aid Archives - Danny Sriskandarajah

The Guardian: labour would reverse DFID and foreign office merger

21 July 2022 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, politics

Jamie Street/unsplash.com

I was quoted in The Guardian commenting on the welcome news that Keir Starmer would reverse the merger between DfID and the Foreign Office. There is huge value in having a dedicated seat at the cabinet table and a department with dedicated resources and expertise to help the UK play a positive role in addressing … Continue reading “The Guardian: labour would reverse DFID and foreign office merger”

Independent: UK must do more to tackle famine risk in East Africa

27 June 2022 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, politics

Khadija Farah/Oxfam

Oxfam urged G7 leaders meeting in Germany to do more to tackle the growing hunger crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. I was quoted in The Independent urging the UK government to urgently provide more funding. Deep cuts to the UK aid budget have meant that UK aid to these four African countries … Continue reading “Independent: UK must do more to tackle famine risk in East Africa”

Guardian: worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia

22 June 2022 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, climate, humanitarian, hunger, politics

Petterik Wiggers/Oxfam Novib

Oxfam and other humanitarian agencies are sounding the alarm about a worsening humanitarian crisis in East Africa, driven by prolonged drought and extreme flooding related to climate change, as well as conflict and the pandemic. In some areas, people whose resources have been depleted are dying from hunger. A massive injection of funding for humanitarian … Continue reading “Guardian: worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia”

Telegraph: joint letter on fund for victims of Ukraine war

26 May 2022 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, politics

Bekki Frost/Oxfam

Following reports of a proposal for the proceeds of Chelsea FC’s sale to go to a charity for the victims of the war in Ukraine and around the world, I supported this joint letter by NGO leaders to the UK government. It urged swift action to ensure the £2.5 billion could be used to help … Continue reading “Telegraph: joint letter on fund for victims of Ukraine war”

Financial Times interview on leadership

13 March 2022 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, Inequality, poverty, power

Andy Aitchison/Oxfam

It was a pleasure to be asked to share my thoughts on leadership for the Financial Time’s How to Lead series. I’m a strong believer in values-based leadership and have been inspired throughout my career by leaders who have been brave and principled, inclusive and caring. I also talked about Oxfam’s journey and how this … Continue reading “Financial Times interview on leadership”

Debate: humanitarian reform, a people driven system

23 September 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, humanitarian, Inequality, poverty

It was a pleasure to join donors and UN agencies for this important discussion about reforming the humanitarian system in order to put affected communities front and centre. The panel discussed recommendations put forward by The Centre for Global Development, from shifting funding models to governance structures. I described some of the changes underway at … Continue reading “Debate: humanitarian reform, a people driven system”

Debate: Progressive philanthropy that shifts power to communities

15 July 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, development, Inequality, philanthropy

I enjoyed being part of this panel discussion organised by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Strategic Philanthropy. It explored alternative funding models to traditional grants that can lead to more transformative outcomes, that truly shift power and money to communities pushing for their own change. There are some exciting examples out there, from the … Continue reading “Debate: Progressive philanthropy that shifts power to communities”

Debate: How can UK aid protect nature and tackle climate change?

13 July 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, climate, politics

Taking place on the day parliament voted against reinstating the aid budget to 0.7% of GNI until certain conditions can be met, this was a timely debate with Harriet Baldwin MP, Neil Bird of ODI, and Patrick Hall of Bright Blue. I argued that as Britain explores its role in the world post Brexit, there’s … Continue reading “Debate: How can UK aid protect nature and tackle climate change?”

Interview: Aid cuts are a disaster for the world’s poorest people

| Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, Inequality, politics, poverty

Lena Varzar/unsplash.com

It was deeply disappointing that parliament missed the opportunity to restore the pledge to give 0.7% of GNI as overseas aid to fight poverty. I spoke to media including Sky News, BBC, The Times and Independent about the devastating impact of the cuts on thousands of people already struggling to survive in some of the … Continue reading “Interview: Aid cuts are a disaster for the world’s poorest people”

Debate: The way forward for development

1 July 2021 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: aid, development, politics, power

Elena Heatherwick / Oxfam

I was invited to address the United Nations Development Programme as part of its Development Dialogues, to reflect on how the UN and the aid system can adapt in order to be fit for purpose in today’s world. I made the case for an aid system that doesn’t treat people as beneficiaries of largesse, but … Continue reading “Debate: The way forward for development”