By freely sharing what we learn, we have built a reputation as thought leaders who translate ideas into action and action into results. You can browse through recently published articles from all our publications ( Developments, Developing Alternatives, [email protected] ) below—or visit individual publication sites for a full archive.
Digital
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is broadly understood to include not only long-term efforts to simulate the general intelligence humans exhibit, but also fast-evolving technologies—such as convolutional neural networks—that affect many facets of modern society, such as healthcare, national security, social media, agriculture, and more. The s…
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Thomas Erdmann is a Principal Global Practice Specialist in DAI’s Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Practice. Teo Dang Do is Deputy Chief of Party for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Activity. DAI sought out their perspectives on why forest conservation matters.
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Identifying and facilitating linkages between those who own promising digital tools for the agriculture sector—better known as AgTech—and those who have funds to invest is key to supporting the long-term sustainability of scalable digital AgTech tools. Panelists at a recent webinar unpacked exactly how these links can be accomplished. Hosted by …
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Young role models such as Malala, Amanda Gorman, and Greta Thunberg have given the world a glimmer of hope—that perhaps the world will be better one day because of their efforts. But what does it take to harness such youthful energy? What does it take to ensure we build hope and resilience, even in the face of growing unemployment, corrupt leade…
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Maura Joul, Annie Kemmerer, Baker Lu, and Billy Taki are second-year master’s students in the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) international development program. They worked with DAI on the Innovations for Social Accountability in Cambodia (ISAC) project, implemented by FHI 360 and funded by U.S. Agency fo…
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Global development agencies seeking to improve results are increasingly looking to diversify their stable of partners and implementers as part of a broader drive toward locally led development. In 2021, for example, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power set out a new target for direct funding to local org…
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Last month, the Center for Digital Acceleration launched a series dedicated to digital literacy in international development. We want to learn more about this nuanced topic because digital literacy is central to sustaining the rapid digitalization that has taken place over the last two years. As donors, implementing partners, private companies, …
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Most of us in the development sector have been preparing for an inevitable and imminent smartphone future. But in a recent article, the BBC highlighted an interesting—if somewhat unexpected—phenomenon in the world of digital devices: the “return of the dumbphones” (we prefer the less pejorative term “feature phones,” which we use in this piece)….
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Seventy percent of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) population depends on agriculture for food, income, and employment. Access to the appropriate seed varieties—particularly in the face of rapid climate change—is critical to increasing incomes and food security for smallholder farmers, yet this continues to be a challenge in t…
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Last month the World Health Organization highlighted the need for “a stronger and more inclusive health emergency preparedness, response, and resilience (HEPR) architecture” in its global architecture concept note. The organization called for better governance, financing, and systems for health security—including taking “a whole-of-society appro…
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In a world dominated by rapid innovation, information and communications technology (ICT) is not only an accelerator for economic growth, it also provides on-ramps for vulnerable populations to participate in society and not get left behind. However, the potential of this type of tech can only go as far as a nation’s regulatory environment allow…
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This is the first post in a series that seeks to capture e-learning efforts, celebrate innovations, consider critical lessons learned, and support practitioners who do this work.
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Many countries around the world recognize June as Pride Month—a time to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, while reflecting on the community’s history. But this year it’s not just sunshine and rainbows. In cyberspace, the discourse about LGBTQ people and their rights is increasingly crowded with hate speech….
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In 2021, as people around the world—and their governments—were grappling with a rapid transition to digital technology, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Digital Frontiers project began working with the Technology Division of USAID’s Innovation, Technology, and Research (ITR/T) Hub to create a conceptual model of digital gove…
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Introducing the Winners of USAID’s Equitable AI Challenge Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are a dual-edged sword: they promise tremendous benefits for international development, but have also demonstrated instances of bias and harm, often resulting from inequitable design, use, and impact. Recognizing that AI technologies can cause gender bia…
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With the onset of the pandemic spurring ever-faster digitalization around the world, we at DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration are thinking about the key elements needed to ensure sustainable digital transformation in the countries where we work. One of the primary building blocks needed to achieve sustainability is strengthening digital liter…
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Heavy downpours over only two days in April 2022 caused South Africa’s worst and most deadly natural disaster to date: a flash flood so rare and devastating it has a one in the 300-year probability of recurring. According to the European Union, approximately 435 people died and up to 41,000 people were affected. Rescue and disaster response effo…
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Smart factories could position Mexico as an Industry 4.0 hub and open doors to data-driven global value chains (GVCs). Mexico is embracing Industry 4.0. The digital factory in Puebla, the aerospace corridors in Querétaro, Guanajuato, Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, and Nuevo León showcase Industry 4.0 manufacturing throughout the country. Sm…
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The Philippines is one of only two countries in Southeast Asia to be behind in their commitments to eliminating open defecation and achieving universal access to basic sanitation by 2030, according to the UNICEF-World Health Organization Joint Monitoring Programme. It is estimated that 16 percent of the population has access only to unsanitary a…
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Have you used digital technology to promote locally led development? Have you safeguarded digital ecosystems by facilitating access to digital infrastructure for marginalized populations, securing internet freedom and human rights, exposing violent extremism, countering misinformation and disinformation, or strengthening cybersecurity?
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This blog is part of the WomenConnect Challenge (WCC) Blog Series: Introducing Strategies for Closing the Gender Digital Divide. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) WomenConnect Challenge is a global call for solutions to improve women’s participation in everyday life by meaningfully changing the ways women access and use techn…
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Twenty-five percent of the nearly 1 billion people living with disabilities around the world live at or below the poverty line. Unfortunately, these roughly 250 million people are more likely to face obstacles ranging from finding employment to outright discrimination. However, digital technologies offer the potential to expand employment opport…
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In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was joining the One Health alliance, formally establishing a Quadripartite partnership. The alliance, previously referred to as a Tripartite partnership, includes the WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organis…
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The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report was a stark reminder of the consequences of inaction on climate change. Global warming, it showed, is harming low-income countries the most. Vulnerability to climate change is explicitly linked to inequality, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and will become even more acute if…
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Spurred on by decarbonization commitments, governments and the private sector are looking for new ways of reducing emissions to achieve Net Zero targets. This quest has renewed interest in the role of forests in avoiding emissions and sequestering carbon, as well as the part played by supply chains in driving deforestation. Reducing forest conve…
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As the weather gets warmer in the Mid-Atlantic region, I’ve been doing my best to get outside more during the day. Podcasts have been a pleasant addition to my walk, runs, and bike rides. Below are five can’t-miss tech podcasts that you should follow—all of which are insightful, engaging, and informative.
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Among the supply chain vulnerabilities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic is the reliance that a company’s supply and distribution network has on a healthy workforce. The knock-on impact of worker ill-health affects all the companies in a supply chain, up to the multinational buyer. Without healthy workers, materials cannot be sourced, manufactu…
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This blog is part of the WomenConnect Challenge (WCC) Blog Series: Introducing Strategies for Closing the Gender Digital Divide. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Women Connect Challenge is a global call for solutions to improve women’s participation in everyday life by meaningfully changing the ways women access and use tech…
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Benji Meltzer is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Aerobotics, a South African ag-tech startup that uses artificial intelligence to support the world’s agriculture industry—specifically, farmers in managing their farms, trees, and fruits. We recently spoke with Benji on Aerobotics’ drone technology, the impact of digital tools in cl…
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Digital Frontiers’ South Asia Regional Digital Initiative (SARDI) is seeking applications from organizations to provide cybersecurity capacity building to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka. SARDI aims to increase the digital capacity of the private sector and civil society through digital upskilling and by strengthening fir…
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When the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Water and Development Plan under the U.S. Global Water Strategy (2017–2022), it set an ambitious target of reaching 15 million people with sustainable drinking water services and 8 million with sustainable sanitation services.
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When I was in Myanmar on a Fulbright Fellowship in 2014, a colleague at an environmental advocacy group asked me to investigate the use of DNA and isotopes to trace timber and combat illegal logging. What I found was promising. New advances in technology meant that trees could be matched to the forest where they were felled and traced to the cou…
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Poor solid waste management hurts the environment, people, and economies. It contributes to economic losses from unrecovered recyclable materials (plastics, metals, paper, glass) and unrecovered energy from organic waste, as well as posing a threat of infectious diseases to humans. Negative environmental impacts from untreated waste include land…
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Egypt—one of the world’s hotspots for extreme climate vulnerability—is at increasing risk of sea-level rise, water scarcity, and extreme weather events, which could damage the country’s infrastructure, food security, human health, and ecosystems, threatening its macroeconomic stability and long-term competitiveness.
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Poverty is the main driver of poor health. In 2020, extreme poverty rose for the first time in 20 years, thanks to COVID-19. The economic burden of the pandemic has placed severe strain on people living in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) where social and financial support systems are limited. Factor in vaccine inequity and the existing d…
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One in three women worldwide experience physical and/or sexual violence, most often at the hands of an intimate partner—and the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) has only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The health impacts of GBV on women and girls are many and profound. And the effects of GBV are not limited to the immediate targe…
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Although many high-income countries are getting older, the global population remains young. According to the World Youth Report, the number of 15- to 24-year-olds reached 1.8 billion in 2020, representing about 15 percent of the total population. And these figures are expected to increase.
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After years of growing professional interest, economic analyses, and policy engagement on global sanitation issues, there is now a solid body of evidence on the value of good sanitation. But to achieve universal access to adequate and sustainable sanitation services, we must translate this momentum into action. The next frontier in sanitation wi…
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COVID-19 exacerbated gender inequalities and reversed hard-earned gains on everything from domestic violence, child marriage, and unemployment to food insecurity and poverty. Gender-based violence (GBV), in particular, saw a spike during the lockdowns and associated disruptions, to the extent that the United Nations proclaimed it a “shadow pande…
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Health equity will be a reality when all people have the same opportunity to attain their full potential for health and wellbeing, and when unfair and avoidable differences in health status no longer exist. Currently, we are far from that ideal, particularly for women and girls, and especially for women and girls among the rural poor in low- and…
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With more than 1 million employees, the South African government is the country’s single-largest employer. Public officials, both elected and appointed, play a critical role in the efficiency of the state, their competence directly affecting the governance and functioning of institutions.
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Globalization means that access to food, medicines, electronics, home goods, fuel, and almost anything else we consume relies on strong international supply chains. And since the onset of COVID-19, the world has been facing a supply chain crisis. From manufacturing pressures and port backlogs to infrastructure woes, labor issues, and shipping co…
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A strong local ecosystem of incubators, accelerators, and other entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) is critical to supporting the long-term, sustainable growth of small businesses. Unfortunately, these organizations often launch with a one-time pot of funding and then find themselves struggling after a few years to secure reliable sources …
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The transition to clean energy requires massive investment from all quarters. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change made it clear that the world will never reach the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change without major contributions from advanced and emerging economies, which currently account for around 70 percent of global emis…
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As countries move to embrace low-carbon energy sources, they will want to ensure that they are growing their own capacity in renewable energy and capturing the economic value of greening their economies. Drawing on lessons learned from local content policy development in the oil and gas sector, we suggest three key elements that corporations and…
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Alongside national-level anticorruption initiatives, it is crucial to prevent, detect, and tackle corruption at the local level, especially as local governments take on greater financial and administrative responsibilities as a result of the decentralization process. Ordinary citizens encounter government primarily in their own cities and towns,…
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In 2021, DAI introduced an internal innovation competition that saw 17 technical teams across the company compete for funding to support high-potential development tools and approaches; the six successful candidates spent the second half of the year piloting their ideas. Kimberly Keeton discussed one of these successful pilots with Rhi Gulick, a…
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What happens to entrepreneurs after they have completed a three-to-nine-month accelerator program, often including months of training, pitch presentations, and culminating in graduation? That’s a question many corporate funders and program managers are left wondering. Without an answer, it is near impossible to measure and report on a program’s …
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Good nutrition is important for everyone—but for the most vulnerable people, healthy diets can mean the difference between life or death. To design effective nutrition programs, international development practitioners need to understand what defines people as vulnerable, what causes that vulnerability, and what to do about it. Recent guidance on…
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When the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Financial Sector Transformation (FST) activity in 2016, Ukraine was in a deep financial crisis. Its lead financial regulator, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), was managing the closure and liquidation of close to 100 banks and addressing the need to nationalize the country…
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Earlier this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the World Health Organization launched the One Health High Level Expert panel to develop solutions to some of the planet’s most difficult health challenges that cut across human, animal, and environmen…
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In June, the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and development finance institutions (DFIs) renewed and extended their commitment to gender-smart investing (GSI) through the 2X Challenge. They pledged to mobilize $15 billion by 2022 to provide women in developing countries with improved access t…
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The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office-funded Arab Women’s Enterprise Fund (AWEF) sought to demonstrate that women in the Middle East have the interest, skills, and ability to play a much more active role in the economy. This unique program worked to improve women’s access to opportunities while supporting their agency—their voi…
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Many scientists and academics are warning that the next pandemic is right in front of us. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), or bacteria developing resistance to drugs, has been growing in recent years, primarily due to overuse of antibiotics.
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Demand for clean energy is rapidly growing in Vietnam. To help mobilize finance for investment in clean energy, the U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Vietnam Urban Energy Security project is working hand in hand with city governments in Danang and Ho Chi Minh City. There is, however, a critical gap between the finance available fr…
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Climate change works against the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals, from poverty reduction and food security to institution and capacity building. Recent World Bank estimates show that inaction on climate change will force 100 million more people into extreme poverty by 2030. Floods and droughts, reduced water supplies, and th…
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Marwan Kaiss has been the Mayor of Batloun, Lebanon, since 2016. Batloun is a small town in the Chouf district, which forms part of the Chouf Biosphere Reserve. Its natural beauty, proximity to the Reserve, and rich history make it a top spot for environmental and cultural tourism. Mayor Kaiss is driven to see Batloun become a “green town” and h…
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Adapting to climate change and building resilience to its harmful effects is especially important in countries where the population is highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, such as Ethiopia. That’s exactly what the GCCA+/Climate Smart Mainstreaming into the Productive Safety Net Program (Climate-Smart PSNP) has been focused on sinc…
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Despite greater economic stability since 2000, Honduras has yet to significantly improve living conditions or reduce poverty for much of its citizenry. The National Autonomous University of Honduras reported that, in 2020, the extreme poverty rate had reached 53.4 percent and the total poverty rate 70 percent. Some economists have warned that th…
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Already facing severe climate-related disruptions, Bangladesh is now enduring the additional economic and human development setback of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both threaten to reverse the considerable gains made to reduce poverty and inequality in the country. Bangladesh is trying to stay one step ahead, however, by building social protection and…
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Climate change is leading to higher average temperatures and greater rainfall variability, with a pronounced effect on agricultural productivity and the suitability of major crops in Ethiopia. Farming households with tenure security are more likely to choose to access credit and to invest in their land by planting trees and longer-term crops, an…
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Over the past few weeks, I had grown concerned about the lack of clear direction and energy around climate talks in the run-up to COP26. At a time when unity and cooperation are the order of the day, world leaders appeared to be in discord. But announcements at the United Nations General Assembly in New York give me renewed optimism that when th…
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The Philippines is a megadiverse country with rich marine diversity and unique coral reefs that 1,100 terrestrial invertebrates and 5 percent of the world’s flora call home. Sadly, these biodiversity assets face pressures such as land conversion for agriculture and settlements; illegal, unregulated, and unreported harvesting; and destructive min…
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The UK Aid-funded Arab Women’s Enterprise Fund (AWEF) began operations in 2015. Since then, it has brought about systemic change to market systems, giving women of all ages better access to economic opportunities. It has encouraged the adoption of new practices and approaches that support women’s economic empowerment in Egypt, Jordan, and Palest…
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Malawi’s population is primarily rural, with most of the agricultural sector comprising farmers cultivating small, rain-fed plots intended to grow food for their own consumption. With a rapidly increasing population, the pressure on Malawi’s land and natural resources is high, particularly for smallholder farmers.
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Large capital projects are evaluated using the “weighted average cost of capital,” or WACC. Traditionally, WACC is composed of two elements: the cost of debt and the cost of equity. The Dasgupta review on The Economics of Biodiversity, along with the growing consensus in capital markets and financial regulation to account for all risks, makes cl…
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Approximately three-fourths the size of California, the Philippines is brimming with biodiversity. It is among the world’s 17 megadiverse countries that host more than 70 percent of the world’s plant and animal species. However, systems and local capacity to conserve, protect, and channel rich biodiversity and ecosystems toward sustainable devel…
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As global economies turn toward renewable energy generation, energy storage solutions are becoming a critical part of the conversation. For Sub-Saharan Africa, which faces the largest energy access deficit globally, and where 600 million people lack access to electricity, innovations in energy technology are critical.
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In times of crisis—a natural disaster, political upheaval, or a global pandemic, for example—the social contract is often threatened. Governments must respond immediately despite operating with limited data, external groups with unknown agendas may choose to intervene, and vulnerable groups face greater risk of exploitation. “Power grabs” in tim…
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Liberia is home to half of the remaining rainforest in West Africa. Covering more than 60 percent of the nation’s land surface, forests are the fourth-largest contributor to Liberia’s economy and an important source of income for one-third of its 4.5 million people. They also make Liberia one of the world’s hotspots for biological diversity, hos…
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In the years leading up to 2020, school enrollment in Honduras suffered a steady decline. In 2018, 81,000 students (4.06 percent) dropped out. In 2019, some 105,000 students (or 5.39 percent of the total) abandoned their education to seek work, join gangs, or migrate without documents to the United States. Approaching the opening of the new scho…
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Despite their proximity, South and Central Asia are among the least economically integrated regions. Intraregional trade is estimated to be between 0.2 and 4 percent of their total trade to all destinations—significantly below regional trade in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Most of the countries in the two regions h…
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In the course of the latest conflict between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, one of the Gaza Strip’s brightest beacons of promise was almost extinguished. The $11.2 million GIE Solar Energy Project—funded by the World Bank Group and financed through the Palestinian Ministry of Finance’s Finance for Jobs (F4J) program—lost approximately …
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We’ve all heard the adage that “disease does not discriminate.” The reality is very different. The current pandemic has, in fact, shone a light on stark health inequalities around the world. The consequences of COVID-19 are experienced differently by people depending on their circumstances, whether they are in North America, Europe, Asia, or in …
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The stemazone initiative for Omani youth, funded by Eshraqa and designed and implemented by DAI, has launched in Oman. The innovative educational initiative is focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) for Omanis aged 7 to 15. Through the Sustainable Business Group and Center for Digital Acceleration, DAI partnered with…
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This article is the first in a series that explores the relationship between competitiveness and sustainability through a new lens that seeks to account for the use and abuse of natural capital. In this series—titled The Nature of Competitiveness: a New Worldview for Corporate Sustainability—we endeavor to identify solutions such as new business…
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March 30 marked one year since the Government of Zimbabwe declared the country’s first nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. The strict lockdown and enforcement measures have caused significant hardship for most citizens, but particularly for informal traders in poorer urban areas and communities that depend on agriculture for thei…
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A government that citizens can trust with their hard-earned wages. A government that ensures its citizens feel their voices are heard. A government whose priorities reflect its citizens’ aspirations. Such a government is the bedrock of any nation. Yet far too many governments fall short of this goal.
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The way we measure the success of a company has to change—and is changing. That was the message of the Dasgupta Review, a landmark study that confirms the paradigm shift we have all suspected for some time.
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Donald Lunan, DAI’s new Global Director for Climate, has worked at DAI since 2005. As head of the Climate and Environment team in the United Kingdom, he worked with governments, the private sector, and civil society to address climate and natural resource challenges. More recently, he led the Delivery Team for the U.K. Business Unit, overseeing …
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