Top 11 Global Development Conferences in 2025

Economic crises, climate change, sustainability; there’s no shortage of urgent problems for humanitarians to address. Keeping up with the latest news on such a wide range of issues spanning the entire globe is a daunting prospect — but it’s well worth the effort.

These upcoming events bring government representatives, NGOs, and nonprofits together to discuss, strategize, and find solutions for the world’s biggest development issues. It’s a place to connect with your people — the individuals and organizations fighting for change.

Here are the 11 best global development conferences of 2025, divided by region.

Must-attend global development conferences in North America

9th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference

11th - 12th June, 2025

Cape Town Civic Center, Cape Town, South Africa

The 9th Urbanization and Poverty Reduction Research Conference, with the theme, “Urban Economics in Action: Addressing African Cities’ Challenges,” will gather scholars and practitioners to delve into the complexities of urban policy decisions and how to best allocate resources to build productive, livable, and sustainable cities in Africa.

This is the first iteration of this conference with a regional focus on Africa.

Anyone with a focus on African development, economic research, capacity building, city planning, or similar is welcome to attend. This interdisciplinary conference will feature discussions, seminar series, workshops, and collaborations aimed at generating innovative solutions for sustainable urban development.

Pacific Conference for Development Economics (PacDev)

8th March, 2025

UCLA and USC, Los Angeles, California, USA

PacDev is the largest conference for global economic development on the West Coast.

Hosted in conjunction by UCLA and USC, attendees can expect to discuss their work with others in the industry and gain insight into both theoretical and empirical global development research on economics in developing countries.

With over 200 researchers set to attend, it also offers plenty of room for networking with other scholars and researchers who are studying the latest research and developing policy.

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Corporate Giving Conference

12th - 14th March, 2025

In-person in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and Dallas, and virtual

The three-day Corporate Giving Conference offers non-profits with the latest trends and information on corporate philanthropy, sponsorships, employee volunteerism, workplace giving, and cause marketing.

This unique conference starts on March 12th with in-person meetups and networking events in five US cities. The following two days of the conference are virtual, and are packed with breakout sessions, keynotes, skills-building workshops, and further networking events.

This is a great conference for anyone in fundraising or donor relations to network with peers and corporate funders, learn best practices, and develop new skills for successful fundraising, securing corporate sponsorships, and more.

NAFSA 2025

27th - 30th May, 2025

San Diego, California, USA

Are you an education professional looking to grow your network, share collective knowledge, and discuss ways to support international growth towards improved learning outcomes? If so, then NAFSA’s annual conference and expo is an event you won’t want to miss.

This year’s theme, “Purpose, Place, and Partnership,” builds on and embraces the tenets of international education. You’ll have opportunities to hear from keynote speakers, attend breakout sessions, regional workshops, networking events, community dialogues, research presentations, and more!

It’s the perfect place to both learn and connect with others who are committed to best practices and developing strategies for meeting national and global goals for inclusive learning.

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14th International Conference of Business and Economic Development

7th - 8th April, 2025

Medgar Evers College, New York City, New York, USA

The ICBED is the place to be if you’re a professional or scholar interested in global business and economic development.

This year’s theme, “Innovation and Sustainability: Navigating the Future of Business and Economic Development” will address some of the most pressing economic concerns globally.

Through keynote speeches, panel discussions, paper presentations, and workshops, you’ll have the chance to dive into topics like green technologies, circular economy models, social entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and inclusive economic development alongside other researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to develop innovative strategies for sustainable economic growth.

Global Food Security Conference

12th - 13th February, 2025

Vancouver, Canada

The Global Food Security Conference is all about food security, sustainability, and resilience. This 10th annual edition in Vancouver will focus on strategies to ensure food availability and accessibility amidst global changes.

Attendees will get the chance to hear keynote presentations, discussions, poster presentations, and exhibitions. More so, you’ll get to be a part of an international forum for experts and industry leaders to discuss innovative solutions to food security and sustainability challenges facing our planet.

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The must-attend development conferences across Europe

Development Studies Association (DSA) 2025

25th - 27th June, 2025

Hybrid at University of Bath, Bath, UK

The DSA 2025 conference at the University of Bath provides private sector professionals, policymakers, and officials the opportunity to reflect on navigating crises, dangers, and inequalities in development.

Keynote speakers will be discussing development theories and practices or methodological challenges either confront or contribute to crises and uncertainty. During the DSA presentations, attendees will also be given the chance to explore solutions and initiatives for positive change to today’s development challenges.

As with past events, if you can’t make it to London, this conference is also available to attend virtually. Either way, you’ll benefit from a variety of discussion formats, such as roundtable and experimental panels, debates, speed meetings and more.

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International Conference on Sustainable Development

10th - 11th September, 2025

Roma Eventi Congress Center, Rome, Italy

The ICSD 2024 is hosted by the European Center of Sustainable Development. The main theme? Creating a unified foundation for reaching sustainable development goals through research, practice, and education.

During the conference, academics and leaders from the global development network have the opportunity to share ideas, present research findings, and discuss the latest in sustainability research. The three key topics this year include economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, and socio-cultural sustainability.

Whether you want to present your own research or incorporate some of the latest research into your policy or practices, this is a great event to be at.

Eurodad International Conference 2025

28th - 29th January, 2025

Hub Social Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

This once-a-decade conference is a must-attend event for anyone interested in or researching economic justice and development finance. Taking place ahead of the United Nations Financing for Development Conference in Seville, this is a great opportunity to network, share new ideas, and plan ahead.

This conference will bring together interdisciplinary experts to discuss new solutions and potential reforms in the areas of tax justice, debt justice, aid, the role of private finance, climate finance and International Financial Institutions (IFIs).

You’ll get access to breakout sessions and keynotes talks, alongside practical workshops and discussions to build your advocacy skills.

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The best global development conferences in Asia

Global Sustainable Development Congress

16th - 19th June, 2025

Istanbul Congress Centre, Istabul, Turkey

Over 5,000 global thought leaders, four days of sessions aligned with societal transformation, and much more — that’s what’s waiting for you at the GSDC.

It’s a platform for academics, government officials, and business professionals to discuss tangible and innovative outcomes for the world’s sustainability crises.

It covers themes such as global health, sustainable cities, clean energy, AI, gender equality, and the environment, to name just a few. Attendees will have the opportunity to broaden their network while listening to some of the world's leading experts in sustainability technology and innovation.

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Education and Development Conference 2025 (EDC2025)

5th - 7th March, 2025

Bangkok, Thailand

EDC2025 brings together teachers, researchers, scholars, policymakers, and other education professionals for a conference to explore transformative ideas in education, global collaboration, and today’s educational challenges.

This year’s theme is “Building Tomorrow, Today: Explore Innovations in Education.” Through workshops, panel discussions, and interdisciplinary discussions and meetings, you’ll have the opportunity to work with peers and industry leaders to learn the latest research and brainstorm innovative solutions to tough challenges.

Plus, international networking opportunities will connect you with education leaders and professionals from 40+ countries, including India, Thailand, France, UK, US, and more.

Looking for more similar global conferences to round out your events calendar for the year? Check out these lists:

Top 10 Global Sustainability Conferences

Top 10 Best Global Education Conferences in 2025

Top 10 Best Travel Conferences Around the World

Conference Visitors Paul Hanaoka 6FqkGMOLskY Unsplash

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The top 11 global development conferences to attend in 2025