Odi Live Events Podcast

In the last two decades, Western states have frequently worked with non-state or sub-state armed groups to confront security threats, whether as partners in global counter-terrorism operations or as the de facto security providers in stabilisation and peacebuilding contexts. In partnership with ODI's Centre for the Study of Armed Groups and GPPi, our webinar aims to explore emerging international practices on due diligence and risk mitigation measures in the context of partnerships with non-state or sub-state armed groups. To explore this emerging practice, we highlight findings from a recently published paper that looks at seven US partnerships with local, substate and non-state forces in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. This paper, and the lessons learned from the case studies within it, serve as a launching pad for a broader discussion about how states and the international community might try to mitigate some of the human rights, security, or other policy risks that arise with more irregular armed groups. T

The success of the G7 summit will be judged primarily on whether concrete measures are agreed to accelerate the global response to the pandemic. While infection rates soar, and vaccine access remains highly unequal, there has perhaps never been a public policy challenge where national and international interests are so closely aligned. We know that no one is safe until everyone is safe, but COVAX will only cover around 30% of eligible populations in low- and middle-income countries with its current financing of $9.6 billion. In light of recent developments in India, a major vaccine exporter in the midst of a devastating third wave, it is clear that critical barriers remain. What do countries battling the virus and struggling to vaccinate their people need? How should G7 leaders rise to the global vaccine challenge? We explore these key questions with government and international decision-makers.

Better recognition, funding and support of local humanitarian responders is long overdue. Many humanitarian organisations have not waited for global-level reforms within the Grand Bargain to drive the agenda forward. Instead, individuals, peer networks and organisations large and small have corrected the sector’s imbalances in their own ways. Away from the often technical or policy debates within the Grand Bargain, there are dynamic, new developments and new opportunities for hyper-local initiatives, survivor-led activities, civil society activism and South–South cooperation. These developments and opportunities are shaping the ‘localisation’ agenda beyond the Grand Bargain. The formal conclusion of the five-year phase of the Grand Bargain this year, raises questions for the humanitarian sector on how best to continue to make progress on localisation. To explore these issues, HPG and HPN convene a conversation exploring the activities and activism on local humanitarian action that are occurring outside of th

Climate change is a major driver of humanitarian need, alongside conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. Weather events are becoming more extreme and more frequent – with huge consequences for people already living in humanitarian contexts. Despite the resilience and adaptability of communities living with climate emergencies and related insecurities, they are being hit hard. Join Mark Lowcock and Fonteh Akum for a discussion hosted by Sorcha O'Callaghan about the impact of climate change in the world’s most vulnerable places, and what needs to be done about it.

A stronger and more equal partnership between Africa and Europe has never felt more critical. With the blow dealt by Covid-19 to both continents and the inequalities it highlighted, we need to find common solutions to global challenges, from pandemics and climate change to migration. New forms of cross-border cooperation are needed – and fast. ODI hosts a ‘Green Talk’ ahead of the High-level European Union-Africa Green Investment Forum co-organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Investment Bank. We explore how cities can support the green transition and reinvigorate the partnership between Africa and Europe in the lead up to the long-awaited AU-EU Summit. Cities are decisive players to accelerate the shift to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies needed to sustain the green recovery. Their practical approach to cooperation across borders has much to offer policy-makers at the national and regional level. African and European mayors are already workin

A stronger and more equal partnership between Africa and Europe has never felt more critical. With the blow dealt by Covid-19 to both continents and the inequalities it highlighted, we need to find common solutions to global challenges, from pandemics and climate change to migration. New forms of cross-border cooperation are needed – and fast. ODI hosts a ‘Green Talk’ ahead of the High-level European Union-Africa Green Investment Forum co-organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Investment Bank. We explore how cities can support the green transition and reinvigorate the partnership between Africa and Europe in the lead up to the long-awaited AU-EU Summit. Cities are decisive players to accelerate the shift to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies needed to sustain the green recovery. Their practical approach to cooperation across borders has much to offer policy-makers at the national and regional level. African and European mayors are already workin

Global poverty increased dramatically in 2020 with the impacts of Covid-19 reversing two decades of progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals. The demand for development finance continues to grow as governments and policy makers work to build back their economies, however, development finance is undergoing extreme pressure and is at risk of decline. Adopted in 2015, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda provides a multilateral framework for financing sustainable development. It acknowledges the role public and private finance can play in creating new markets, jobs and reducing poverty, and the unique ability to mobilise finance in low-income and middle-income countries. However, five years on, progress has been slow and is at risk of steering further off course. Informed by ODI’s new report, “ Development Finance Institutions (DFIs): need for bold action to invest better ” we investigate what has and hasn’t worked in mobilising private finance for development. We explore how development finance i

On August 1, 2018, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared a new outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu. By November 2018, it had become DRC’s largest Ebola outbreak, and the second largest in the world after the 2014-2015 West Africa outbreak. Combatting the outbreak in a region that has experienced decades of armed conflict and ongoing acute humanitarian needs proved a major challenge. The Humanitarian Policy Group’s (HPG) new report finds that international leadership and coordination was slow to adapt to these challenges. Failure of international leadership to analyse risks from the outset, and to plan to adapt to them, contributed to profoundly negative impacts on outcomes related to community engagement, security approaches and sound financial management. This is likely to have lasting negative implications for future responses in the region. This webinar draws on the lessons learnt and recommendations from HPG’s report, considering the implications for future responses and chan

On August 1, 2018, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared a new outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu. By November 2018, it had become DRC’s largest Ebola outbreak, and the second largest in the world after the 2014-2015 West Africa outbreak. Combatting the outbreak in a region that has experienced decades of armed conflict and ongoing acute humanitarian needs proved a major challenge. The Humanitarian Policy Group’s (HPG) new report finds that international leadership and coordination was slow to adapt to these challenges. Failure of international leadership to analyse risks from the outset, and to plan to adapt to them, contributed to profoundly negative impacts on outcomes related to community engagement, security approaches and sound financial management. This is likely to have lasting negative implications for future responses in the region. This webinar draws on the lessons learnt and recommendations from HPG’s report, considering the implications for future responses and chan

Chair Nicola Jones @njonesODI – Principal Research Fellow, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, ODI Speakers María del Carmen Calle – Executive Secretary, Pan-Andean Health Organisation Prerna Banati @pbanati – Regional Gender and Adolescent Girls Advisor, West and Central Africa, UNICEF Kenan Madi – Programme Manager, UNICEF Jordan Selin Ozunaldim @SOzunaldim – Founder, Girls Who Code Turkey Closing remarks Arlette Mvondo @ArletteMvondo – Policy Advisor, UN Women Description As governments roll out Covid-19 response plans, a critical window of opportunity arises to reshape adolescent girls’ programs, anchoring them in girls’ voices, leadership and ambitions. Dedicated strategies to reach and support adolescent girls have been advocated, however challenges to scaling up approaches include sustainable financing, and weak systems with limited integration. Policymakers and community leadership also tend to be resistant and sceptical of meaningful adolescent girls’ engagement. As part of the broader conver

Chair Carmen Leon-Himmelstine @C_Himmelstine – Senior Research Fellow, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, ODI Opening Remarks Zainab Hawa Bangura @ZainabHawa – Director-General, United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) Speakers Erika Yamada @ErikaYamada – States and Projects Coordinator, Equidad de Género Javiera Manzi @JavieraManzi – Sociologist and Researcher, Coordinadora Feminista 8M Yara Hawari @yarahawari – Senior Policy Analyst, Al Shabaka Description The last five years have been the backdrop to a global renewal of feminist movements. From Mexico, Chile and Argentina, to India and Taiwan, the urgency to mobilise for women’s rights and against violence has gained momentum. Female-led organisations are changing legislation and shaping public discourse on the structural influence of patriarchy, racism, and colonialism in their daily lives. Feminism has become a popular movement for many young women outside of the 'Global North'. These leaders are currently leading efforts to deconstruct relations of

Chair Barnaby Willitts-King @barnabywk – Senior Research Fellow, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI Contribution Zoe Hamilton – Insights Manager, GSMA Speakers Mahamud Abdirahman – Director, Business Development and International Relations Division, Telesom Justin Colvard – Country Director, Mercy Corps Haiti Adelina Kamal @AdelinaKamal – Executive Director, ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) Description Digital tools and approaches are at the forefront of global responses to Covid-19, including in humanitarian contexts. While it’s too early to tell whether the initial hype around the potential of digital tools to solve new challenges has lived up to the reality, several initiatives, such as mobile money to deliver cash assistance, have proven their ability to work at scale in humanitarian responses. Yet stubborn ‘digital divides’ between people with and without the means to effectively use these new technologies are widening. Digital interventions also

The pledge to ‘leave no one behind’ is a fundamental principle underlying Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Its emphasis on prioritising the welfare of the most disadvantaged groups and reducing group-based inequalities has the capacity to bring about transformative change. Yet five years on from signing this pledge, there is little agreement on how to adapt it into actionable policies. Drawing from ODI's upcoming report 'Leave no one behind: five years into Agenda 2030', we examine the core elements of the pledge, how it is affected by Covid-19 and what promising examples of national, regional and international progress are, in turning this pledge into policy. Looking forward, we explore what needs to be done to advance the agenda further.

Covid-19 has laid bare many of the challenges and faultlines holding us back from the goals set out in the 1995 Beijing Declaration. The rise of populism has presented multiple global challenges for the women’s equality agenda. There are also opportunities to build a ‘new normal’, within which young people are both driving and deeply affected by many of the decisions being made today. Zoey Roy's poem highlights the incredible role of women in society and explores a hopeful future, free of inequalities.

Chair Judith Tyson  – Senior Research Fellow, International Economic Development Group, ODI Speakers Christopher Egerton-Warburton – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Lion's Head Global Partners Nick O’Donohoe – Chief Executive Officer, CDC Group Søren Peter Andreasen – General Manager, Association of European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI) Vera Songwe – Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa Description The Covid-19 pandemic is having a crushing effect on private finance for development. This is resulting in a ‘doubling-down’ on the recessionary pressures in Africa and domestic banks experiencing a classic ‘credit crunch’. With international finance sharply reduced, these acute problems add to the existing barriers to mobilising private finance for development. Barriers include, a lack of bankable projects, a lack of management tools for political and macroeconomic risk and processes being mismatched to investor needs. We explore innovations in liquidity provision, infrastructure fina

Chair Sorcha O'Callaghan – Director of the Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI Speakers Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety – Former United States Ambassador to the African Union and Vice Chancellor of University of the South, Tennessee Nasra A. Ismail – Humanitarian Expert, Somalia Ben Ramalingam – Lead Consultant, Innovation for Development, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Hugo Slim – Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford Description 2020 has been a momentous year. But will it force a reset, or a rethink, of a humanitarian system highly resistant to change? As the year has worn on, traditional assumptions about crisis, fragility and solidarity have been overturned. Soaring coronavirus death rates and crisis mismanagement in richer countries have called into question traditional assumptions of a ‘competent global North’ and ‘struggling global South’. The civil unrest in the US in the wake of the murd

Chair Marta Foresti – Director of ODI Europe, ODI Opening remarks Sandra Breka – Member of the Board of Management, Robert Bosch Stiftung Speakers Sir Suma Chakrabarti – Chair of the Board, ODI and former President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Obiageli Ezekwesili – Senior Economic Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI) and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Robert Bosch Academy Description 2021 will be an important year for Africa-Europe relations. Covid-19 has dealt a severe blow to the continents, both in human and economic terms, and a strong partnership will be key for recovery. This will need to be a partnership of equals, where states as well as businesses, civil societies and local actors must play a role to strengthen cooperation across borders. Stronger cooperation will be key ahead of the high-level African-European Union summit that will determine the future relationship between the two continents. Migration remains a highly contentious issue in A

Chair Emma Proud – Head of Learning and Adapting, Brink Speakers Ena Fernandez – OIC Director, Philippines House of Representatives Sam Sharp – Research Officer, ODI Stacey Young – Agency Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning Officer, USAID Toby Lowe – Visiting Professor, Centre for Public Impact Yuen Yuen Ang – Professor, University of Michigan Are bureaucracies today fit for purpose to address what are often complex and multidimensional challenges on housing, education, pandemics, international development and beyond? Public servants and experts alike are increasingly questioning the wisdom of mainstream approaches embodied in new public management, arguing that tackling complex challenges calls for different ways of working. Public organisations need to be able to learn from and adapt to rapidly shifting and uncertain environments, and work iteratively to refine policies. Covid-19 is a prime example: governments have had to rapidly adapt to keep pace with the unpredictable and emergent natur

Among the many failures laid bare by the coronavirus, the failure of ‘club diplomacy’ to adequately respond to the current global pandemic is one of the most damaging to the cause of global prosperity, safety and stability. Held in the run-up to the G20 Summit in Riyadh over November 21-22, we explore several questions with leading scholars and policy makers relating to the future of the G20 as a pre-eminent institution of global governance. We discuss why there has been a failure of the G20 to respond to Covid-19 and whether this derives from broader institutional failures. We also discuss what, if anything, could take the G20’s place and what reforms might allow it to become a more robust platform for global policy-setting. This discussion will consider the G20’s role as a financing coalition for global challenges and whether its consensus-based decision-making procedures represent a fatal flaw. This event is part of the ODI at 60 series, challenging decision-makers to provide more sustainable and equita

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted lives across the world, highlighting the potential of the digital technologies but also exposing the need for more equitable opportunities for young people to use tech and advance their educational capital and skills for work. With an increasingly connected world ahead, we explore what is needed to help youth be more prepared for life and work. This includes not just the skills needed to amplify youth voices as leaders of tomorrow, but also the skills needed to best prepare young people for an ever-evolving future of work. Bolder, more innovative solutions and collaborations are critical to support youth and should be forged across sectors – government, education stakeholders, tech companies, and future employers – while young voices should be at the heart of these conversations and plans. We build on key youth-focused discussions from the ODI-led Youth and digital technologies in sub-Saharan Africa consultation supported by the Mastercard Foundation’s Youth Forward initi