News: Anna Slother Becomes President of Chemonics’ USG Operations

Chemonics is proud to announce that Anna Slother has been promoted to President of Chemonics’ U.S. Government (USG) Operations, overseeing a portfolio devoted to the company’s U.S. Government-funded development projects. In this new role, Anna will oversee more than 5,000 employees around the globe, managing more than 100 projects in 96 countries across 15 technical…

Hiring Interns with Disabilities: Lessons in Inclusion from Development Project Offices

Every year, December 3 marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. An estimated one in six people on Earth live with a disability — whether apparent or non-apparent, permanent or temporary. Although societies around the world have made progress toward disability inclusion, people with disabilities remain severely underemployed compared to the general population. In…

Filling in the Gaps: Generating Evidence through Applied Research Investments

There has been a notable shift across all USAID offices and the broader U.S. federal government towards a heightened emphasis on data collection, evidence generation, applied research, and learning, and the trend is evident in a series of regulatory and guidance documents. USAID’s 2022-2026 Agency Learning Agenda, along with USAID’s 45 sector-specific evidence and learning…

How a Global Video Challenge Inspires Collaboration and Learning

By relying on paper records, Nepal’s health supply chain faced a challenge in ensuring essential medicines were reaching all of its population, including those in remote or hard-to-reach areas. To remedy this, our USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project worked alongside the Government of Nepal to co-develop an online database…

In Syria’s Ongoing Conflict, One Volunteer Group Continues to Save Lives

More commonly known as the White Helmets, the Syria Civil Defence (SCD) is a community-led group of volunteers who set out in 2013 to provide emergency assistance to the Syrians during the conflict years. Over the years, this fledging organization has been supported by several international donors, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),…

Case Study: Promoting Transparent Development in Iraq: Unveiling Challenges and Cultivating Trust through Collaboration

This case study explores how the Iraq Regional Program II (IRP) is promoting partners’ open reporting of challenges and failures by building trust, establishing collaborative learning platforms, and adopting techniques to be culturally appropriate. The study provides actionable recommendations on promoting transparent communication, relationship building, and contextualized programming to enhance stabilization outcomes.  

The Next Global Shock: Will Tourism Be Ready?

With progress lagging towards reaching the 2030 sustainable development goals amidst compounding macroeconomic crises, the tourism sector offers an opportunity to accelerate inclusive and sustainable economic growth towards full and productive employment. However, recent events such as the global COVID-19 pandemic revealed how vulnerable the tourism sector is to external shocks – especially ones that…

Technical Brief: Women’s Integration in the Syria Civil Defence Unexploded Ordnance Activities

This technical brief provides practical recommendations for integrating women into historically male-dominated development activities and professions, specifically highlighting the work of neutralizing unexploded ordnances in Syria using lessons learned by the Syria Civil Defence, commonly known as the White Helmets. Banner image caption: UXO volunteer provides information about unexploded ordnance to children in a camp for…

Meeting the Moment: Local Changemakers Lead in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States

Local ownership, especially in fragile, conflict-affected, and non-permissive environments, is critical. So how can development donors and implementing partners bolster partner-driven strategies for sustainable development and meaningful change? Participants included both local and D.C.-based NGOs, community-based organizations, thought leaders, research and policy institutes, local governments, advocacy groups, and implementing partners who have moved the needle in the…

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Jordan – Reflecting and Learning

Bordered by Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia – countries who consistently rank amongst the lowest for gender equality – the Government of Jordan have often prided themselves in being a leader in the Middle East in women’s rights and in advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.  In 2018, the Government of Jordan took a…

Redefining Safe Water: A Holistic Approach to WASH

Nearly 1 billion people around the world currently experience water scarcity and the number may rise to 2.4 billion people by 2050. Lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services can expose people to preventable health risks, trigger or exacerbate conflict, perpetuate inequality, and hinder participation in society. Why is “safe” access important?…