Annual Conferences

The GDN’s annual conferences provide the venue for an exciting exchange on issues of sustainable development and poverty reduction held each year in a different region of the world. By bringing together both researchers and policymakers, we provide the first step in facilitating greater exchanges between local policymakers and the local research we support. The annual conference brings a global perspective on current development debates.

GDN conferences are typically by invitation. Participants include Nobel Laureates and other internationally renowned researchers, researchers representing every region in the developing and transition world, heads of government, representatives of national and international organizations and sponsors of research.

The Nineteenth Global Development Network Conference will be held in Bonn, Germany on 23-25 October 2019. The conference's theme is "Knowledge for Sustainable Development: the Research-Policy Nexus". More information about the conference can be found here on the GDN website.

The Eighteenth Global Development Network Conference was held in New Delhi on 22-23 March, 2018. The conference's theme was "Science, Technology and Innovation for Development". More information about the conference can be found here on the GDN website.

The Seventeenth Global Development Network Conference was held in Lima, Peru, on 17-18 March, 2016. The conference's theme was be "Education for Development: Quality and Inclusion for Changing Global Human Capital Needs". More information about the conference can be found here on the GDN website.

The Sixteenth Global Development Network Conference was held in Casablanca, Morocco on 11-13 June, 2015. The conference's theme was "Agriculture for Sustainable Growth: Challenges and Opportunities for a new 'Green Revolution'". More information about the conference can be found here on the GDN website.

The Fifteenth Global Development Network Conference was held in Accra, Ghana, from 18-20 June, 2014 in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation, the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) and the University of Ghana. The conference's theme was "Structural transformation in Africa and Beyond". More information about the conference can be found here on the GDN website.

The Fourteenth Global Development Network Conference was held in Manila, The Philippines on 19-21 June, 2013, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the East Asian Development Network (EADN) and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). The conference's theme was "Inequality, Social Protection and Inclusive Growth". More information about the conference can be found here on the GDN website.

The Thirteenth Global Development Network Conference was held in Budapest, Hungary, on 16-18 June 2012 and was hosted by Central European University. The conference's theme was be "Urbanization and Development: Delving Deeper into the Nexus". More information about the conference can be found here on the GDN website.