Annual review

It has been a year marked by conflict, climate change and Covid-intersecting crises that intensify and entrench longer-term vulnerabilities.
As we highlight in the IDS 2021-22 Annual Review, these uncertain times demand that development research be done differently, with new approaches to learning and knowledge exchange that engage policy actors and diverse communities. Our work in the past year has centred on navigating uncertainties and crises, and despite the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and the challenge of major cuts to UK Government aid funding, IDS has made exciting progress. Read the 2021–22 Annual Review to find out more.
Download the IDS Annual Review 2022
Deepak Nayyar, IDS Board Chair, said:
“Our impressive progress despite all the challenges, reflected in an incredibly productive year, is a source of pride. Existing partnerships and new research collaborations have helped us to address some of the world’s most pressing global challenges.”
IDS Director Melissa Leach said:
“This Annual Review shows how IDS is at the forefront of new approaches to research, learning and knowledge exchange which are making a real difference: upholding climate and environmental justice, reducing inequalities, fostering healthy lives and building more inclusive societies. Our work is helping to re-cast development for the new challenges we face.”
Highlights of IDS work over the past 12 months include:
- Gleaning global lessons from the margins through participatory methods
- Making community engagement central to global health research
- New insights on accountability and empowerment in conflict settings
- Fostering future leaders in a time of uncertainty
- Nurturing positive leadership through scholarships
- Influencing a rethink of donor policy on microfinance
- Evidence on protracted crises shapes more effective humanitarian responses
- Linking evidence to policy implementation for social change
- Partnerships for Covid-19 response exceed expectations
- Progressing our International Initiatives in Brazil, China, Europe, Ghana and Pakistan
Why are social sciences so important?
Deepak Nayyar, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Melissa Leach, IDS Director in conversation about the importance of social sciences for more equitable and sustainable global development.