Skoll goes virtual. The Skoll World Forum has moved online after canceling the in-person event due to COVID-19. There will be dozens of virtual events exploring this year’s theme of “Collective Strength.” In one of the side events Wednesday, we are co-hosting an event with VillageReach, featuring government officials from Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Uganda to look at how government partnerships in low-resource settings can achieve sustained impact at scale. March 30-April 3.

Good gender data. The Africa Gender Data Network, a partnership of Data2X and the African Centre for Statistics, will host its first webinar on good practices for survey design and collection of gender data. Elisa Benes, senior statistician at the International Labour Organization, and Heather Moylan, survey specialist at the World Bank, will offer their take on the best practices to analyze and produce gender data. March 31.

The International Institute for Environment and Development is holding an online discussion on social protection schemes and how households respond to climate risks. Three IIED researchers and Susannah Fisher, head of the U.K. climate initiative Climate-KIC, will be among the speakers discussing what is needed to move beyond a standard approach and develop social protection that recognizes the different needs of women and men, along with other big questions. April 2.

COVID-19’s impact on Latin America. The Inter-American Dialogue will take a look at the economic impact of the pandemic in Latin America, as family remittances to the region are expected to drop. Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala will likely be the most affected by the remittance growth decline in 2020. Reporter Teresa Welsh will tune in. April 2.

Rescheduled. The International Social and Behavior Change Communication Summit announced that its meeting, postponed because of COVID-19, will now take place Oct. 19-23 in Marrakech, Morocco.

And up next in Pro: Germany is planning some big changes to how it funds aid work — and which recipients benefit most. Devex Correspondent Andrew Green will look at what is to come with these changes, including a reduction in the number of countries that Germany supports.

VIRTUAL EVENT
Devex Global Development Career Forum
The Devex Global Development Career Forum, originally scheduled to be in Washington, will make its virtual debut this week. This flagship career event brings together hundreds of mid-to-senior-level professionals with 50-plus organizations to discuss career and consulting opportunities and share expert advice through interactive flash talks and workshops. March 31.

Pass the popcorn. As much of the world locks down and logs on to streaming services, we send big props to the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, which has kindly made about 300 titles available for free. There's plenty for global development folks: films exploring an agriculture co-op in China, street gangs in Guatemala, and rule of law in Cambodia, to name just a few.

The commitments. At a virtual meeting Thursday, the chair of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee called for the group of 30 leading donors to agree to issue a statement on maintaining their commitments to aid spending amid the coronavirus response. We hear the feedback from members was positive overall, and the group will now begin work on the text. ICYMI, here's what the DAC says donors can do now.

And the winner is… The Bond Awards went ahead last week, albeit virtually and despite the cancellation of the annual conference's in-person meeting. The Humanitarian Award winner was Khadija Farah, a nurse and midwife who has dedicated her 27-year career to improving child and maternal health in her native Somalia. Farah, who has worked throughout the country's civil war, has also led efforts to reduce gender-based violence and to set up clinics. "Everything I did was for my community," she told us. "In the future, I'd like Somalia to have better health than what we have now. I want improved coverage of everything."

Unexpected changeover at Comic Relief. Comic Relief's new CEO had to resign just three weeks into the job as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex Reid, who joined the U.K.-based charity from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at the beginning of March, returned to Seattle to be with her family. "Now that I am here for the foreseeable future I've made the very difficult decision to step down as Comic Relief CEO so the org can be run from the UK during this time," she wrote on LinkedIn. "It is deeply disappointing as I have LOVED working with the incredible Comic Relief staff - a smart, committed and brilliantly fun group of people, who have shown me such kindness."

Australia's federal budget delayed. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently announced that the federal budget will be delayed from mid-May until October to help the government focus on its coronavirus response. The Australian aid program will be required to continue working under the existing budget conditions until then.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced two appointments last week: Guang Cong as the new special representative for South Sudan and Deborah Lyons as the special representative for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Jimmy Walsh has joined the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition as deputy government relations director. He was most recently a staffer on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and adviser to the panel's ranking Republican, Rep. Michael McCaul.

The Swedish government has appointed Ambassador Anna Jardfelt as head of the Permanent Mission of Sweden in Geneva.

Farm Africa has appointed a new CEO, Dan Collison, who will join the organization in mid-May. He takes over from the interim CEO, Mike Saxton, who is moving on to the Clean Air Fund as COO.

Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at [email protected].

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