Forced to grow up too soon in Lebanon: Mahmoud. Photo: © S. Baldwin/UNHCR/FlickrAlex Thier, ODI’s Executive Director on the role of ODI in the worldFounded in 1960, ODI is the leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.Our mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice which leads to the reduction of global poverty and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. We do this by locking together high quality applied research, practical policy advice, and policy-focused dissemination and debate in developing and developed countries.We have more than 230 staff, including researchers and specialist communications and support staff. Working with partners across public and private sectors, we help to bridge the gap between research and policy, using innovative communications to mobilise a number of audiences. James Cameron, Chair of ODI’s Board of Trustees welcomes our new Executive DirectorLubaba Abdella, a child bride from the Ethiopian region of Amhara. Photo: © African Development Bank.Our impactODI works to connect our research with institutions, governments and policy-makers who can make a difference. In applying evidence to generate innovative policy solutions, we also work with public and private sectors to turn ideas into action.Here are three examples of the impact ODI’s research, analysis and high-level convening has had in the past year. Transforming finance ministries in fragile contexts Ending child marriage in Ethiopia by 2025 A decade of research in cash transfers ODI researcher Fiona Samuels with Nepalese research partner Anita Ghimrie interviewing women in Kailali, Nepal. Photo: © Clare PriceFinanceRead more about our funding (PDF)
