The 2026 WIDER Development Conference brings together leading researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to examine how growth, governance, and global cooperation are being reshaped in an era of geopolitical realignment and economic fragmentation. Co-hosted with the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), the event takes place in New Delhi and explores how Global South countries can navigate shifting power structures while advancing inclusive and sustainable development.
The conference addresses themes central to today’s development agenda, including the future of multilateralism, the rise of South–South trade and investment, the just energy transition, industrial policy for structural transformation, and the implications of protectionism and global debt stresses for long-term growth. Through keynote lectures, high-level plenaries, and parallel research sessions, participants engage with cutting-edge evidence on how global economic governance must evolve to meet the needs of the Global South.
By convening diverse voices from across academia, government, multilateral institutions, and philanthropy, the conference provides a vital platform for shaping policy debates on equitable growth and global cooperation. It forms part of UNU-WIDER’s continuing efforts to generate rigorous research, foster policy dialogue, and support partners in responding to the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world order. More details on speakers, themes, and sessions will be available soon.
The programme features an inaugural keynote by Eric Verhoogen (Columbia University), followed by a policy dialogue with Zainab Usman and Eric Verhoogen, along with an opening address by Suman Bery, the Deputy Chair of Niti Aayog; high-level plenaries on the future of global governance in a fragmented world order with Lesley Ishmael, Stephan Klingebiel, Carlos Correa, and Justin Lin; on trust and multilateralism with Kaushik Basu, Nora Lustig, Luis Felipe López-Calva, and Patricia Justino; and on Southern economic growth and the just transition with Wang Wei, Jo Beall, and Arkebe Oqubay.
Across three days, the conference also includes twelve parallel sessions on themes such as growth empirics, gender, intergenerational mobility, South–South trade, climate shocks, governance, and inclusive growth, along with a special session on green industrialization, dedicated poster sessions, an India-focused fireside chat, and a networking dinners and receptions.
More about the event and programme available on the event page.
