As Season 2 of the DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast draws to a close, I want to take you on a journey through the conversations that defined this pivotal year in international development and humanitarian aid. This season was overshadowed by seismic shifts—the US government’s withdrawal from global development marked by the January aid freeze, the largest-ever budget cuts, and the dismantling of USAID, events that shook the aid world to its core.
Throughout the season, we spoke with policy experts, frontline practitioners, economists, and climate scientists—each illuminating how these changes ripple through communities, governments, and ecosystems worldwide. I invite you to catch up or revisit these episodes that offer sharp insights, hard truths, and a few glimmers of hope.
Episode 1: Illegal Adoption vs. Child Trafficking: Where Do We Draw the Line?
Dr. Eefje De Volder, a leading expert in human trafficking and co-founder of IMPACT, navigates the increasingly complex landscape of exploitation—from forced surrogacy and marriage to illegal adoption, all recently recognized under the EU’s expanded trafficking definitions. She explains how community pressures and widespread corruption blur ethical lines and hinder enforcement:
Episode 2: International Development Crisis: How Budget Cuts are Reshaping Humanitarian Efforts
Isam Khatib, expert in foreign policy and development, explores the global wave of government aid cuts and their dramatic impact on frontline organizations and vulnerable communities. He calls these policy changes “a seismic shift in global development priorities,” with dramatic reductions in partnerships and resources:
Episode 3: US Aid Freeze: Immediate Effects of the Executive Order
Matthew Robinson, Director at the Euro-Gulf Information Center and longtime foreign aid advisor, details the global fallout from the US aid freeze and abrupt withdrawal from programs such as the WHO. He calls this “a pivotal moment that redefines the role of the United States in global development.”
Robinson highlights the immediate human costs—millions losing access to essential services and refugees left in limbo—and urges renewed solidarity across sectors, doubling down on localization and community partnerships.
Episode 4: Surviving US Stop Work Orders: Recovery Tactics and Legal Recourse
Katherine Gentic, a USAID compliance expert, explains how organizations caught in the sudden imposition of USAID stop work orders can navigate uncertainty and financial risk. She reveals that these orders have often been issued hastily with vague language and limited guidance.
She urges partners to diversify funding to reduce dependency and concludes:
Episode 5: International Development Exodus: Who Pays the Price When the U.S. Pulls Out?
Felix Gnehm, President of Alliance Sud and Director of Solidar Suisse, outlines the severe consequences of the U.S. slashing USAID funding, describing it as a “massive blow to global cooperation.”
While some donors pledge to fill the gap, Gnehm warns no single actor can replace the U.S. overnight.
Episode 6: Corruption in Healthcare, Education & Infrastructure: Who Pays the Price in Developing Countries?
Dr. Jean-Pierre Méan, a leading anti-corruption specialist and former president of Transparency International Switzerland, discusses why corruption remains a persistent barrier to sustainable development.
Episode 7: The Future of Aid, Donald Trump, and the Prisoner’s Dilemma
Göran Holmqvist, a veteran development leader, reflects on ideological and geopolitical shifts reshaping aid budgets worldwide. He contrasts the U.S.’ ideological repositioning with Europe’s more reluctant cuts and highlights rising right-wing populism as a major challenge.
Episode 8: Water Shortage Isn’t the Problem – We Are. Navigating the Water Crisis with David Shackleton
David Shackleton, CEO of SIS.BIO, reframes the water crisis as contamination, not a lack of water. His biotechnology approach restores natural ecosystems in rivers and lakes, regaining their self-cleaning ability.
Episode 9: Unveiling the Aid Cuts: Between Chaos and Power Shifts. Rethinking the Aid Model with Katri Bertram
Katri Bertram, a global health and development expert, currently the International Director of Impact and Advocacy at Light for the World, warns that current aid reductions reflect systemic collapse rather than funding shortfalls.
She reveals deadly health consequences and argues health systems’ collapse due to donor dependency reveals a broken model.
Episode 10: The War on Global Health. Diagnosing the Impact of Aid Cuts with Lisa Hilmi
Lisa Hilmi, a seasoned public health leader, Executive Director of CORE Group, describes the tragic human costs of aid cuts: malnourished children, stressed community health workers, and faltering disease programs.
She calls the cuts “a targeted war upon global health” but remains hopeful due to the resilience of committed individuals and communities ready to act.
Episode 11: Aid Cuts: Gamble on Development or Risky Retreat? Insights from Professor Stefan Dercon
When a Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford and author of Gambling on Development, sees aid cuts as political retreat damaging global influence and security – it is a really serious issue.
He stresses aid saves lives when coupled with strong local leadership and warns against ceding influence to geopolitical rivals.
Episode 12: Abandonment at the Breaking Point: Confronting the Aid Cuts with Stephen Cornish
In this episode, General Director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland Stephen Cornish offers a frontline perspective, noting donor withdrawals force responders to pick up slack amidst increasing needs.
Episode 13: The Aid Localization Mirage: Duncan Green on Why Shifting Power Means Rethinking Aid
Dr. Duncan Green, Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics and longtime Oxfam strategist, critiques localization efforts that shift tasks but not real decision-making power.
He urges NGOs to genuinely share power through many messy experiments.
Episode 14: Can One Crisis Solve Another? Debt-for-Nature Swaps with Sawsan Bou Fakhreddine
Sawsan Bou Fakhreddine, Director General of the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC), explores debt-for-nature swaps offering relief and conservation.
She emphasizes community involvement and governance as critical for success.
Episode 15: Beyond the Flames and the Heatwaves: Robin Degron on Europe and the Mediterranean Basin’s Climate Crisis
Robin Degron, Director of Plan Bleu (UN Environment), describes the Mediterranean’s “multi-seasonal climate crisis” marked by droughts, wildfires, floods, and storms.
He urges adaptation, extended tourism seasons, and long-term resilience building through smart policies.
DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast is your gateway to insightful conversations on key humanitarian and aid topics with distinguished minds from around the world.
Subscribe to DevelopmentAid Dialogues on your preferred podcast platform, and don’t miss season three, launching in September 2025.
Signing off, your host, Hisham Allam.
