Development Policy Centre Podcast

Tewodros Melesse is the Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a federation of 152 national member associations, working in 170 countries, focused on achieving universal sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). During a recent visit to Canberra, he spoke with Camilla Burkot about IPPF’s work in the Pacific and around the world. Transcript available here: http://devpolicy.org/pdf/blog/Transcript_interview-with-TewodrosMelesse-13Aug2015.pdf

Speaker: Ms Liz Satow, National Director, World Vision International Nepal. What was it like on the ground during the Nepalese earthquake? Liz Satow coordinated the entire NGO response to the Nepalese earthquake and had some incredible insights. World Vision Nepal’s National Director Liz Satow shared her experience of the 2015 earthquakes and how World Vision has been working with communities, the Government, and other NGOs to restore services. She talked about the challenge of quickly switching the focus from long-term development activities into short-term relief operations and then planning for the transition back to development activities again.

The Reverend Dr Joel Edwards is the former International Director of Micah Challenge, a global Christian response to extreme poverty. He recently sat down with Camilla Burkot after a panel discussion at the Crawford School sponsored by the Campaign for Australian Aid, to talk about foreign aid in the UK context, politics, and the importance of getting narratives right. Transcript available here: http://devpolicy.org/pdf/Transcript_interview-with-Joel-Edwards-3Aug2015.pdf

Speaker: Ms Gerda Verburg, Chair of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Council on Food Security and Nutrition. Although enough food is being produced to feed everyone on the planet, more than 795 million people remain undernourished. Even as global food production is stepped up to feed an anticipated global population of more than 9 million people by 2050, one third of all currently produced food is lost or wasted. Farmers struggle to maintain a profitable livelihood, and are confronted with increasing environmental constraints in the face of climate change and depleted natural resources. In developing countries agriculture employs as much as 60 per cent of the labour force but fewer and fewer see agriculture as a viable career. The problems are well-known. But how can multilateralism help? This public lecture was presented by The Crawford Fund and the Development Policy Centre at Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.

Speakers: Dr Christopher Edmonds, Senior Economist, Pacific Department, Asian Development Bank; Dr Matthias Helble, Research Fellow, Asian Development Bank Institute. How can Pacific island economies, including those of Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, tap into projected growth in Asia? How can economic and financial integration between Asia and the Pacific be expanded to benefit both regions? This seminar featured two authors of a recent Asian Development Bank (ADB) book, Leveraging the Benefits of Asia’s Integration and Growth for Pacific Economies, who explored these issues, identified critical constraints to integration and suggested relevant policy reforms. Presentation slides: https://crawford.anu.edu.au/events/5962/leveraging-benefits-asias-integration-and-growth-pacific-economies?tb=download#tab

In this public lecture, Joseph Vecci from Monash University explained the results of a recent co-authored paper on reef density and matrilineal inheritance in fishing communities in the Solomon Islands. He discussed how reef density is associated with the prevalence of matriliny, offering evidence from a sample of 186 societies across the world as well as a sample of 59 small-scale horticultural fishing communities in the Solomon Islands. Presentation slides are available here: https://crawford.anu.edu.au/events/5894/fish-friend-matriliny-reef-density-and-matrilineal-inheritance-melanesia?tb=download#tab

Stephen Howes of the Development Policy Centre delivers a keynote on recent developments in Pacific labor mobility at the 2015 Pacific Update, held at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, in July.

The Opening Session from the 2015 Pacific Update, held at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, in July. More details: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/png-and-pacific-updates/pacific-update

Emeritus Professor Ron Duncan presents a keynote address on 'Drivers of Growth Spurts in Pacific Island Economies' at the 2015 Pacific Update, held at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, in July.

Christopher Edmonds of the Asian Development Bank presents the Pacific economic outlook at the 2015 Pacific Update, held at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, in July.

2015 PNG Update: Welcome addresses by Professor Albert Mellum and Professor Veronica Taylor, and Inaugural Address by Her Excellency Deborah Stokes, Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea. Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business Administration and the ANU Development Policy Centre, the 2015 PNG Update was held in Port Moresby on June 18-19 2015, at the Main Lecture Theatre at the University of Papua New Guinea.

2015 PNG Update - Keynote Address by Dr Gae Kauzi, Assistant Governor, Bank of Papua New Guinea. Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business Administration and the ANU Development Policy Centre, the 2015 PNG Update was held in Port Moresby on June 18-19 2015, at the Main Lecture Theatre at the University of Papua New Guinea. More details: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/png-and-pacific-updates/png-update

2015 PNG Update: Keynote Address by Dr Glenn Banks, Associate Professor, Massey University on the topic of 'From wealth to wellbeing: translating resource revenue into sustainable human development'. Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business Administration and the ANU Development Policy Centre, the 2015 PNG Update was held in Port Moresby on June 18-19 2015, at the Main Lecture Theatre at the University of Papua New Guinea. More details: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/png-and-pacific-updates/png-update

2015 PNG Update: Opening Address by the Hon James Marape, Finance Minister, Government of Papua New Guinea. Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business Administration and the ANU Development Policy Centre, the 2015 PNG Update was held in Port Moresby on June 18-19 2015, at the Main Lecture Theatre at the University of Papua New Guinea. More details: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/png-and-pacific-updates/png-update

Presentation of the Survey of Recent Developments by Michael Cornish, Rohan Fox, Win Nicholas, Albert Prabhakar and Ani Rova of the Economics Division, UPNG, and Stephen Howes, Development Policy Centre, ANU. Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business Administration and the ANU Development Policy Centre, the 2015 PNG Update was held in Port Moresby on June 18-19 2015, at the Main Lecture Theatre at the University of Papua New Guinea.

2015 PNG Update - Keynote Address by Jim Adams, former Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, World Bank, on the topic of 'Lessons from reform in Africa and Asia'. Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business Administration and the ANU Development Policy Centre, the 2015 PNG Update was held in Port Moresby on June 18-19 2015, at the Main Lecture Theatre at the University of Papua New Guinea. More details, including a transcript of this speech, available here: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/png-and-pacific-updates/png-update

PNG Update 2015 - Keynote Address by Mr Michael Uiari, General Manager, Oil Search Ltd. Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business Administration and the ANU Development Policy Centre, the 2015 PNG Update was held in Port Moresby on June 18-19 2015, at the Main Lecture Theatre at the University of Papua New Guinea. More details: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/png-and-pacific-updates/png-update

Last December, the Coalition announced the largest cuts to the aid budget in the history of the Australian aid program: $1 billion or 20 per cent in a single year. How and where will these savings be made? To what extent will key bilateral partners, such as PNG and Indonesia, be protected – and which countries and regions will experience the brunt of the cuts? Will multilateral and NGO allocations be protected, or savaged? Which sectors will be cut? Will humanitarian aid again be compressed? On Wednesday 13 May, experts delivered detailed analysis and commentary during the third Development Policy Centre 2015 Aid Budget Breakfast. Speakers included: Prof Stephen Howes Director of the Development Policy Centre, and colleagues, who discussed aid volumes, allocations and policies. Dr Anthony Swan Research Fellow at the Development Policy Centre, who analysed the macro and fiscal context of the budget. Dr Julia Newton-Howes AM CEO of CARE Australia, and Ms Jacqui de Lacy, General Manager for Global Strategy at Ab

As in past years, the Development Policy Centre hosted a forum to discuss and debate recent Australian aid evaluations. This year we focused on the new annual report on Australian aid Performance of Australian Aid 2013-14 and on two recent evaluations from the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) on Australia’s responses to humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa and Syria. We heared from ODE and the Chair of the ODE’s Independent Evaluation Committee. Speakers included: Mr Jim Adams Chair of DFAT’s Independent Evaluation Committee and former World Bank Vice President. Mr Scott Dawson First Assistant Secretary, Contracting and Aid Management Division, DFAT. Mr Simon Ernst Office of Development Effectiveness, DFAT. Professor Stephen Howes Director of the Development Policy Centre and Professor of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU. Mr Jamie Isbister Acting First Assistant Secretary of the Humanitarian Division, DFAT. Dr Karen Ovington Assistant Director for the Office of Development Effect

As in past years, the Development Policy Centre hosted a forum to discuss and debate recent Australian aid evaluations. This year we focused on the new annual report on Australian aid Performance of Australian Aid 2013-14 and on two recent evaluations from the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) on Australia’s responses to humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa and Syria. We heared from ODE and the Chair of the ODE’s Independent Evaluation Committee. Speakers included: Mr Jim Adams Chair of DFAT’s Independent Evaluation Committee and former World Bank Vice President. Mr Scott Dawson First Assistant Secretary, Contracting and Aid Management Division, DFAT. Mr Simon Ernst Office of Development Effectiveness, DFAT. Professor Stephen Howes Director of the Development Policy Centre and Professor of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU. Mr Jamie Isbister Acting First Assistant Secretary of the Humanitarian Division, DFAT. Dr Karen Ovington Assistant Director for the Office of Development Effect