Today we have “don’t say gay,” but in the late 1980s the British coined the expression “no promo homo” for Section 28, a law that restricted discussion of LGBTQ issues — even beyond the classroom! The 15-year struggle to bring it down ended on September 18, 2003.

Actor JM J (Jim) Bullock talks about life as the voice of “Queer Duck.”

And in NewsWrap: Canada’s Conservative Party pledges to ban pediatric transgender healthcare if they regain control of the federal government, hundreds march in Belgrade Pride despite Serbian church and government opposition, Andorra’s Prime Minister Xavier Espot Zamora says he’s never been in the closet, California’s Democratic Party-controlled legislature votes to penalize school boards for banning books, a U.S. federal judge allows enforcement of Florida’s adult gender-affirming healthcare ban, a U.S. judge in Texas extends a hold on a drag show ban, seven are arrested at a sit-in for PEPFAR while U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy remains silent, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the September 18, 2023 edition of This Way Out!

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Section 28 Falls & "Queer Duck" Flies

Even though the U.S. government avoided a shutdown this week, serious concerns remain over whether lawmakers will be able to hammer out a federal budget for fiscal 2024 within the next 45 days, leaving the future funding of several development programs up in the air.

This week we also had an exclusive story on the $1.5 billion Saving Lives and Livelihoods Initiative, which was temporarily halted amid an audit due to several issues, including the failure to pay workers in Nigeria for months worth of work and missing contracts and receipts. The three-year program, launched by the Mastercard Foundation and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2021, is the largest public health partnership between a global philanthropic organization and an African institution and has employed more than 22,000 people.

Ahead of the World Bank annual meetings in Marrakech, Morocco, next week, we reported that the institution’s president, Ajay Banga, hopes to make available up to $125 billion additional lending over the next 10 years through reforms.

To dig into these stories, as well as to gain an update on PEPFAR’s potential reauthorization, tune in to the latest episode of the podcast. Devex President & EiC Raj Kumar sits down with Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger, as well as Olusoji Adeyi, the president of Resilient Health Systems and senior associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to discuss the most important news this week.

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This Week in Global Dev: #19: The US government avoids a shutdown, and the World Bank's big plan

Durban CG - PEPFAR

Consul General Josie Ratcliffe attended the PEPFAR Community Grants Awards Ceremony in Durban to celebrate another group of community-based organizations funded through the Community Grants Program to implement services and evidenced-based intervention in the 2023 - 2024 implementation period. Vuma FM interviewed CG Ratcliffe, and the PEPFAR Community Grants Program Director, Lerato Lebona, about the work being done on the ground to combat HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

U.S. Consul General Josie Ratcliffe Vuma FM Interview

The Community Grants Program is funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to support community-based organizations operating within one or more of the 27 PEPFAR supported districts. The Community Grants Program funds organizations that provide services such as targeted HIV Testing Services/Case Finding, HIV prevention and/or HIV-related home services, including community-based care, and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Organizations can provide any combination of these interventions to key and/or priority populations, including PLHIV, orphans, vulnerable children, and youth (OVCY), adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and/or adolescent boys and young men (ABYM). For the fiscal year 2024 the program will fund 40 recipients.

Lerato Lebona Interview

The future of PEPFAR, the flagship United States global HIV/AIDS program credited with saving millions of lives over the past couple of decades, hangs in the balance due to an ongoing political stalemate and accusations that it funds abortion. This week we looked into what the uncertainty over its reauthorization means for organizations dependent on its funding. 

The growing mistrust between the global north and global south is evident in a report on the world’s preparedness for the next pandemic from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board. We also followed a panel discussion at the European Union’s Global Gateway Forum, which found that a patchwork of local regulations are the main obstacle to the EU's promises to shift health manufacturing to African countries.

Meanwhile, as the tragic conflict continues in Gaza, provide an update on the work and future of UNRWA, the agency which has emerged as the main source of aid to Palestinian civilians, sheltering more than 690,000 people who have been forced from their homes.

For the latest episode of the podcast, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Jen Kates, senior vice president and director of global health and HIV policy at KFF, as well as Devex Senior Global Reporter Colum Lynch, to discuss the top stories from the past week.

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This Week in Global Dev: #23: Uncertainty over PEPFAR's future and controversy around UNRWA

As localization continues to be a hot topic in global development, nearly every international nongovernmental organization seems to be rethinking their role in the aid sector, and debating how, when, and if they should continue showing up. We discuss how INGOs are aiming to rebalance the equation between INGOs and local groups, and whether the reforms will help empower and give voice to local communities. 

This week we also published an interview with PEPFAR chief John Nkengasong, who warned that if the world fails to eliminate HIV as a public health threat by 2030, political leaders will lose interest in fighting the disease paving the way for its resurgence.

Are INGOs working themselves out of a job? What is the future of PEPFAR, the U.S. global AIDS initiative?

To dig into these stories, and others, Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar sits down with Business Editor David Ainsworth and Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger for the latest episode of the podcast series.

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This Week in Global Dev: #58: The role of INGOs in localization, and the future of PEPFAR

Thursday, October 10, 2024. Digital press briefing with the U.S. Global Aids Coordinator and Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy, Ambassador John N. Nkengasong. Ambassador Nkengasong will discuss the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Africa and sustainability, government ownership and leadership in the HIV/AIDS response. After brief opening remarks, the speaker took questions from participating journalists.

Digital Press Briefing: The Future Role of PEPFAR in Africa

After an all-night marathon of amendments, the U.S. Senate voted to advance President Donald Trump’s $9 billion rescissions package this week. While the country’s flagship HIV/AIDS initiative PEPFAR was saved during the process, the package will still claw back nearly $8 billion in previously approved funding for foreign aid. 

To dig into this story, and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with reporters Michael Igoe and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. 

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This Week in Global Dev: #105: US aid slashed: Inside the $8 billion cut to foreign assistance

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