Degan Ali's guest appearances

Degan Ali

The CGD Podcast

EQUALS: Reimagining Our Economy

Embodying change: Transforming power, culture and well-being in aid organisations

In Pursuit of Development

Branko Milanovic

Ilhan Omar

Justin Yifu Lin

Francis Fukuyama

Daron Acemoglu

Gabriel Zucman

Rutger Bregman

Anand Giridharadas

Nic Cheeseman

Ece Temelkuran

Joseph Stiglitz

Mark Miller

Philip Alston

Gary Younge

Yuen Yuen Ang

OwlTail

In this episode Melissa Pitotti speaks with Degan Ali, the Executive Director of Adeso, about the story behind the Pledge for Change 2030. They explore the ways in which the process that led to the Pledge was informed by lessons learned from the Charter for Change and the Grand Bargain. They consider the need for brave leaders to have safe spaces to come together on tough issues - and for leaders to be evaluated on metrics of success other than “bigger is better.” They end with reflections on equitable partnerships and accountability mechanisms.   Degan Ali is Executive Director of the African humanitarian and development organisation Adeso, as well as co-founder of the first Global South civil society network for local and national humanitarian organisations, the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR). She is a Rockefeller Foundation Global Fellow for Social Innovation, and a contributor to the Overseas Development Institute/Humanitarian Policy Group and Global Food Security journal. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Al Jazeera and The Guardian. Degan holds an M.A. in international service from University of Roehampton and a B.A. from Trinity College. She lives in Kenya and works with organisations across the Global North and South.   To learn more about the Pledge for Change 2030 check out: -       The Pledge for Change website: https://pledgeforchange2030.org/  -       The launch of the Pledge on the New Humanitarian Podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/event-launch-of-the-pledge-for-change-2030/id1420089508?i=1000584624738  To learn more about the CHS Revision Process check out: https://corehumanitarianstandard.org/chs-revision    ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

In this episode Melissa Pitotti speaks with Degan Ali, the Executive Director of Adeso, about the story behind the Pledge for Change 2030. They explore the ways in which the process that led to the Pledge was informed by lessons learned from the Charter for Change and the Grand Bargain. They consider the need for brave leaders to have safe spaces to come together on tough issues - and for leaders to be evaluated on metrics of success other than “bigger is better.” They end with reflections on equitable partnerships and accountability mechanisms. Degan Ali is Executive Director of the African humanitarian and development organisation Adeso, as well as co-founder of the first Global South civil society network for local and national humanitarian organisations, the Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR). She is a Rockefeller Foundation Global Fellow for Social Innovation, and a contributor to the Overseas Development Institute/Humanitarian Policy Group and Global Food Security journal. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Al Jazeera and The Guardian. Degan holds an M.A. in international service from University of Roehampton and a B.A. from Trinity College. She lives in Kenya and works with organisations across the Global North and South. To learn more about the Pledge for Change 2030 check out: -       The Pledge for Change website: <a href="https://pledgeforchange2030.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://pledgeforchange2030.org/</a> -       The launch of the Pledge on the New Humanitarian Podcast at <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/event-launch-of-the-pledge-for-change-2030/id1420089508?i=1000584624738" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/event-launch-of-the-pledge-for-change-2030/id1420089508?i=1000584624738</a> To learn more about the CHS Revision Process check out: <a href="https://corehumanitarianstandard.org/chs-revision" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://corehumanitarianstandard.org/chs-revision</a> ***Thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***

The Pledge for Change with Degan Ali of Adeso

Foreign aid has helped save millions of lives. But the whole system is facing a huge reckoning.As the New York Times’ Editorial Board wrote recently, “A growing group of intellectuals, aid workers and civic leaders from Africa say the “white savior” mentality of the world’s foreign aid system can end up doing more harm than good.We’re asking: Does aid work? Is aid really so colonial that it needs to end? How must the whole system change? And is it time to move to talk about reparations? Nadia and Nabil have a truly fascinating conversation with Degan Ali – a trailblazer in the movement to decolonize development aid and rethink humanitarianism, and the Executive Director of Adeso, a Nairobi-based organization that works in Somalia and Kenya. Her website is www.deganali.com.Please do share the episode on your social media.If you’re joining us on EQUALS for the first time, tune in to our earlier interviews – from talking with the award-winning journalist Gary Younge on what we can learn from Martin Luther King Jr to fight inequality, to best-selling author Anand Giridharadas on whether we need billionaires, Zambian music artist PilAto on the power of music, thinker Ece Temelkuran on beating fascism, climate activist Hindou Ibrahim on nature, and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva on what comes after the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Foreign aid has helped save millions of lives. But the whole system is facing a huge reckoning.As the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/13/opinion/africa-foreign-aid-philanthropy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">New York Times’ Editorial Board wrote recently</a>, “A growing group of intellectuals, aid workers and civic leaders from Africa say the “white savior” mentality of the world’s foreign aid system can end up doing more harm than good.We’re asking: Does aid work? Is aid really so colonial that it needs to end? How must the whole system change? And is it time to move to talk about reparations? Nadia and Nabil have a truly fascinating conversation with Degan Ali – a trailblazer in the movement to decolonize development aid and rethink humanitarianism, and the Executive Director of Adeso, a Nairobi-based organization that works in Somalia and Kenya. Her website is <a href="http://www.deganali.com./" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">www.deganali.com</a>.Please do share the episode on your social media.If you’re joining us on EQUALS for the first time, tune in to our earlier interviews – from talking with the award-winning journalist Gary Younge on what we can learn from Martin Luther King Jr to fight inequality, to best-selling author Anand Giridharadas on whether we need billionaires, Zambian music artist PilAto on the power of music, thinker Ece Temelkuran on beating fascism, climate activist Hindou Ibrahim on nature, and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva on what comes after the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

CAN FOREIGN AID BE DECOLONIZED? – With Power Shifter Degan Ali

Many have highlighted the need for equity and justice in the field of foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. Local civil society organizations (CSOs) or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are the frontline workers, risking their lives to access areas that well-funded international NGOs or even UN agencies cannot access. However, critics of the current system claim that the local NGO is often the sub-contractor and not a real partner that is allowed to contribute to the design of the project. If something goes wrong in the process, that local NGO is blacklisted, not the UN agency or the international NGO that received the funding. There are also other concerns. For example, the local NGO rarely receives a decent overhead rate or adequate funds to cover operational expenses. Local NGO staff are also often poached by multilateral institutions and international NGOs. All of this, some claim, results in a serious and systematic erosion of capacity in the Global South. And local knowledge and organizational capacity are often undervalued.Degan Ali has for long spoken out against systematic racism – the systemic structure of power, money, and decision-making that goes into the design of the international humanitarian and aid architectures. She has campaigned for a more just and dignified aid system that allows recipient countries to take back power. In a recent op-ed, she argued that “Talking about racism is not enough” and that “We can’t afford another 50 years of apathy in the international system.”Degan Ali is the Executive Director of Adeso, an organization that has been a leader globally and in Somalia for its work on cash transfers and environmental justice. She has been a passionate advocate at the global level on the mainstreaming of cash as the primary response mechanism to humanitarian crisesResources"'We are demanding change': the Somali woman taking on international NGOs", The Guardian, March 2016"Is it finally time for the localization agenda to take off?", Devex, June 2020"Opinion: 'Accelerate your commitments' during COVID-19— an open letter to donors", Devex, April 2020YOUTUBE VIDEO: Imagining and creating a decolonized world with racial and economic justice at its core, webinar hosted by Intersectional Feminist Foreign Policy(IFFP) and AdesoNetwork for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR)Degan Ali on TwitterDan Banik on TwitterIn Pursuit of Development podcast on TwitterQuestions, comments and suggestions: InPursuitOfDevelopment@gmail.com

Many have highlighted the need for equity and justice in the field of foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. Local civil society organizations (CSOs) or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are the frontline workers, risking their lives to access areas that well-funded international NGOs or even UN agencies cannot access. However, critics of the current system claim that the local NGO is often the sub-contractor and not a real partner that is allowed to contribute to the design of the project. If something goes wrong in the process, that local NGO is blacklisted, not the UN agency or the international NGO that received the funding. There are also other concerns. For example, the local NGO rarely receives a decent overhead rate or adequate funds to cover operational expenses. Local NGO staff are also often poached by multilateral institutions and international NGOs. All of this, some claim, results in a serious and systematic erosion of capacity in the Global South. And local knowledge and organizational capacity are often undervalued. <a href="https://ke.linkedin.com/in/degan-ali-bb777493" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Degan Ali</a> has for long spoken out against <a href="https://www.devex.com/news/q-a-degan-ali-on-the-systemic-racism-impacting-humanitarian-responses-95083" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">systematic racism</a> – the systemic structure of power, money, and decision-making that goes into the design of the international humanitarian and aid architectures. She has campaigned for a more just and dignified aid system that allows recipient countries to take back power. In a recent op-ed, she argued that <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/black-lives-matter-also-reckoning-foreign-aid-and-international-ngos/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“Talking about racism is not enough” and that “We can’t afford another 50 years of apathy in the international system.”</a>Degan Ali is the Executive Director of <a href="https://adesoafrica.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adeso</a>, an organization that has been a leader globally and in Somalia for its work on cash transfers and environmental justice. She has been a passionate advocate at the global level on the mainstreaming of cash as the primary response mechanism to humanitarian crisesResources<ul><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/mar/21/degan-ali-somali-woman-taking-on-the-humanitarian-system" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"'We are demanding change': the Somali woman taking on international NGOs"</a>, The Guardian, March 2016</li><li><a href="https://www.devex.com/news/is-it-finally-time-for-the-localization-agenda-to-take-off-97323" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Is it finally time for the localization agenda to take off?",</a> Devex, June 2020</li><li><a href="https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-accelerate-your-commitments-during-covid-19-an-open-letter-to-donors-97069" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"Opinion: 'Accelerate your commitments' during COVID-19— an open letter to donors"</a>, Devex, April 2020</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB7CHGhBKyc&amp;feature=youtu.be" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YOUTUBE VIDEO: Imagining and creating a decolonized world with racial and economic justice at its core</a>, webinar hosted by Intersectional Feminist Foreign Policy(IFFP) and Adeso</li><li><a href="http://www.near.ngo/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Network for Empowered Aid Response (NEAR)</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/DeganAli" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Degan Ali on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/danbanik" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Banik on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/GlobalDevPod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In Pursuit of Development podcast on Twitter</a></li></ul>Questions, comments and suggestions: InPursuitOfDevelopment@gmail.com

How Black Lives Matter is also a reckoning for foreign aid and international NGOs — Degan Ali