Submitting guest blogs is open to Global Washington’s members of the Atlas level and above. We value a diversity of opinions on a broad range of subjects of interest to the global health and development community.
Blog article submissions should be 500-1500 words. Photos, graphs, videos, and other art that supports the main themes are strongly encouraged.
You may not be the best writer, and that’s okay. We can help you shape and edit your contribution. The most important thing is that it furthers an important conversation in your field, and that it is relatively jargon-free. Anyone without a background in global development should still be able to engage with your ideas.
If you include statistics or reference current research, please hyperlink your sources in the text, wherever possible.
Have an idea of what you’d like to write about? Let’s continue the conversation! Email comms@globalWA.org and put “Blog Idea” in the subject line.
Posted on February 10, 2025
By Irene Nyambura and Julia Boharski, World Concern
Women leaders in OVT Azanga, DRC. Photo: World Concern
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), gender inequality is deeply rooted in cultural norms and further exacerbated by over thirty years of conflict. DRC ranks 140th out of 146 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index 2024, which assesses economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.[1] Recent research shows that over 50% of women are survivors of domestic violence, nearly 40% marry before the age of 18, and only 7% of women occupy high level positions in the national government and parliament in DRC.[2] To reduce the outcomes of gender disparity, World Concern, in partnership with local communities and the Diocese of Aru, is implementing holistic programming that addresses the root causes of gender inequality. Through these initiatives, World Concern is witnessing transformative change in the lives of women, their families, and their communities.
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Posted on January 30, 2025
Dear Global Washington Community,
We are reaching out at a time of unprecedented uncertainty for the global development and humanitarian sectors. Recent executive orders from the U.S. administration have imposed a freeze on foreign aid, halted numerous federal grants, withdrawn from international environmental commitments, and introduced significant restrictions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives. These actions have immediate and devastating implications for our collective work to improve lives and strengthen communities around the world.
This abrupt policy shift has placed many of our members in crisis. The freeze on USAID funding and other federal grants has triggered stop-work orders across critical programs, jeopardizing food security, global health initiatives, gender equity projects, and climate resilience efforts. From emergency relief operations in conflict zones to long-term development projects that foster sustainable economic growth, these funding cuts are already forcing difficult decisions—shutting down programs, laying off staff, and leaving vulnerable populations without essential services.
Immediate Impact on Our Members
The consequences of these executive orders are and will be deeply felt across Global Washington’s network:
- Humanitarian and development programs are grinding to a halt. USAID’s funding freeze, coupled with an opaque review process, has left organizations scrambling to secure alternative funding or suspend operations altogether. This affects everything from maternal and child health programs to anti-poverty initiatives and refugee assistance.
- Environmental and climate action efforts are in jeopardy. The U.S. withdrawal from international agreements and funding freezes on environmental programs severely undermine the fight against climate change, disproportionately impacting communities most vulnerable to its effects.
- Inclusive development efforts are under threat. Restrictions on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility funding risk rolling back hard-won progress in equity-driven global development, particularly for women, Indigenous communities, and other historically marginalized groups.
For many of our members, this freeze is not just a bureaucratic hurdle—it is an existential crisis. Organizations that have spent years building trust and impact in communities worldwide now face the prospect of shuttering their doors, leaving millions without the support they rely on.
What Comes Next?
This is not a moment for silence. We must act swiftly and decisively to protect the progress we have made and advocate for the restoration of essential funding. We urge those in the development sector to:
- Join us for a closed-door CEO discussion. We will be convening a members-only CEO roundtable about the executive orders in the coming weeks. Look out for an invitation to hear from other leaders, share insights, ask questions, and coordinate our collective response.
- Attend the next GlobalWA Communications Collective event. Our upcoming members-only learning session will ground attendees in inclusive marketing and communications for chaotic times.
- Engage with policymakers. Advocate for the immediate reinstatement of critical foreign aid and development funding. Contact your representatives and make clear the human cost of these decisions. This initiative is documenting the impact of the foreign aid stop work order.
- Mobilize alternative funding. We call on philanthropic foundations, private sector leaders, and global donors to fill funding gaps created by this freeze. Increased private sector engagement will be essential in sustaining programs.
- Amplify the urgency. Share this message within your networks to ensure that the full impact of these policies is widely understood and that the most affected voices are heard.
Our Commitment Moving Forward
Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our mission to support a globally engaged Washington state and to advance solutions that foster equity, sustainability, and human dignity worldwide. We, the global development community, believe in our shared humanity and understand that a retreat from international assistance hurts us all.
As we navigate this uncertain landscape, we will continue to provide resources and opportunities for collective action. We urge you to stay engaged, stand in solidarity with affected organizations and with one another, and advocate for the restoration of U.S. leadership in global development.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at info@globalwa.org.
In partnership and solidarity,
Elizabeth Stokely
Executive Director, Global Washington
Posted on October 24, 2024
By Tracey Compton, Senior Media Communications Coordinator, Mercy Corps
February 2022, Baidoa, Somalia. Dhagan Aclan Aalan holds one of her last surviving goats, in front of her family’s temporary shelter. They are staying at an IDP camp among the scrub brush outside Baidoa. Farmers are watching crops die, leaving nothing to sell or eat. Grazing land has dried up, leaving pastoralists without food or water to feed their livestock herds. As people are forced to migrate and resources are scarce, conflict is likely to increase, further disrupting food systems. Photo: Ezra Millstein/Mercy Corps
October 2024
Mercy Corps is adding a critical perspective to the livestock emissions debate, emphasizing the potential benefits of pastoralists, or those who move herds across land, in drylands and opening a pathway toward food security previously often overlooked by dominant climate narratives.
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