GDC 2024 Recap

The Global Development Conference 2024 (GDC 2024) was held in Suva, Fiji, from November 26 to 28, 2024. Organised by the Global Development Network (GDN), this annual flagship event was supported by its core partners— the Government of Fiji and the University of the South Pacific. With the theme “Global Synergies: Climate Resilience Strategies for a Sustainable Tomorrow“, the conference highlighted the critical regional significance of Fiji as an island nation highly vulnerable to climate change while emphasising the nation’s priorities and regional initiatives for building resilience.

Designed as a platform for knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and networking, GDC 2024 stood out for its focus on South-South collaboration and the essential role of research in advancing global development. Unique in its approach, the conference integrated climate science and social science research, fostering a multidisciplinary dialogue that addressed the urgent global challenge of climate resilience.

The conference featured an extensive program, including six plenary sessions, ten workshops, five parallel sessions, and three awards ceremonies. All plenary and parallel sessions were streamed live and remain accessible on YouTube for a wider global audience.

VIEW THE GDC 2024 PHOTO GALLERY

VIEW THE SESSION RECORDINGS

Plenary Session 1: Foundations of Climate Resilience

Plenary Session 2: Environmental Policy, Governance and Implementation

Plenary Session 3: Aligning actions and monitoring for climate adaptation and resilience with SDGs

Plenary Session 4: Strategies to Adapt to Climate Risks in the Asia-Pacific Region

Plenary Session 5: Financing Coastal Futures: Economics for Resilience, Livelihoods, and Wellbeing

Plenary Session 6: Envisioning a Sustainable Tomorrow: Strategies for Long-term Climate Resilience.

Indigenous Knowledge and Locally Driven Research: The conference underscored the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge and locally grounded research into climate resilience strategies.
Multidisciplinary Research: A recurring theme was the imperative of fostering collaboration across disciplines to address complex climate challenges.
Equitable Climate Finance: Discussions emphasised that climate finance mechanisms must be collaborative, equitable, and resilient to adequately address the needs of vulnerable communities.

PARTICIPATION & REPRESENTATION

About 700 delegates participated in the event, with over 200 attending in person and around 500 joining online.
Over 50% of the delegates were women, reflecting the achievement of gender parity.
A significant 87% of all delegates and about 50% of in-person attendees came from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), upholding GDC’s trademark.
50% of all delegates and about 40% of in-person attendees were Pacific-based, amplifying regional voices in global discussions.
Participants represented nearly 100 nationalities in total, with around 50 nationalities among in-person attendees, and included stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, development practitioners, international organisations, researchers, and policymakers.

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EVENT DETAILS

The closing ceremony featured remarks by Hon. Biman Prasad, Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji, who commended the conference’s achievements and called for sustained global efforts to address climate resilience challenges.

Global Development Awards Competition 2024

During the conference, finalists of the Global Development Awards Competition 2024 edition presented their research and development projects to the jury, on the theme of ‘Sustainable Climate Action for Human-Centered Development’. The winners were announced and awarded at the closing ceremony of the conference by His Excellency Mr. Rokuichiro Michii, Ambassador of Japan to Fiji. Learn more about the winners.