Programme

Please note that the programme is subject to change.

Wed 25.2.2026

Pre-conference events

12.00–15.00 Master’s Workshop 2026 | “Navigating the Road to Completion”
13.00–15.00 DocShop2026 | “Beyond Academia: Doing Development Research in Different Fields”
17.00–19.00 Public Forum with the conference keynote speakers, co-organized with Global Visions and Finnish Society for Development Research (Think Corner)

Thu 26.2.2026

Conference Day 1

08.30–09.00 Registration (Small Festive Hall foyer)
09.00–09.15 Opening of the conference and welcome words (Bonn Juego, Chair of the FSDR)
09.15–10.00 Keynote Lecture: Walden Bello, “Revisiting Deglobalization in an Era of Geopolitical Competition”
10.00–10.30 Q&A: open forum/discussion
10.30–12.00 Keynote Conversation: Robtel Neajai Pailey, “Alternative Development in a Post-Aid World” (Facilitator: Eija Ranta, Academy of Finland Research Fellow)
12.00–13.00 Lunch break
13.00–14.30 Working Groups I (parallel sessions: onsite/hybrid/online)
14.30–15.00 Coffee break
15.00–16.30 Working Groups II (parallel sessions: onsite/hybrid/online)
16.30–18.00 Working Groups III (parallel sessions: onsite/hybrid/online)
19.00–20.00 Conference reception hosted by the City of Helsinki (Aleksanterinkatu 20)

Fri 27.2.2026

Conference Day 2
09.15–11.15 Plenary Roundtable: “The State of Development Research: Critical Perspectives from Finland, Europe, and the Global South” , with panelists:

  • Anja Nygren, Professor of Global Development Studies, University of Helsinki
  • Eleanor Fisher, Professor of International Development & Head of Research, NAI – Nordic Africa Institute
  • Alfredo Saad-Filho, Professor, Queen’s University Belfast & Vice-President, EADI – European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes
  • David Barkin, Distinguished Professor, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco, México
  • Chair: Tiina Kontinen, Professor of International Development Studies, University of Jyväskylä

11.15–12.15 Lunch
12.15–13.45 Working Groups IV (parallel sessions: onsite/hybrid/online)
13.45–14.15 Coffee break
14.15–15.45 Working Groups V (parallel sessions: onsite/hybrid)
15.45–16.15 Conference summary and closing remarks (Small Festive Hall)
16.15–16.30 Break
16.30–18.00 FSDR Annual General Meeting (Small Festive Hall)