Center for Global Development

House Appropriators Seek Cuts to US International Assistance But Would Moderate Administration's Proposed Overhaul The bill would level a considerable blow to that budget—about a 22 percent reduction in funding from last fiscal year's enacted level, although far less steep once factoring in the recent rescissions ...

Confused about what is in & what is out from US Foreign Assistance following changes made by the House to Trump's original budget?

This fantastic @cgdev.org explainer by @ecollinson.bsky.social & Justin Hurley is super clear incl what we dont know.

Now to the Senate!
www.cgdev.org/blog/house-a...

School meals support learning, health & wellbeing—especially in LMICs. But are govs spending enough?

Analyzing 216 school meal programs across 102 countries,
Biniam Bedasso and Amina Mendez Acosta find most LICs would need to spend 2x more to deliver nutritious meals:
www.cgdev.org/blog/what-do...

The UK’s FCDO faces difficult decisions on delivery as it works to cut nearly £3bn from its aid programming by 2027.

@ianmitchell1.bsky.social and @samhugh3s.bsky.social review recent aid trends and set out three tests to help ministers fulfill their commitments. Read:
www.cgdev.org/blog/how-uk-...

High-income countries have largely followed through on their promise to recycle SDRS to support lower-income countries—but only a fraction has been translated into lending.

Structural issues stand in the way. More from @markplant-cgd.bsky.social & Charley Ward:
www.cgdev.org/blog/recycle...

CGD is thrilled to be part of #GreenHorizons—a global platform aiming to connect 10,000 refugees & host community members to green jobs.🌱🌍

@helen-dempster.bsky.social, Johann Harnoss, & David Manicom share three ways CGD will support the platform:
www.cgdev.org/blog/green-h...

The IMF was able to both stabilize the PRGT and deliver long-sought reforms on surcharges.💰

But the deal still needs 90% member backing to move resources—so far, only 25% have committed. More from David Andrews 👇
www.cgdev.org/blog/reform-...

"It teaches us that, at least sometimes, it is not about us; it’s about them."

New research on interruptions during Janet Yellen’s tenure as chair of the US Federal Reserve underscores broader patterns of workplace bias. More from @eeshani.bsky.social:
www.cgdev.org/blog/its-not...

The latest research from @leecrawfurd.bsky.social finds that ten year olds who score well in reading and maths go on to earn roughly 11% more as adults.💡

Explore the economic returns to foundational learning in his analysis of data from Indonesia ⬇️
bit.ly/4lZgpCm

With a $2.5B shortfall, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, faces tough choices.💉📉

Ahead of this week’s Board meeting, @cgdev.org experts propose five ways Gavi 6.0 can stretch resources while protecting its most impactful work:
bit.ly/3IyStXX

We @cgdev.org are excited to be part of the #GreenHorizons platform, connecting 10k refugees & host community members with jobs critical to the green transition. Read more in my new blog w/ Johann Harnoss & David Manicom.

www.cgdev.org/blog/green-h...

“Even countries that have been successful in keeping AMR rates under control cannot afford to be complacent. Unless AMR programs are protected from aid cuts, resistance rates will likely increase.

@mcdonnell.bsky.social discusses the tool in @theguardian.com:
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health crisis that threatens to undo decades of progress in medicine.

@cgdev.org has launched a new, interactive web tool that estimates the economic impact of AMR in 122 different countries. Explore:
www.cgdev.org/media/foreca...

It’s Not You, It’s Them: Even the Fed Chair Gets Interrupted at Work Women report significantly lower levels of wellbeing in the workplace than men. This is at least in part due to the greater burden of care responsibilities borne by women. But does the workplace exper...

New research shows that during congressional hearings, Dr. Janet Yellen—then Chair of the US Fed. Reserve—was interrupted more, & more aggressively, than her male counterparts.

@eeshani.bsky.social links this to broader patterns of workplace bias women face:
www.cgdev.org/blog/its-not...

How the UK Should Focus Its Aid in 2026: Three Tests to Help Ministers Deliver on Commitments and Maximise Impact The FCDO must cut nearly £3 billion from its aid budget by 2027. Ian Mitchell and Sam Hughes set out three tests to protect impact.

The UK’s FCDO must cut nearly £3bn from its aid programming by 2027.

@ianmitchell1.bsky.social & @samhugh3s.bsky.social set out 3 tests to help ministers fulfill commitments: prioritize multilaterals, refocus on Africa, and reduce aid to better-off countries:
www.cgdev.org/blog/how-uk-...

📚📊 NEW @cgdev.org RESEARCH: Children who master basic reading and math in primary school earn significantly more as adults. Evidence that foundational literacy and numeracy skills have real economic returns throughout life.

What We’re Learning about Lead Last week CGD hosted the First Annual Research Conference on Global lead Exposure. Most health issues have their own dedicated research conference, but remarkably until now, not lead. We had a great t...

Where is lead poisoning coming from, and how can we track it better?

Insights from 24 presentations at CGD's First Annual Research Conference on Global Lead Exposure, summarized by @leecrawfurd.bsky.social & Caroline Mallory:
www.cgdev.org/blog/what-we...

The Sevilla Commitment promises progress on development finance—but how much of it is more than words on a page?📃

With ODA cuts, debt burdens, and more, Karen Mathiasen warns the document is more aspirational than real commitment:

Deep, Wide, and Fast: Three Reasons Why Cuts to US Supply Chain Aid Are so Harmful Historically, USAID has been the major international donor of essential medical supplies for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. Following cuts to USAID, reports have profiled children who died after losing access to food or essential medicines: our colleagues estimated that every day without US foreign assistance risks 9000 lives which would otherwise have been saved. Other donors, philanthropies, and countries are now scrambling to fill the gap. However, they are hampered by a lack of clarity on exactly what support USAID was providing, and what needs replacing.

USAID’s abrupt withdrawal has left donors racing to fill gaps without clear data on what was provided, and what's now needed.

Research published by CGD maps the scale of supply chain losses & proposes actions donors can take to mitigate the impacts:
www.cgdev.org/blog/deep-wi...

Women often internalize workplace discrimination and hostility as being signals of their ineffective communication. “Yellin’ at Yellen” and a study by Dupas et al. showing similar trends in Econ seminars tell us that it’s not about us; it’s about them.

Blog here: www.cgdev.org/blog/its-not...

How the UK Should Focus Its Aid in 2026: Three Tests to Help Ministers Deliver on Commitments and Maximise Impact The FCDO must cut nearly £3 billion from its aid budget by 2027. Ian Mitchell and Sam Hughes set out three tests to protect impact.

The UK Government needs to cut £3bn from its aid budget.

But can it also fulfill commitments on greater multilateralism, targeting poverty, and ensuring impact?

@samhugh3s.bsky.social and I set three tests on aid allocation that would signify the 'change' promised.

www.cgdev.org/blog/how-uk-...

What does Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' mean for global development? The so-called non-profit killer clause is out, while a tax on remittances is in.

“It’s this double-whammy: the remittance tax impact coming off the back of aid cuts...remittances were going to be more important...now, they’re suffering from this extra blow.”

CGD’s @helen-dempster.bsky.social on the "big, beautiful bill's" impact in @devex.com:
www.devex.com/news/what-do...

Finally read the @thelancet.com article claiming US foreign assistance cuts will lead to 14mill deaths up to 2030 which has garnered much media attention. It's problematic to say the least, X-country regression with mortality on left and US spending per head on right. 1/ 🧵

A Lean World Health Organization for the Global Good In this brief—the first in the Tough Times, Tough Choices series that will target the major global health and development institutions and their funders—we propose a different approach: radically stre...

WHO faces immediate fiscal crisis, w/ a 35% budget gap of $1.5bn.

@peterbaker17.bsky.social, @rachelbonnifield.bsky.social, & @jmadankeller.bsky.social argue that WHO’s leadership must chart a path of retrenchment to global leadership, health security, & public goods:
www.cgdev.org/publication/...

SDRs could be used as MDB capital to boost development finance—without draining reserves.

To make that happen, Mark Plant explains that three ingredients are needed: political leadership, collective action, and institutional adaptation. More:
www.cgdev.org/publication/...

Investing in early childhood development, education, and care (ECD) is essential.🏫🌍

CGD & Theirworld convened leaders to discuss models, financing, and MDBs’ role in advancing ECD. Key takeaways:
www.cgdev.org/blog/advanci...

These USAID Awards Were Saving Lives. Reverse the Cuts or Reissue Them. There is bipartisan concern—shared across the administration and Congress—in ensuring the US continues supporting highly effective lifesaving programs worldwide. The available evidence suggests that t...

There’s bipartisan concern in Congress and the administration about ensuring US support for lifesaving global programs.🌍

@charlesjkenny.bsky.social lists 12 canceled USAID awards that should be reversed to prevent needless deaths from aid cuts. More ⬇️
www.cgdev.org/blog/these-u...

Mind the Gap: Recapping Gavi’s Pledging Summit World leaders gathered in Brussels last week for Gavi’s high-stakes pledging summit against the backdrop of a global health financing crisis. The zeitgeist of aid austerity quickly became apparent: th...

@jmadankeller.bsky.social & Rosie Eldridge's three takeaways from Gavi's pledging summit:

➡️US plans to zero out funding, & others haven't filled the gap
➡️$9 bn doesn't fully represent new funding
➡️Smarter prioritization needed to sustain impact

Read on:
www.cgdev.org/blog/mind-ga...

A Lean World Health Organization for the Global Good In this brief—the first in the Tough Times, Tough Choices series that will target the major global health and development institutions and their funders—we propose a different approach: radically stre...

1st edition of our @cgdev.org series "Tough Times, Tough Choices" is hot off the press

Facing budget cuts, we argue WHO's leadership must chart a path of retrenchment to a lean @who.int for the global good

w/ @peterbaker17.bsky.social & @rachelbonnifield.bsky.social

www.cgdev.org/publication/...

How Worried Should Expats Be about Lead Exposure? When aid workers and expats pack for foreign postings their checklist is long. Yellow fever jab, malarial prophylaxis, insurance, and getting their kids enrolled in school. Lead poisoning rarely makes...

Lead poisoning rarely makes expats’ checklists, but
@leecrawfurd.bsky.social and @rachelbonnifield.bsky.social argue it should.

They write that employers should add lead testing and mitigation to duty of care packages for all expatriates in high-burden settings:
www.cgdev.org/blog/how-wor...

Financing Social Protection in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States: Domestic Resources Matter The Social Protection Technical Assistance, Advice, and Resources Facility (STAAR), a joint initiative of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and UK Aid, has convened a High-Lev...

STAAR's High-Level Panel on Social Protection is examining how fragile states can finance protection for vulnerable people.

Sanjeev Gupta & Charley Ward argue that while donors play a short-term role, a shift toward domestic financing is essential:
www.cgdev.org/blog/financi...