Melbourne, 9-10 May 2013

About the conference

Transformations in the global economy and international political order, and the growth of international private finance for development, are increasingly raising questions about the purpose and future of aid, particularly in the context of international discussions about the post-2015 global development framework. The scale of Asia’s growth over the coming decades will make it the world’s biggest economic zone, increasingly able to address its own poverty challenges and contribute to poverty reduction elsewhere. At the same time, Asia and the Pacific are at the centre of an array of global challenges that pose serious threats to development progress. By examining the outlook for aid and development in Asia and the Pacific, looking beyond 2015 from diverse perspectives, this conference will seek to make a distinctly regional contribution to a global conversation.

» Background paper (pdf, 158 kB)

Confirmed speakers:

• Rod Brazier, First Assistant Director General, East Asia Division, AusAID
• Professor Graham Brown, Foundation Director, The Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne
• Robin Davies, Associate Director, Development Policy Centre, Australian National University
• Dr Alison Evans, Independent Advisor on Development, UK
• Warren Evans, Senior Adviser, Sustainable Development Network, World Bank
• Professor Lawrence Haddad, Director, Institute of Development Studies, UK
• Dr Gordon Hein, Vice-President, The Asia Foundation
• Professor Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre, Australian National University
• Mark Ingram, Chief Executive Officer, Business for Millennium Development
• Dr Eun Mee Kim, Dean & Professor, Graduate School of International Studies
• Dr Rani Mullen, Director, Indian Development Cooperation Research Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, Delhi
• Dermot O’Gorman, Chief Executive Officer, WWF-Australia
• Annmaree O’Keeffe AM, Research Fellow, Lowy Institute for International Policy
• Dr Tongquan Sun, Senior Research Fellow, Rural Development Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
• Kazu Sakai, Director General, Strategy and Policy, Asian Development Bank, Manila
• Helen Szoke, Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam Australia
• Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director-General, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)

The event will be co-hosted by the Asia Foundation, the Australian National University, the Lowy Institute for International Policy, and the University of Melbourne.