Movement for Community-led Development

𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Yesterday, as the closing speaker and the only civil society representative on the closing panel at OECD’s Future of Development Cooperation conference , our very own Gunjan Veda reminded power brokers, nations, funders and civil society how important it is to remember that all of us – be it governments, civil society or even corporates – derive our power and seats at the table from a single source: people.

And when we think of people, it is not enough to talk about economic growth, trade, or sovereignty. We need to think about inequality and justice and rights and care.

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔, 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎." - Gunjan

Gunjan also urged us not to continue to make people, countries, and civil society organizations compete for resources.

"Imagine what would happen if you told the organs in the body that they had to compete for oxygen and food. No matter which organ won, the body would collapse. The old system was based on the idea of scarcity. It made us compete for everything. What if we built the new system on the idea of abundance, on connection, not competition?"

Photos by OECD.

Young people are not waiting for permission to lead. They are building their own seat at the table.

In the interview for MCLD's Voices of the Decade series, Akuzike Phiri, climate activist, youth advocate, and member of MCLD’s Youth Task Force, shares her journey from community environmental action in Malawi to global climate conversations at . She reminds us that youth leadership already exists; what’s often missing is access, inclusion, and opportunity. MCLD's Youth Task Force is working to change that.

MCLD’s Youth Task Force creates connection, solidarity, and opportunity for young leaders across regions to learn from one another and shape development together.

Read Akuzike’s full story: https://mcld.org/2026/05/08/voices-of-the-decade-akuzike-phiri/

Movement for Community Led Development - Malawi Chapter

Rowlands Kaotcha was part of MCLD's launch in Malawi, and since then, has become the President and CEO of one of our strongest partners, The Hunger Project

We are excited to share an interview with Rowlands as our next Voices of the Decade feature. We dig deep into what MCLD means to him, The Hunger Project’s support for MCLD, and what gives him hope for the future.

Don’t miss this interview, now on our website: https://mcld.org/2026/04/22/voices-of-the-decade-rowlands-kaotcha/

Every two weeks, we’re sharing a conversation about the moments, lessons, and ideas that shaped the last ten years — and what comes next.



Photo credit: The Hunger Project

We've been looking forward to the launch of MCLD member Outreach International's new podcast, Beyond Poverty. It is now live, and MCLD's Gunjan Veda is the first guest! Gunjan had a powerful conversation with Elene Cloete about how real change happens when communities are given the space to lead.

Check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube: https://open.spotify.com/show/1CUDkFSag2aqXz0fvENpz2 / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hK_D7-Afk

Episode 1 of the Beyond Poverty Podcast is live! ⭐

Join Elene Cloete and Gunjan Veda for a deep dive into the barriers to global development and the methodology driving real advancement toward building a world beyond poverty.

Find us on: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube | iHeart Radio