Devastating wildfires and intense heatwaves are sweeping across continents—from Indonesia’s burning rainforests and Canada’s parched woodlands to Latin America and, of course, Europe’s Mediterranean coasts. The scale and frequency of these disasters are reminders that climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a global emergency demanding action at every level. In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast, host Hisham Allam speaks with Robin Degron, Director of Plan Bleu (...

As mounting debt strangles public services and climate disasters escalate, a provocative idea is gaining ground: what if countries could trade their debt burdens for environmental action? In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast, host Hisham Allam speaks with Sawsan Bou Fakhreddine, Director General of the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC), about debt-for-nature swaps—a mechanism that promises relief for both treasuries and threatened ecosystems. From Leb...

“Localization” has become one of the most repeated terms in international development—but is it a genuine shift, or just a new label for old practices? In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast, host Hisham Allam speaks with Dr. Duncan Green, Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics and longtime Oxfam strategist, about why shifting power in aid is harder—and more essential—than most are willing to admit. “Localization means different things to different people,” Green...

Abandonment at the Breaking Point: Confronting the Aid Cuts with Stephen Cornish By: DevelopmentAid Dialogues In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast, host Hisham Allam speaks with Stephen Cornish, General Director of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Switzerland, about the mounting global humanitarian crises—from famine zones in Sudan to the collapse of water systems in Chad—and the devastating impact of frozen aid funding. Cornish, who has spent decades leading h...

In this 26th episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast, host Hisham Allam interviews Stefan Dercon, Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford and author of Gambling on Development, about the global consequences of recent aid cuts by major donor countries, particularly the United States. As foreign aid budgets shrink and populist politics gain traction, the discussion delved into the complex motivations driving these cuts and their far-reaching consequences for vulnerable comm...

As foreign aid cuts ripple across donor nations, global health systems are beginning to fracture. In the 25th episode of the DevelopmentAid Dialogues podcast, host Hisham Allam sat down with Lisa M. Hilmi, Executive Director of CORE Group, to discuss the very real and immediate consequences of this funding vacuum. Hilmi, a seasoned public health leader, has spent decades working across Africa, South Asia, and beyond, shaping frontline programs in partnership with governments and grassroots ne...

As foreign aid budgets shrink across Western nations, the global development sector is confronting a moment of reckoning. In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, host Hisham Allam speaks with Katri Bertram—a global health and development expert with two decades of experience spanning international organizations, NGOs, and government institutions. She is currently the International Director of Impact and Advocacy at Light for the World, focusing on disability inclusion and eye health. Her...

In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, host Hisham Allam speaks with David Shackleton, CEO of SIS.BIO, about a problem that rarely makes headlines but affects millions every day: water that’s too polluted to use. Shackleton makes a clear distinction—this isn’t a crisis of not having enough water but of failing to protect what we already have. Through SIS.BIO, he’s leading efforts to bring damaged ecosystems in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs back to life so they become renewable and can o...

While the drastic aid cuts announced by the largest donors are making the headlines around the world, a deeper issue may be at stake. In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, host Hisham Allam speaks to Dr. Göran Holmqvist, perhaps the most prominent voice in the international context of development, about the unprecedented shift in global aid paradigms. With decades of leadership experience, including at SIDA in Sweden, UNICEF's Office of Research in Florence, and the Nordic Africa...

One of the biggest barriers to sustainable development is still corruption, which undermines confidence in institutions, damages economies, and especially affects the most vulnerable. Host Hisham Allam talked with Dr. Jean-Pierre Méan, a well-known anti-corruption specialist and former president of Transparency International Switzerland, in this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues about the ongoing difficulties in the battle against corruption and the pressing need for systematic transformati...

In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, host Hisham Allam confronted the seismic repercussions of the United States’ decision to slash USAID funding—a policy shift that destabilized the global aid sector and left vulnerable communities worldwide in peril. The cuts didn’t just trim budgets; they severed lifelines, strained alliances, and reshaped geopolitical power dynamics. Felix Gnehm, President of Alliance Sud and Director of Solidar Suisse, joined the discussion with stark warnings. A...

This episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues examines the rising trend of USAID stop work orders and the difficulties they pose for implementing partners. These unexpected pauses in project activity have left organizations struggling with the urgent need to continue essential development work, financial uncertainty, and compliance challenges. Stop work orders (SWOs), which USAID has been using more frequently lately, have left partners juggling compliance, financial survival, and the urgent need ...

Guest Description: Carmelo Troccoli, the General Director of Campania Amica Foundation and the World Farmers Market Coalition & Kyle Newell, Managing director at The Aspen Institute, a global leader in connecting smallholder farmers to commercial value change. Episode Description: In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, Hisham Allam invited 2 renowned pioneers in sustainable agriculture to discuss the delicate balance between ethical goals and practical challenges. The discussion fo...

Guest Description: Isam Khatib, Human Rights & Sustainable Development Specialist. Expert in foreign policy strategies, international development, and human rights advocacy, with a special focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Episode Description: In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, host Hisham Allam examines the growing trend of global government cuts to development aid budgets and their profound implications for humanitarian organizations and vulnerable com...

In this episode of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, host Hisham Allam delves into the consequences of the United States’ recent aid cuts, including their catastrophic impact on the global aid sector and vulnerable people. These decisions, mostly influenced by the Trump administration’s foreign aid policy, have resulted in far-reaching changes, such as funding freezes, program suspensions, and withdrawal from major global projects such as the World Health Organization (WHO). Download the transcript o...

Guest Description: Dr. Eefje De Volder, a leading expert in human trafficking and co-founder of IMPACT. Dr. De Volder also co-owns Rwandan Empowerment Coffee, a social enterprise empowering female survivors of sexual violence in Rwanda. Episode Description: Dr. De Volder is highlighting the broad scope of human trafficking, defined under the Palermo Protocol. While traditionally associated with sexual exploitation, trafficking encompasses forced labor, organ removal, and now, as recognized by...

Guest Description: Brian Anderson Director of Finance and Operations, worked with major food and agriculture corporations and Kyle Newell, Director of Aspen Institute, a global leader in connecting smallholder farmers to commercial value chains.Episode outline: At a crossroads, modern agriculture must strike a balance between environmental sustainability, economic growth, and food security. Hisham Allam, host of DevelopmentAid Dialogues, had an interesting discussion with agricult...

Guest Description: Angie Staley, an expert in anti-human trafficking and transitional housing. Episode description: Human trafficking is a complex global crisis impacting millions, each survivor’s journey marked by resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship. Angie Staley, with over 12 years of experience in residential coordination, offers essential support to survivors, helping them heal and rebuild.In this episode, Angie shares her human-centered approach to recovery, where each step—...

Guest Description: Phil Mason a leading player in the global fight against corruption. Mr. Mason has over 20 years of experience at the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and a long history of international anti-corruption operations.Episode Description: In this episode, we discuss the systemic threat of corruption in international development. Phil Mason discusses the internal challenges within development agencies in adopting a holistic strategy to tackle corruption, often...

Guest Description: Jennie King, Director of Climate Disinformation Research and Policy at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). Ms. King provided crucial insights into the dynamics of climate disinformation and the larger online information ecology. She stressed that “climate disinformation is being deployed strategically to undermine urgent environmental action,” and that misinformation campaigns frequently exploit legitimate worries about energy security and food supply to stymie...