects, and reporting cycles. A life-course approach could make the new wave of women’s health investment go much further. #Opinion by Dr. Uche Ralph-Opara, Chief Health Officer at Project HOPE. #womenshealth #globalhealth

GAGGA has moved $50 million to women-led groups worldwide, run by three organizations, one funding formula, and a pitch that always leads with climate. #globaldevelopment