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News: Charting a New Course at #DevexWorld

June 4, 2018 | < 1 Minute Read

On June 12, Chemonics experts join other leaders and visionaries from around the world at Devex World to grapple with the changing development landscape and discuss ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

How can the development community bring stakeholders together to achieve the SDGs? What does a successful public-private partnership look like in today’s development landscape? These are some of the questions that Devex World aims to tackle on June 12 in Washington, D.C. Chemonics is proud to be a Changemaker Partner this year, sharing insight from nearly 45 years of implementing and innovating around the world, and highlighting Executive Vice President Eric Reading in an on-stage interview with Devex reporter Alan Robbins.

For more than 42 years, Chemonics has worked in 150 countries, forging partnerships to solve the world’s toughest development problems. Having this global footprint makes it vital for us to participate in global conversations such as Devex World, and we are excited to join governments, implementers, NGOs, technology companies, and entrepreneurs for an innovative one-day discussion.

“Solving the toughest development problems has been our mission for over forty years, and it’s clear that we’re at a very pivotal time for the broader industry. It’s important that the development community, along with the private sector and civil society, come together now to collectively chart our course forward, and Devex World is the perfect venue to do just that.”

Eric Reading, Executive Vice President

One of the sessions will feature Eric Reading, Chemonics’ executive vice president who has more than 20 years of experience in the development sector, participating in a Q&A on the role of new funding models. Mr. Reading will focus on mobilizing private sector investment, and building lasting partnerships in a way that maximizes development impact.

“Solving the toughest development problems has been our mission for over forty years, and it’s clear that we’re at a very pivotal time for the broader industry,” said Mr. Reading. “It’s important that the development community, along with the private sector and civil society, come together now to collectively chart our course forward, and Devex World is the perfect venue to do just that.”

In addition, one of the live on-site video interviews Devex is filming will highlight Jennifer Swift-Morgan, an education and governance expert who has previously worked in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In the interview, Dr. Swift-Morgan will share her insight on thinking and working politically and why it is crucial that development implementers consider domestic political factors in addition to technical programming to be truly effective. Devex will livestream the video from the event website.

As part of discussions around the shifting development landscape, some of the Devex World sessions will also weigh recent regional conflicts and how they clash with efforts to achieve sustainable impact. In a recent Devex op-ed, Stacia George, a conflict management expert, argues how education can bring immediate benefits in conflict areas by bringing people and communities together. Having this kind of discussion at Devex World, with both development implementers and the private sector at the table, is critical to finding a way forward.

“Solving the toughest development problems has been our mission for over forty years, and it’s clear that we’re at a very pivotal time for the broader industry. It’s important that the development community, along with the private sector and civil society, come together now to collectively chart our course forward, and Devex World is the perfect venue to do just that.”

Eric Reading, Executive Vice President

This year’s gathering builds on the momentum of the Devex World event from 2016, drawing from key trends that have emerged in the last two years, including new partners, funding models, and innovative approaches. Leaders from diverse organizations, including the World Health Organization, WeWork, Cargill, and the Gates Foundation, will share their experience and expertise.

The daylong event offers nearly 30 sessions — a mix of plenaries, workshops, and presentations — that cover the following themes:

  • Data Revolution
  • From Story-Telling to Movement Building
  • New Funding Models
  • Innovating at Scale
  • Business Transforming Development

“Devex World is where everyone who is anyone working in development goes to see what and who is being innovative,” Ms. George explained. “Chemonics needs to be front and center to show why we are cutting edge as well as demonstrate our spirit of always trying to improve by learning from others in our field. It provides an important forum for those key one-on-one conversations about the sector overall.”

For more information, check out the Devex World website. Follow the conversation on social media with the #DevexWorld hashtag.