WICE Announces Major Restructuring to Redefine Global Sustainable Development
WICE, a global sustainable development organization, has unveiled a comprehensive restructuring that blends its 35-year legacy with modern approaches to address contemporary challenges through community-centered solutions across multiple sectors.
WICE, a global organization founded in 1989 by conservationist Daan Vreugdenhil, has announced a significant restructuring of its mission, team, and operational model, marking a new era in sustainable development. The organization aims to maintain its established legacy while expanding capabilities to address current global challenges through a redefined approach to development that prioritizes long-term sustainability.
The revitalized WICE will advance community-centered solutions across a broad spectrum of sectors including health, nutrition, agriculture, food systems, artificial intelligence, ecotourism, energy and environment, education, economic development, blockchain technology, governance, partnerships, and humanitarian assistance. This comprehensive approach reflects the interconnected nature of modern development challenges and the need for integrated solutions.
Emily Weeks, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of WICE USA, emphasized that the transformation honors previous work while recognizing the urgency for innovative approaches. Weeks, who previously served at USAID, stated that the organization is blending decades of proven expertise with next-generation development strategies that center people, prioritize local leadership, and embrace modern tools and financing mechanisms. The restructured organization combines legacy credibility with a high-impact operational model designed for contemporary challenges.
WICE operates as an agile, decentralized consortium with more than 150 experts working across over 100 countries. The organization brings substantial experience to its renewed mission, having managed more than $50 billion in government contracts, advised presidents and national leaders, partnered with over 2,500 organizations, and delivered a century of combined results. This proven ability to rapidly deploy resources globally positions WICE to implement its new vision effectively.
The organization's collaborative model prioritizes partnership over competition, sharing skills and resources to deliver human-centered solutions at scale. This approach fosters investment and co-design with local communities, ensuring that development initiatives are both inclusive and sustainable. Dr. Ahmad Kablan, Ph.D., Vice President of WICE and another former USAID official, highlighted the organization's focus on creating innovative solutions that ensure health, ecosystems, and livelihoods can thrive while building local capacity.
What distinguishes WICE in the evolving global development landscape is its leadership in transforming the sector toward new collaborative frameworks that blend public and private capital. This approach aims to unlock billions in investment for climate resilience, clean energy, inclusive economic growth, and sustainable infrastructure. The organization positions itself at the forefront of advancing a new paradigm in development financing and implementation. More information about WICE's renewed mission and approach can be found at https://www.wice.org.
Weeks concluded that WICE is redefining development through this bold new beginning, recognizing that addressing global challenges requires comprehensive collaboration and innovative leadership. The restructuring represents a strategic response to the increasing complexity of development needs and the opportunity to leverage new technologies and financing mechanisms for greater impact. This transformation comes at a critical time when sustainable development approaches must evolve to address interconnected global challenges effectively.