ODI

Arts, culture, media and sport are key ingredients of British ‘soft power’ and (renewed) global standing - this we can all agree on. But what would it take to make this happen 🧐? It will take decisive action and strategic 💰investment, at home but even more importantly abroad 🌍. The appointment of Lisa Nandy at the helm of the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport can be a real opportunity: having shadowed the development portfolio under the now Foreign Secretary David Lammy, she can bring a much needed international perspective to the traditionally domestic culture/arts agenda and help find alignment with foreign and development policy. If the new Labour government is serious about joined up policy and action, this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that it can also deliver on it: bring culture, media and sports to the heart of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, while at the same time investing in British and global culture at home and abroad. To go beyond words and good intentions we will need to see a change of pace and approach in the way the UK works with partners around the globe. First and foremost investment rather than aid, as part of its overall support for economic growth and propsperity with mutual benefits. This cannot be the work of ‘charity’ - culture, arts, creative production is about us all, it unites us across borders so it needs to be invested in, not supported by. And secondly, and equally important, a fair visa regimes allowing artists, musicians, poets and athletes to move across borders, work together and creating beauty and sharing joy. Here is to everyone who can make all this a reality - all of us at LAGO-COLLECTIVE are ready to help! Christopher Smith Kumi Naidoo David McNair Justine Simons OBE ODI Design Council Eliza Easton British Film Institute (BFI) British Council Arts Council England Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Alexis Akwagyiram Sir Geoff Mulgan #arts #culture #media #sport #development #foreignpolicy

"Once we accept that it is our bad development choices which expose people [in fragile states] to the worst impacts of climate change, the policy options available to us change." New in Devex: Mauricio Vazquez, Head of Policy for our Global Risks and Resilience team, highlights the dangerous simplicity of the climate security narrative. #ClimateSecurity #ClimateRisks #Resilience #Somalia

Last month we released our 50th Think Change podcast! 🎉 The show has been on some journey over the past couple of years, with brilliant guests joining us every fortnight to propose ways to tackle today's most critical global issues. The themes our episodes have explored are hugely diverse – from the climate crisis and the backlash on rights to emerging conflicts and geopolitical shifts. But they share a focus on reimagining what international cooperation should look like in our polarised world – and a hope for building a more equal, peaceful and resilient planet. In this special rewind episode, we revisit just a few of our favourite conversations on the podcast so far – covering MDB reform, the debt crisis in the Global South, the future of the Africa-China relationship, the ICJ ruling on Gaza and more. Featuring: Achim Steiner | Ian Bremmer | Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, Ph.D. | Alexis Akwagyiram | Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi | Annalisa Prizzon | Arancha Gonzalez Laya | Linda Calabrese 姜琳达 | Yunnan Chen | Ronak Gopaldas | Alex de Waal Available here, or on your favourite podcast platform: https://lnkd.in/dy6chYbb 🎙 #ThinkChangePodcast #MDBReform #DebtCrisis #AfricaChina #ICJRuling #Gaza

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) often have diminutive terrestrial landmasses but enormous marine spaces encompassed in their exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Should we call them '“Big Ocean States” instead?   For proponents, the 'Blue Economy' represents an entirely new way of thinking that offers a host of novel economic opportunities. For critics, it is little more than a buzzword that potentially bluewashes familiar forms of resource enclosure and extraction.   Episode 9 of "Small Islands Big Picture" explores the concept of the Blue Economy, the opportunities and challenges it raises, and how it might generate wealth through conservation – rather than exploitation of oceanic resources.   Hosts Emily Wilkinson (ODI) and Matthew Bishop (The University of Sheffield) are joined by: 🔵 Karuna Rana | Director, Big Ocean States Initiative (BOSI) 🔵 Liam Saddington | Teaching Associate, University of Cambridge 🔵 Nicole Leotaud | Director, Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI)   Available on all podcast platforms🎙️   #SmallIslandsBigPicture #SIDS #ClimateResilience #BlueEconomy

Last week, our Senior Research Officer, Prachi Agarwal, joined a high-level workshop hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria on “Digital Trade in Africa: The Renewed Hope Strategy". Prachi shared key insights from our latest report, "Advancing implementation of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade in Nigeria," offering actionable recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders to: ▫ Assess Nigeria's digital trade readiness ▫ Understand public and private sector awareness of the AfCFTA protocol ▫ Enhance readiness and awareness to drive protocol implementation This crucial event shaped discussions on the future of digital trade in Nigeria and Africa, and the role of the AfCFTA in driving economic growth. ODI is proud to contribute to this crucial conversation through our FCDO-funded Supporting Investment and Trade (SITA) Programme. 📺 | Catch the full discussion: https://lnkd.in/eNCNRb7C 📑 | Read the report: https://lnkd.in/eMqiJe4E #Nigeria #Africa #DigitalTrade #AfCFTA #OneAfricanMarket

NEW | Youth and capability development: Domain report By 2050, half of Africa’s population will be under the age of 25. This makes young people key to development outcomes across the continent’s cities, with youth often regarded as the “makers or breakers” of the future. A new ACRC paper presents research into the challenges facing young people as they transition to adulthood in five African cities: > Addis Ababa, Ethiopia > Freetown, Sierra Leone > Kampala, Uganda > Maiduguri, Nigeria > Mogadishu, Somalia Authored by Dr Olya Homonchuk, Elizabeth Dessie, Nicola Banks, Katja Starc Card, Susan Nicolai, Nansozi Suzie Muwanga, Imrana Alhaji Buba, Zainab M. Hassan, Haja Ramatulai Wurie, PhD and Eyob Balcha Gebremariam, PhD, the paper uncovers prevalent systemic barriers hindering young people in African cities from fulfilling their potential, including: ⛔️ Exclusionary politics 💼 Insecure labour markets 💡 Limited opportunities to acquire skills 👩⚕️ Little mental health support The research findings highlight the need for urban policy reform. Multisectoral youth programmes need to expand to incorporate youth skills training and mental health support. Young people also need protection and support in labour markets, and to be included in decisionmaking. Thanks to city research teams for their data collection, analysis and feedback on the research synthesis: Elizabeth Mengistu Tesemma, Ephrem Berhanu Debalke, Yonas Demisse, Muallem Kamara, Saidu Wurie Jalloh, Andrew Dauda, Ahmid C Jalloh MBA, Liola Patricia Kato, solomon winyi, Abba Ali Yarima Mustapha, Samirah Iliyas, Zainab Hamidu Ali.

How could the new UK government could start to rebuild trust in lower income countries? There’s been lots of language around respect and partnerships of equals, but it’s not entirely clear what the new government might actually do differently. In a new piece with Roli Asthana , we argue that if the UK wants to rebuild trust, the the government should focus its energies and resources on the very same things the Labour government has been prioritising domestically - growth, jobs and economic security. How might the UK do it? We suggest that there are useful insights to be drawn from how Rachel Reeves is looking to revive the UK economy with limited resources in a hostile and competitive world. A clearer UK offer on growth cannot just be about financing. We suggest there are other ways to build the productive capacity of partner economies through investing in ideas, building trade links and targeted investment. As a major funder of development research, the UK could also play a major role in building out more localised approaches to knowledge production and economic problem solving. We focus on the UK - but we think there's useful considerations in the piece for other traditional 'donors' and philanthropy.

In megadiverse Mexico, the voices of indigenous communities risk being sidelined in government discussions about biodiversity policy. Mexico has a long history of sustainably using its extraordinary range of natural resources, with indigenous communities playing a crucial role. But over-exploitation, land-clearing and contamination pose big threats to the biodiversity present. Environmental lawyer Anaid Velasco, who is Mexico Director for GFLAC Grupo de Financiamiento Climático para Latinoamérica y el Caribe, explains the situation on our latest Think Change podcast, which puts a spotlight on the accelerating rate of biodiversity loss globally and asks what can be done about it. Listen here, or on your preferred podcast app: https://lnkd.in/d-W9PRur 🎧 #ThinkChangePodcast #Biodiversity #BioFin #BiodiversityFinance #NatureFinance

Some of the worst fears for hurricane season were realised this month, as the Caribbean islands of Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica bore the brunt of Hurricane Beryl, a record-breaking category 5 storm.   ODI’s experts from the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) feature in The Guardian this week, alongside three Caribbean Prime Ministers and a number of co-signatories including senior climate negotiators and climate change experts. They explain how some of the smallest islands have been decimated and without international help, may foot the bill through increased debt payments for decades, as storms worsen due to the emissions of wealthy polluting nations.   With projections of increasing loss and damage in the world’s 42 most climate vulnerable small island developing nations due to both extreme weather and slow-onset events, these debt problems are likely to continue and intensify.   Our researchers Emily Wilkinson, Courtney O. Lindsay (PhD, PMP) and Matthew Bishop recommend a path forward, including:   🔵 The provision of minimum annual climate finance allocations for SIDS and other highly vulnerable countries. 🔵 Scaling up use of ‘climate-resilient debt clauses’. 🔵 Maximising the potential of debt swaps. #HurricaneBeryl #ClimateResilience #SIDS