Join us as Aunty Maxine Ryan delivers the Welcome to Country.

Meet your MC for Day 1, the wonderful Zahra Al Hilaly, Co-CEO Oaktree.

Join us for the opening keynote, as Sharan Burrow shares her vision for a just transition and the critical role that she believes global civil society has in a vastly different climate—and world—into the future 

Join Sara Sinada as she provides an update on the conflict in Sudan and calls for greater solidarity from the International Community, including the humanitarian and development sector. 

From the overturning of Roe v Wade to rising violence against women to the growing movement against LGBTIQA+ rights, gender equality is under attack across the globe. An increasingly organised and resourced opposition is pushing back progress on the rights of women and LGBTIQA+ people by harnessing new channels and technology for greater influence and global reach. 

These movements have real world consequences on the work of international development NGOs and their partners; from rising unplanned pregnancies and gender-based violence, through to regression in international human rights law, to emboldened state and societal action against LGBTIQA+ people.

This session will bring together advocates and allies for gender equality, LGBTIQA+ rights and sexual and reproductive rights from civil society, government and faith-based organisations. The discussion will explore the interconnectedness of these issues and identify how we can work together to counter growing opposition and harm. 

This panel has been developed by individual members of ACFID's Gender CoP - Isabelle Gurney - World Vision Australia, Sophie Hardefeldt - ActionAid Australia, Alice Ridge - IWDA, Brigid O'Farrell - ACFID and Batya Atlas - IPPF

After the release of the new International Development Policy, we are sure you will have plenty of questions to ask. After a short address, the Hon. Pat Conroy MP, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, welcomes a Q&A session.

You can send through questions in advance through this link, or on the day through the platform, app, or live in the audience!!!

 The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest climate finance fund dedicated to supporting developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Currently, the GCF provides 34% ($4.3 Billion) of its global portfolio to the Pacific region. Join Dr Fakhruddin, an eminent hydro-meteorologist and climate risk assessor as he discusses the current situation and future plans for harnessing climate financing for the Pacific.

TBA

 In an era of rapidly advancing technology, the role of digital platforms in supporting development programs has become increasingly vital. These platforms have the potential to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusiveness of services, ultimately contributing to greater sustainability and governance. In response to the digital age, development practitioners are adopting new approaches and business models, integrating artificial intelligence, digital identity, digital financial services, and geospatial visualisation into project design and implementation. David will examine the readiness of the development community to embrace digital technologies and approaches. He will highlight the need to focus on how digital can be used as a tool to enhance the effectiveness of development programming, to understand its relevance and utility in achieving social impact, and to shift our thinking on how digital becomes an integrated tool in an international development organisations toolkit. Utilising digital technology for impact calls for a multidisciplinary approach, breaking down silos between technology, policy, and development practice. Whilst these silos remain, it will be hard to make significant progress, and utilise digital tools to drive improvements in effectiveness, efficiency, reach and impact 

Amidst growing geopolitical tensions and ongoing development and environmental challenges, what role is there for Pacific civil society as development and humanitarian actors in their own right? As leaders in the Pacific work towards the implementation of the Pacific 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, civil society organisations can play a fundamental role in holding leaders to account and working in partnership to see the strategy come to life. In this session, Siale will share PIANGO’s vision for a strong, resilient, and effective Pacific civil society, with accountable institutions that can contribute to the key development and geopolitical challenges facing the Pacific region. She will reflect on PIANGO’s development of a Pacific CSO Accountability Framework and how it’s being used to unify and strengthen civil society organisations across the Pacific. Be prepared to be challenged about how we can partner with and support Pacific civil society to achieve their vision. 

TBA

Humanitarian actors often find themselves trapped in situations in which engaging with unappetising players seems inevitable. This panel, taking Afghanistan as a case study, explores some of the moral and practical challenges that humanitarian and development actors can confront, and explores ways in which they can navigate these difficult waters in such a way as to allow them to assist the vulnerable without empowering those whose behaviour gives rise to the relevant vulnerabilities in the first place. 

The Indigo Foundation

Make the case for investing in innovation capability to enable responsiveness and set the groundwork for your program or organisation to thrive, whatever the future might bring. A case study from the Australian Volunteers Program and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation, along with innovation approaches you can use now. 

Australian Volunteers International

Young people are challenging every status quo to hear our voices loud and clear. As unnoticed leaders driving change across the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, young people come with innovation, drive, and power to deliver change. However, young people also come with the courage to disrupt and decolonise spaces that forget our voices and concerns. Join three young experts in a discussion to decolonise systems that must recognise the integral power of young people's voices.  

Oaktree

Women on the frontlines of the climate crisis are leading inclusive solutions in their communities but they continue to be marginalised from decision making and funding opportunities. Join us as we interrogate the limitations of the patriarchal climate funding ecosystem and explore how feminist funding approaches can get funding into the hands of the women leading gender transformative climate action.  

ActionAid Australia

The new development policy is the latest government document to outline the need to use “all tools of statecraft” in Australia’s foreign policy, following on from the Federal Budget announcement and Defence Strategic Review. This session will explore the risks and opportunities of such an approach for the development sector. 

Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue 

The hybridisation of for-profit financing models for non-profit social causes is becoming increasingly popular. This session will highlight case studies from local actors in Cambodia and the Philippines on their journey towards income diversification, highlighting how Australian development actors support partners in exploring innovative financing as a pathway to localisation. 

Caritas Australia 

IWDA’s feminist toolkits and training support women’s rights organisations – and the INGOs who partner with them – with a reflective process that builds transformative power and creates cultures of care within organisations. This session will provide a taster of the concepts through a mix of interactive learning approaches. 

IWDA 

This session focuses on exploring disruptions to existing structures and systems which lead to positive transformational change. Join our panel session to hear from three Pacific disrupters talk about strengths-based approaches, prioritising traditional knowledge integrating climate risk across development and humanitarian activities. 

University of Technology Sydney 

Halfway through 2023, the Global Humanitarian Appeal is only 20 per cent funded. This presents the question, is the international humanitarian cluster and UN system fit-for purpose in an era of uncertainty and insecurity? If so, how can we make the sector fit-for the times? 

ACFID 

Join us for a night of networking and to announce the ACFID awards for 2023. Our Dinner Keynote will now be Karen Percy, freelance journalist.
Our musician, Blanche, is a talented First Nation Wiradjuri man - ready to play his own music, along with some well known covers to get your feet moving!