How Samantha Power performed a delicate balancing act as USAID chief

In one of her last interviews before leaving office, Samantha Power spoke with Devex for a special edition of its This Week in Global Development podcast about navigating that push-and-pull, and how she expects the Trump administration’s USAID to face similar challenges. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

As the world gets ready for a second Trump presidency, significant uncertainty surrounds the United Nations as the organization prepares to implement substantial funding cuts. With the new administration predicted to prioritize national security over humanitarian and human rights principles, China may seek to fill the void left by the United States. Faced with domestic economic pressures and competing priorities, European countries across the continent continued to make cuts to their aid budgets in 2024, including the European Commission. The trend is raising questions regarding the continent's commitment to addressing global challenges.How will Trump’s approach to the U.N. be different to that of Biden’s? Will European countries continue to cut their foreign aid funding in 2025?To discuss these questions, Devex Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Tom Hart, the president and CEO of InterAction, as well as Devex Global Development Reporter Colum Lynch, for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

This week’s podcast kicks off with a look at the legacy of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday. Following his four-year presidency, Carter devoted four decades to humanitarian efforts, founding The Carter Center in 1982 to promote peace and improve global health. One of his most significant contributions was his campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which has now been eliminated in 17 countries.The team also delves into a new plan to establish an African-led response to the HIV epidemic, as well as a report from Publish What You Fund, which highlights gaps in donor nations’ localization targets.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

This week we delve into the key trends that have shaped the global development landscape. From the impact of declining aid budgets in high-income countries to Donald Trump’s reelection, we examine how these forces are influencing the sector and consider their implications for the year ahead.We also explore the potential of cash transfers to revolutionize the aid sector and challenge the traditional global financial architecture.In the United States, a landmark bill is poised to significantly expand the reach of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, potentially enabling the agency to operate in middle-income countries for the first time.To look back at 2024 and to dig into these stories, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Yolande Wright, vice president of partnerships at GiveDirectly, and Devex Senior Business Editor David Ainsworth for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

This week, we take a look at the Civil Society and Social Innovation Alliance, known as CIVIC, a new, forthcoming World Bank Group initiative designed to support civil society organizations and social economy players. This venture seeks to foster more collaboration in line with the bank’s localization agenda, enabling civil society to play a crucial role in addressing global challenges.On the topic of the World Bank, the financial institution announced $23.7 billion in contributions to the International Development Association, or IDA, the bank’s fund for providing grants and low-interest loans to 78 low-income countries. This is a 0.8% increase from the last replenishment of $23.5 billion in 2022 but falls short of the $27 billion that some advocates had hoped for.We also discuss the Lobito corridor, which will connect Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo via a rail that runs to the Lobito port in Angola. With many seeing it as a key initiative in the U.S.' efforts to counter China's growing influence, we discuss the chances of it continuing under the Trump administration.To dig into these stories, Devex’s Michael Igoe sits down with Aly Rahim, program manager of the Global Partnership for Social Accountability at the World Bank, and Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

As key appointments in the Trump administration come into focus, what will they mean for U.S. foreign aid? With high-profile picks such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary and Marco Rubio for secretary of state in the spotlight, all eyes in the development community are on Trump’s yet-to-be-announced choice to lead the U.S. Agency for International Development — a decision poised to shape the future of U.S. global engagement.In this episode of our weekly podcast series, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar is joined by Devex Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger and Nasra Ismail, founder and CEO of Generative Connections, to discuss the wide range of possibilities under a Trump presidency.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

This week we reflect on the United Nations COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, which wrapped up over the weekend. We take a closer look at the outcomes, analyzing nations’ commitment to a new $300 billion annual global climate finance target and exploring whether it’s sufficient to support the needs of the lower-income countries most impacted by climate change.While some steps have been taken to assist these states, significant doubts remain about the sufficiency of what nations agreed at COP29. Is the global community truly committed to addressing the climate crisis? Did COP29 deliver? What will be the next step in the climate negotiations?For the latest episode of our weekly podcast series, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Clare Shakya, global managing director of climate at The Nature Conservancy, and Climate Reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz, to look back at COP 29.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

As COP29 comes to a close, we take a look at what negotiators are still racing to resolve in the final hours of the ambitious two-week conference. From building carbon markets to establishing private sector partnerships to meet the funding gap, we also contemplate whether the discussions will lead to meaningful action and address the issues posed by climate change.This week, we were also on the ground in Brazil, closely following the conversations taking place at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. We dive into some of the global development issues on the agenda during the discussions, including slashing world hunger, reforming multilateral development banks, and taxing the superrich. To look back at these two crucial events on the global development calendar, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with James Mwangi, founder and CEO of Africa Climate Ventures, as well as Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

For this special episode of our weekly podcast series, Devex EVP and Executive Editor Kate Warren sits down with leaders from Bayer and Mars who discuss the challenges and opportunities for the private sector in addressing climate change. 

For this special episode of our weekly podcast series recorded at COP29, Devex climate reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz sits down with Kulthoum Omari-Motsumi from the Africa Adaptation Initiative, Patrick Verkooijen of the Global Center on Adaptation, and Tagaloa Cooper from the South Pacific Regional Environment Program.