The Australasian Aid Conference was held on 15-16 February 2017, once again in partnership with The Asia Foundation. As in previous years, the aim of the 2017 Australasian Aid Conference was to bring together researchers from across Australia, the Pacific, Asia and beyond who are working on aid and international development policy to share insights, promote collaboration, and help develop the research community. With 500 people registering in 2016, the AAC has established itself as Australia’s premier aid and development conference.

The 2017 AAC was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, Canberra on February 15 and 16, 2017. The conference convenors were Professor Stephen Howes, Director of the Development Policy Centre at ANU; Dr Joel Negin, Head of School and Associate Professor of International Public Health at the University of Sydney School of Public Health; Anthea Mulakala, Director for International Development Cooperation at The Asia Foundation; and Camilla Burkot, Research Officer at the Development Policy Centre.

Conference program

Update (13 Feb): Please be advised that the opening session of the conference will now commence at 8.30am on Wednesday 15 February (30 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time as listed in the conference program). This is to accommodate the schedule of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Details about the conference program, including invited speakers and a downloadable conference program and abstract book, can be found here.

Livestream recordings

Videorecordings of the conference plenary sessions and selected parallel sessions are available to watch below:

Wednesday 15 February - morning
» Opening address: The Hon Julie Bishop MP (8.30-9.30am)
» Keynote address: Michael Woolcock (9.30-11.00am)
» Parallel session: The role and relevance of the ADB in the 21st century (11.20am-12.50pm)

Wednesday 15 February - afternoon » Plenary session: Asian approaches to engaging the private sector in development cooperation (1.50-3.20pm)
» Parallel session: Country ownership and transitions (3.40-5.10pm)

Thursday 16 February - morning
» Parallel session: Private sector innovation (8.00-9.30am)
» Plenary session: 3MAP – the Three-Minute Aid Pitch (9.40-10.40am)
» Parallel session: Working with and through markets (11.00am-12.30pm)

Thursday 16 February -afternoon
» Plenary session: The humanitarian system in crisis (1.30-3.00pm)
» Parallel session: Beyond capacity building - how development assistance can improve justice outcomes (3.20-4.50pm)

Additionally, all conference parallel sessions will be audiorecorded - recordings can be accessed here.

Side events

On 14 February, the World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law was launched. The launch featured a presentation of the report by Luis Felipe Lopez Calva, co-Director of the WDR, followed by a panel discussion with representatives from DFAT, Oxfam Australia, and ANU. Further information can be found here. The podcast from the event can be found here.

The WDR launch was followed by a cocktail reception and launch of a new book entitled India’s Approach to Development Cooperation, co-edited by Anthea Mulakala and Sachin Chaturvedi.

The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade’s inaugural Aid Supplier Conference was held at the Crawford School on 17 February. DFAT’s conference focused on issues associated with procuring and implementing effective aid activities, and opportunities to discuss current and future procurement plans. Further information can be obtained from aidsupplierconference@dfat.gov.au.

Conference hosts

The Development Policy Centre

The Development Policy Centre (Devpolicy) is a think tank for aid and development serving Australia, the region, and the global development community. Devpolicy undertakes independent research and promotes practical initiatives to improve the effectiveness of Australian aid, to support the development of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific island region, and to contribute to better global development policy.

Devpolicy was established in September 2010 and is based at Crawford School of Public Policy in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific at The Australian National University.

The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our programs address critical issues affecting Asia in the 21st century—governance and law, economic development, women’s empowerment, environment, and regional cooperation. In addition, our Books for Asia and professional exchange programs are among the ways we encourage Asia’s continued development as a peaceful, just, and thriving region of the world.

Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works through a network of offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC. Working with public and private partners, the Foundation receives funding from a diverse group of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals. In 2012, we provided nearly $100 million in direct program support and distributed textbooks and other educational materials valued at over $30 million. Our development policy work brings together traditional and emerging Asian providers to share their perspectives and ideas about the changing dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region and international development cooperation.