Cameron Birge

"Collaboration with the private sector to develop and implement innovative solutions around data collection, local infrastructure, market access, and capacity strengthening can enhance current methods and fill gaps that will add value to food security analysis." - Stephen Browne, Chief of Party for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) 7 Pillar 3 Task Order 1. Stephen's new Q&A in Foreign Policy explores the immense potential of local capacity strengthening, innovative technologies, and collaborations with the private sector in supporting global #FoodSecurity efforts. You won't want to miss his in-depth analysis of how we can best position ourselves for a food-secure future! Read the article now: https://ow.ly/m6TT30sI1TQ

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📣 Are you interested in #migration and #policy? You should check out this new report from IOM - UN Migration that shows that more and better opportunities for people to move between countries in a regular way are key to fully tapping into the true potential of migration: https://lnkd.in/dPsDETVb 👀 Here are some interesting #statistics from the report: 🌎 Countries that regularly monitor #labormarket demand for migrant workers are more likely to help international #students transition into the workforce. 🌍 Bilateral #labor agreements are more often found in countries with institutions that coordinate on migration policy.  🌏 87% of countries have dedicated border management agencies, but only 42% regularly train their border staff. 🌎 Countries with specific national emigration policies/strategies receive more #remittances from abroad. Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/d6C8GxmQ #research #development

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Calling NGOs working on #GBV and environment, climate change and biodiversity linkages / including those working on #water security! Join this webinar to learn more about the USAID RISE Challenge and how to apply. https://lnkd.in/eBsKCdRC

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The Global Evaluation Initiative has released their latest Story of Change - Weaving stories, charting a course: Solomon Islands moves forward with strengthening their national M&E system

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It's #WorldMalariaDay, and I'm thrilled to be sharing a video from USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management project on how supporting a robust #SupplyChain accelerates our goal to #EndMalaria! Check it out: https://ow.ly/ZOHA30sBT4y

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Development is Digital So here’s the new USAID digital policy. Launched today. As expected it’s ambitious and comprehensive in policy terms (and very shiny and well organised) but also shot through with practical real world experience. It prioritizes: - Investing in critical infrastructure to build foundational ecosystems. - Improving digital literacy and skills to empower communities. - Promoting security and utility across digital platforms. For interest to the aid agencies of ‘old Europe’ the policy also points to the rapid emergence of new sources of international best practice with a supporting side announcement today that.. ‘USAID agrees to greater digital cooperation with the governments of #Latvia and #Estonia. As two global leaders in e-governance, USAID will work alongside both governments to help other nations across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa to boost their digital capabilities. These partnerships aim to foster greater digital transformation in these regions by promoting e-government that will enhance nations’ capacity for digital skills and cybersecurity, create resilient media and information ecosystems, and build greater communication technology solutions. Later today, USAID will sign memorandums of understanding with both governments to advance this critical work.’ #Tech4good #digital Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) In 2024 MetricsLed is working on digitisation and e-govt programmes in the UK, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa

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We assume that rights holders in capital cities have the same experiences as regional or rural folks in international development or humanitarian contexts because they have the same identities. Still, they may not have the same lived experiences, for example, accessing - or not accessing humanitarian shelter as a person with diverse sexuality or gender, or, accessing or not accessing a development project as a person with a mental illness. But lived expertise for a participatory or co-designed project is not just about having a lived/living experience but what has been intentionally learned through that experience and how it’s applied to benefit others. Join my free webinar today as I talk about the difference between identity, lived experience and lived expertise. Topic: The difference between lived experience and identity Date: Thursday 16th May 2024 Time: 4.00 pm – 4.45 pm Cost: Free https://lnkd.in/g3geqDvQ

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Transnational organized crime, localized gang violence, economic marginalization, restrictions on free movement, climate change, forced internal and cross-border displacement, civil unrest, these are just a few factors impacting directly on people's abilities to exercise their #rights to access #sexual and #reproductive #health care services in #Ecuador including support to respond to GBV needs. The article doesn't speak about GBV or SRHR explicitly but we should be thinking about this when we think and talk about the situation in #Ecuador. Though this article talks about Ecuador, other parts of the region are also going through similar #crises which are being exacerbated by a similar combination of factors #Colombia, #Venezuela #Nicaragua #Haiti. https://lnkd.in/ehppBTGp

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USAID Administrator Power Tells Congress, We Will Fall Short of 25% Localization Target--We Don’t Have Enough Contracting Officers In the April 11, 2024, House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing primarily focused on Gaza and Ukraine, there remained time to discuss the shortage of USAID contracting officers, their role supporting the USAID localization initiative and a $17 billion supply chain contract.     Representative Fleischman started his testimony asking Administrator Power, referring to increasing sustainability for the $17 billion contract to distribute medicines around the world, "what is your strategy...can you assure this committee that USAID actually plans on doing things differently with respect to these awards and change the development model to include more market based sustainable local partners.” Administrator Power replied, “we have set targets to channel our assistance to local partners to try to get to 25 percent by 2025 and we are going to fall short of that target. There are many barriers that I welcome the chance to follow-up offline in terms of contracting officers. We have far fewer contracting officers than, for example DoD, which I may have said in the exchange last year, forgive me, I don’t remember. [Administrator Power during testimony before SFRC on July 14, 2021, stated “each CO has been managing a $65m portfolio, more than 4 times the workload of their colleagues at DoD who manage an average of $15 million”], a portfolio size that has grown to $154.9m according to the FY23 Civilian Federal Procurement Workforce Scorecard. The administrator went on to say, “I think we have gotten to the place where we are now about slightly higher than 10 percent of our assistance more broadly. Where we are lagging, as your question underscores, is in bulk procurement. I think we have a long way to go there. You know again, one of the reasons, having an insufficient number of contracting officer matters, is doing these smaller contracts and grants, eats up the bandwidth of these stretched contracting officers. So, I think if we can build out that core, we will be in a position to be more versatile.” The growing contracting officer workload is no surprise to congress, in a March 9, 2023, Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on USAID Localization, USAID’s Michele Sumilas, Assistant to the Administrator for the Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning answered questions about the shortage and burden of contracting officers responding, “we do not have enough staff. And we are working on increasing that. Those staff will be focused primarily on contracts, contracting officers in the field.” In 4 FY25 budget hearings (April 9-11, 2024), 3 times US Senate and House members asked about the shortage of USAID contracting officers (Senator Coons, Representatives Fleischman, and DeLauro), this being the first time, USAD revealed, the $17 billion supply chain contract is in jeopardy.  #internationaldevelopment #usaid    

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Excited to share our new story about the work done with the #SolomonIslands! At Global Evaluation Initiative, we believe that bridging the gap between diverse experiences and local realities is key to driving meaningful change within the communities and governments we serve. This story is a good illustration of the importance of localizing and contextualizing knowledge and tools to strengthen #MonitoringandEvaluation systems. #knowledgesharing #drivingchange #evaluation CLEAR Anglophone Africa Clear Francophone Afrique CLEAR LAC FGV EESP Clear CLEAR Pakistan & Central Asia J-PAL South Asia

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🎉 Exciting News! DT Global is Awarded USAID's Climate Ready for Big Ocean State Sustainability (Climate Ready BOSS) 🏝️🌊 Set to mobilize over US$1.05 billion in #ClimateFinance for the #Pacific region over the next 5 years, Climate Ready BOSS will collaborate with 12 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) to enhance their capacity in accessing finance for crucial #ClimateChange adaptation and mitigation projects. 🌿💰 Building on their success with the USAID Climate Ready project, DT Global plans to continue working with governments, regional bodies, and multi-donor trust funds, with a new focus on partnering with private sector financiers to develop and scale de-risking mechanisms that attract greater private sector investment in critical sectors. They will assist Pacific partners in strengthening planning and management of climate finance while improving the investment ecosystem. DT Global's efforts will be grounded in local ownership, aligned with the distinct national and subnational contexts, respectful of indigenous traditions, and focused on long-term sustainability. 🤝 Learn more about this award in this latest News post: https://ow.ly/CA9c30sGuHt #IWork4DTGlobal #WeAreDTGlobal #ClimateAction #Sustainability #USAID #ClimateReadyBOSS #NewAward

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"Through FEWS NET and other ongoing strategic partnerships, local actors will continue to play an essential role in sustaining these efforts and strengthening future food security initiatives in #Mali and beyond." 👏 Check out a new blog from my colleagues at @Chemonics International as they explore how local capacity strengthening and long-term partnerships lay the groundwork for sustainable and resilient development in Mali's #FoodSecurity systems: https://ow.ly/mjT030sGcAA

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Collective and self-care are so vitally important to the mental well-being of first responders and other practitioners in the GBV response and prevention field. Please see a resource developed by USAID's CARE-GBV mechanism that discusses this important topic!

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At the #IOMCouncil, I highlighted four points on improving migration governance : ★Enhanced collaboration. Countries of origin, transit, and destination should strengthen dialogue and cooperation. ★Promoting development. Developed countries should help developing countries to enhance resilience and capacities. ★Open attitude. We should protect the legitimate rights and interests of migrants with an open attitude, combat hate speeches. ★Innovative technology. IOM should expand partnerships with technology companies worldwide to benefit migrant communities.

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Check out USAID's latest article, "On the Hook," about fighting illegal fishing and promoting sustainable practices. Learn how we can keep our oceans healthy for the future! 🔗 Read here: https://lnkd.in/erG9DT-q

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The President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) is the cornerstone of the U.S. government’s approach to help more than half a billion people in developing countries adapt to and manage the impacts of climate change by 2030. Since November 2022, 34 companies and partners have made voluntary commitments to build climate resilience around the world. These efforts will mobilize more than $3 billion to help people better manage the impacts of climate change. This week we welcomed three new partners. AstraZeneca will invest in strengthening health systems to address climate-induced health threats in nine African countries through its Healthy Heart Africa program, with a focus on heart and kidney diseases exacerbated by extreme heat. Cisco will support coffee farmers in climate change impacted areas to use data and technology to optimize use of scarce resources such as water and land. AECOM will support cities in USAID partner countries to build more resilient infrastructure by using PlanEngage, a digital infrastructure planning and development tool.

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Many thanks to Save the Children for hosting—and the entire SLAM community for engaging in—another great peer learning event with participants from 17 countries! Special thanks to Mercy Corps’ Grace Chebet and Brenda Barrett from Nickol Global Solutions (NGS) for sharing their valuable perspective and practical advice. One common theme: when all staff understand “the big picture” and a program’s strategy, it is easier to build an open, collaborative culture where continual learning is everyone’s job. Nowhere is this more critical than in complex crisis environments.

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Daniela Ligiero (she/her) and I highlight the critical need to meet this moment of both unprecedented risk to children's safety globally, from the rise of tech-facilitated violence to the poly-crisis of climate change, global conflict, and democratic backsliding and enormous potential to come together to improve collective efforts to ensure every child is safe, protected, and has the ability to thrive. "Despite making up a large portion of the global population, data collected by First Focus shows that only around $0.09 out of every dollar of the U.S. federal budget is allocated towards children. Concerningly, children represent significantly less than 1% of the total foreign assistance funding. When we stand up for human rights, when we stand up for justice it influences how other governments think about and invest in these issues. However, US government investment in foreign assistance is decreasing. Among these gaps in investments in children, is the need for continued funding for the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS). Although these have been exclusively funded through PEPFAR, there are no commitments to implement any future VACS. To ensure the continued leadership and influence of the U.S. in the prevention of and response to violence against children globally, we are requesting at least $10million in funding to support VACS directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to meet the demand across a more comprehensive geographic range of implementation relevant to U.S. foreign assistance priorities." #violenceispreventable #everychildprotected

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