As we begin a new year, Devex is publishing a list of organizations we’ll be watching. Some are undergoing changes in leadership or strategy, others are growing or shrinking, and there are some that we expect to be in the news this year. This is by no means comprehensive, nor is it meant to suggest a robust methodology.
As we begin a new year, Devex is publishing a list of organizations we’ll be watching. Some are undergoing changes in leadership or strategy, others are growing or shrinking, and there are some that we expect to be in the news this year. This is by no means comprehensive, nor is it meant to suggest a robust methodology.
Tell us which organizations we missed that would be on your list and why via @devex. We’ve included data points, new hires, and tidbits that caught our eye and might catch yours, plus analysis from Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar.
To keep up to date with the latest news on any of these organizations, make sure to sign up to our free, daily newsletter: Newswire.
Without further ado, here are 22 organizations to watch for 2022.
The African Medicines Agency
Low-quality and counterfeit medicines are one of the biggest health problems in Africa, and local manufacturing is one of the continent’s top priorities.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
With the divorce of the couple whose name is on the door, the Gates Foundation finds itself in uncharted territory.
BMZ
Germany is the second-largest OECD donor, and it has a new coalition government, a new minister leading its development agency, and potentially new reforms to its BMZ 2030 strategy.
British International Investment
British aid has suffered a brutal two years, with major aid cuts and the creation of FCDO. Now the world’s oldest bilateral development finance institution is undergoing reforms.
CGIAR
The organization has undergone a multiyear effort to transform into “One CGIAR,” with integrated research centers, unified governance, and a more focused mission and impact.
EIB Global
The new development branch is the European Investment Bank’s response to a three-year debate in Brussels about how the EU should maximize the impact of its development lending, a tussle that has largely pitted EIB against the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Fund for Africa’s Future
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, known simply as “E,” is among the most prominent African startup founders and investors, and he’s known for directly challenging the global development community. The Fund for Africa’s Future aims to address development challenges through early stage venture capital investing.
Gates Ventures
Post-divorce Bill Gates has a reported net worth of $130 billion, and he remains an aggressive and committed philanthropist. Gates may end up directing more funds through Gates Ventures, his personal office.
GiveWell
GiveWell is perhaps the most influential organization for “effective altruists,” including many emerging donors in Silicon Valley. Its resources are growing fast, so it needs to find more grant opportunities that meet its stringent cost-effectiveness standards.
The Global Fund
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria raised $14 billion in its last replenishment. The next one — set to be hosted later this year by its biggest donor, the United States — could be a key moment for the pandemic preparedness agenda.
Gro Intelligence
If climate is to be a megatheme for the global development community this year, data is the missing ingredient. That’s where Gro Intelligence comes in: It’s a tech company using artificial intelligence to predict how ecologies and economies will be impacted by the changing climate.
IDinsight
In an era when impact and evidence are gaining traction, IDinsight is an under-the-radar player with a key role. This nonprofit consultancy gathers and operationalizes the data and evidence used by some of the biggest private funders in the world.
International Sustainability Standards Board
By 2025, one-third of global financial assets will be invested with environmental, social, and governance criteria. Yet there are no common ESG standards, creating an environment susceptible to “green washing” or repackaging existing assets. ISSB has the potential to provide some clarity.
MacKenzie Scott (Lost Horse LLC)
MacKenzie Scott exploded onto the philanthropy scene two years ago, immediately becoming one of the top philanthropists in dollar terms. We’re watching to see if she expands her giving to global development, which so far appears to have received a tiny fraction of her donations.
Open Society Foundations
Prior to the pandemic, the world was making progress on many of the Sustainable Development Goals, with one glaring exception: democracy and human rights. Now the world’s leading philanthropy on these issues is refocusing its approach.
Oxfam
International NGOs have had a challenging few years, beginning even before the COVID-19 pandemic. But none have faced an existential crisis quite like Oxfam International. How this storied international NGO reemerges this year could hold lessons for the entire sector.
PEPFAR
If confirmed, Dr. John Nkengasong — who currently runs the Africa CDC — will be the first African to take the helm at the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a program that works primarily in Africa.
Resilience and Sustainability Trust
If and when this trust comes into being — with IMF staff aiming for board approval at the April 2022 Spring Meetings — it could provide an important backstop for countries undergoing debt crises and in need of climate and health system investments.
Start Network
With humanitarian crises growing, there’s growing urgency to find a new model. The Start Network is a decade-old NGO network that has had its ups and downs, and recently emerged as a fully independent organization. It’s trying to change the way humanitarian work is done.
UNICEF
UNICEF’s core constituency has had a tough pandemic. Children have lost years of education, suffered from violence, missed out on immunizations, and gone hungry. Now under new leadership, UNICEF will have to continue procuring COVID-19 vaccines while helping children make up lost ground.
Unlock Aid
There are larger and more established advocacy groups focused on U.S. foreign aid. But Unlock Aid is different — it is taking on the establishment from the outside, pushing for a more radical reimagining of U.S. foreign assistance.
Women Deliver
Women Deliver’s conference, held every three years, has been a key moment in the global development calendar for over a decade. With the resignation of former CEO Katja Iversen over discrimination allegations in 2020, and the next Women Deliver conference slated for 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda, this year is make-or-break for the organization.
Stay on top of the latest #globaldev news. Sign up for our free newsletters today.
Newswire. A comprehensive look at the day’s top global development breaking news, analysis, and opinion. Sent daily.
Money Matters. Funding insights, analysis, and news, including practical business advice. Sent Mondays.
Invested. The insider brief on business, finance, and the SDGs. Sent Tuesdays.
Dish. Your weekly newsletter on the transformation of the global food system. Sent Wednesdays.
CheckUp. Front-line and behind-the-scenes reporting on global health. Sent Thursdays.
Career Hub. Global development jobs, expert career advice, and practical tools to help you do more good. Sent Fridays.