Consultants navigate and bring together ideas from across the sector and outside. They support our thinking, challenge assumptions, and deliver knowledge and support where needed. As we delve deeper into 2024 and wrestle with the complexities of development in 2024, understanding trends, insights and opportunities is even more critical. In this week’s interviews, we’ve asked two leaders to share their thoughts on the sector, our future, and our challenges.
Read on to hear from:
- Peter Russell, Head of Aid and Development (Pacific) at International SOS
- Weh Yeoh, Author of Redundant Charities
1. Reflections on 2023, what were the most significant developments or challenges in the global development sector?
Peter’s perspective on 2023 highlighted a global landscape, and the public attention is overwhelmed by continuous crises, an intense amalgamation of wars, natural disasters, and other crises has pushed the public attention to saturation point. This complexity has shifted to the development sector, where the fight for attention is impacting funding and donations. “With public attention at a saturation point…how can we make sure good stories of development get through all the blur?” Peter’s focus was on how do we share the stories of where development has worked and could work further.
Funding was also picked up by Weh, who emphasized the long-lasting impact of the pandemic on the sector. He pointed out that the ramifications of Covid extended well beyond health, affecting critical aspects such as fundraising and international cooperation. Building from this, Weh also highlighted that while resources and funding shrink, charities especially, but the sector as a whole, have no interest in winding down or combining. “charities in particular are interested in digging their heels in and trying to continue to survive with less resources which is going to make life very difficult because everyone’s thinking the same way it seems”.
2. Key Ideas for 2024, what do you believe should be the primary focus areas for the global development sector in the coming year, and why are they crucial?
After the disruption of the last few years, there’s a tendency to return back to the old normal, but for Peter, taking the opportunity to think differently about how we engage is what 2024 presents. Thinking of the need for an integrated approach in program design and delivery, highlighting the intersection of health with other critical areas such as education and infrastructure, he envisions a year where blending all different sectors together is crucial. But, the structure of government grants, mindset within the sector and collaboration across governments present key barriers.
Weh, on the other hand, stressed the importance of innovation in the face of resource constraints as a key idea for 2024, building form his thoughts on 2023. He advocated for a reimagining of how charities operate, focusing on delivering outcomes with fewer resources by addressing root problems rather than just symptoms. He cited the example of Watershed, a charity in Cambodia that set a ten-year timeline to achieve its goals in collaboration with local government, emphasizing a results-oriented approach and local empowerment. “These charities are unique because they’re thinking about how to deliver outcomes with less resources by solving problems rather than addressing symptoms”.
3. Technology, Innovation, and Transformation, What trends do you see in terms of innovative thinking in the development sector in 2024? Do you see technology playing more (or less) of a role in development in 2024?
Weh offered a realistic perspective on the application of technology in development, particularly in developing regions. While acknowledging the breakthroughs in AI and virtual reality in the West, he cautioned against overestimating their immediate impact in less technologically advanced areas. “potentially what’s more important than tangible technology in the traditional sense like AI it’s better to think about what new ideas can change the way that we do development“. Innovative thinking that we need to do development differently, and focus not on a desire to do the right thing, but pragmatic thinking on how to deliver the outcomes needed. This idea of endpoints for charities is catching on over the last few years.
Peter identified a significant shift towards the integration of technology across the sector, especially in AI and learning. Sharing examples of capacity building being translated across multiple languages, allows the sharing of knowledge easily across multiple countries and communities. If a curriculum on health can be developed, AI can translate it into the local language, create an avatar that is culturally relevant and share the knowledge.
Beyond education, AI has the potential to transform aid tender processes, analyze all forms of development data and summarise key issues and opportunities. “AI is in its infancy and we need to be cautious, sure, but the possibilities for impact and application in the aid sector…it has the potential to take big leaps”
4. Localisation, How will the discussion move to action this year in localisation?
Weh drew on is experience founding a charity in Cambodia, with the goal to transition to local ownership. He described a conscious effort to ensure local leadership, with the organisation setting a clear endpoint for its operations and working towards building local capacity. “if this all goes to plan will have three very distinct time periods, the first laid out getting things established trying to get people interested, the next, local leader setting up a lot of the foundations for executing the work so, MoU’s etc. and the last person executing and then wrapping up a lot of the work.” Weh reflected on the different skills sets needed for each of these phases and the importance of the right people in the role each time. For most of these, local connections, cultural knowledge and language are critical, highlighting why local leadership is critical.
Peter emphasises the critical role of starting from a local leadership, where localisation should begin even before the call for delivery of services or programs. Sharing current examples, he talked about health activities in the pacific where “The starting point was a strong leader in the the Ministry reaching out to donor partners. So, the starting point was ‘Hi. This is what we really need for these reasons’ not someone going in country and telling them what they should do or need”
5. Personal Aspirations – what are your goals for 2024, and what role do you aim to play in achieving these goals?
Peter’s aspiration for 2024 is grounded in enhancing his listening skills and delivering high-quality work. He emphasises the importance of ‘flipped thinking’ in his approach, focusing on identifying what is working well in development settings rather than solely addressing issues. “Any one of us can go into a country and tell you what’s wrong, but very seldom do people go into a country with the sole purpose identifying what’s working and help expand it”.
Weh, on the other hand, is focusing on spreading the ideas and discussions that are introduced in his book, “Redundant Charities.” His goal is to seed conversations and discussions on how the sector works, what its motivations are, and challenge predominate thinking by highlighting the power of having a definitive endpoint for charitable organisations. “My goal of the book is just to make sure that we are thinking about as many different ways of doing this work as possible so that we can affect lives in a better way.”.
6. Hope for 2024, What are you most excited for in 2024 in Global Development?
Weh’s hope for 2024 centers on the sector embracing new models and approaches, particularly in light of the challenges faced in recent years. “my hope is that we use this opportunity to rethink the business of helping and trying to come up with new models and new ways of doing what we do rather than replicating the Same old methods”. There’s an appetite for this change, and in 2024, hopes that these voices can nurture and grow the thinking, to challenge power structures and the status quo.
Peter looks forward to seeing the fruition of various integrated and collaborative efforts across the sector. He is particularly excited about a project in Vanuatu working with hospitals across the country, showcasing the potential for holistic and community-centered development initiatives. Across the sector, “I’m excited to see how the combination of all of the things we have spoken about turn out. So how will AI play out? How will local voices enable the next success stories? How will we continue to improve our work?”.