Archive
March 30, 2016
Ever since I started working in development I have been struck by how little we talk about its linkages with migration. Most NGOs specialise in either/or. Very few of them have the courage or the capacity to address migration and development together despite the fact that these issues are often two sides of the same coin.
If anything, the growing influx of migrants and refugees into Europe has forced us to start making that link in earnest. Never before have so many people been forced to flee their homes, nearly sixty million worldwide – the equivalent size of Italy’s population.
March 2, 2016
International Women’s Day, 8 March, is fast approaching and surely the news will shower us with all kinds of statistics on women’s progress or lack thereof […]
February 17, 2016
Sudan, circa 2007. At the time I was a consultant doing free-lance evaluations for humanitarian organisations big and small. I had spent the last three months […]
January 30, 2016
Once again Davos has kicked off the new year with its glitzy gathering of the world’s most influential leaders to discuss the hottest issues on the […]
January 12, 2016
First few days into the new year and already my shopping list of resolutions has shrunk to a couple. Besides my eternal plan to exercise more, […]
December 19, 2015
Big sighs of relief about the climate change agreement reached in Paris last week. While it is far from perfect, many experts see it […]
December 4, 2015
Living in Paris and working on development and climate change issues, I couldn’t escape the deluge of updates on the ongoing Conference of the Parties (COP21) […]
November 19, 2015
I am deeply honoured to publish my first co-authored post with my colleague and friend Cindy Dubble. She has worked on children’s rights in some of the worst conflict situations around the world – often risking her own life to improve the living conditions of forgotten children. Cindy is, quite simply, one of the best people and humanitarian professionals I have ever met. This blog post is an opportunity to share her wisdom from three decades of helping – and listening to – children affected by war and natural disasters.
November 6, 2015
I will always be grateful to my former colleague Rachel Scott for lending me her book Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of […]
October 27, 2015
There’s a lot of talk these days about leaving no-one behind. In development circles it has become a mantra for making sure that everyone benefits from […]
October 16, 2015
If you ever visit Rome, you may encounter a beggar that will leave you in awe. Apparently of African origins, a red flower in her hair, […]
October 7, 2015
To many David Beckham‘s meeting with the UN Secretary-General last month was just another celebrity moment to mark the universal adoption of the Global Goals — the seventeen […]