2015 Conference

 
 
You can access the full program here
 
Summaries of CAIDP and Joint Sessions can be accessed below:
Photos of the Conference can be found here
 
For more information on the conference, check out the Joint Conference Website here: http://www.icd-jci.ca
 

Some highlights of the Conference!

 
The second joint conference with our partners Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC) was held on May 12th to 14th 2015 at the Palais des Congrès, Gatineau, QC.

Building on the success of the joint 2014 conference, International Cooperation Days 2015 were bigger and better than ever and provided an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of our sector and its important work, engage with various stakeholders, hear and learn from our Southern partners and further strengthen collaboration, information sharing and capacity across the sector. As one of last year’s participants tweeted: “this was the place to be in Canada to talk international development”. 

The conference program  for this year had plenary sessions combined with over 30 specialized and tailored workshops grouped into three streams: Understanding the new development framework; Building capacity for development effectiveness; and Doing business. The Conference included numerous opportunities to connect and build relationships with actors across the international development sector through facilitated lunch-time networking sessions, as well as breakfast and evening networking events. In addition, we had a new feature, “Face-2-Face”, allowing for one-on-one sessions with panellists, keynote speakers and senior members of the broader international development community.

Highlights of the Conference Program included:

A pre-conference event on May 12th including:

  • Dialogue with DFATD: a formal policy dialogue session with DFATD, which provided an opportunity for conference participants to engage with the Department staff on the post-2015 agenda with Opening Remarks by Hon. Christian Paradis
  • A lunch-time keynote address by Mr. Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) on the post-2015 framework and the SDGs
  • Sessions with representatives of the main political parties who had been invited to present and discuss their international development platforms for the 2105 elections. Conservatives: Lois Brown; Liberals: Kirsty Duncan, NDP Thomas Mulcair.

Plenary sessions on May 13th and 14th featured:

  • Inequality a discussion between UNIFOR and an international guest
  • Environment and Climate Change with Ms. Julie Gelfand, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of Auditor General of Canada and Dr. Catherine Potvin, Professor, Department of Biology, McGill University
  • Women’s Rights Panel with Fahima Hashim, Director of Salmmah, Sudan, Sarah Hendriks, Global Gender Advisor, Plan International and Diana Rivington, gender specialist, McLeod Group
  • Leave No One Behind: Indigenous Perspectives on the SDGs Juan Carlos Jintiach, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA)

Other confirmed speakers included:

  • His Excellency Dr. Sulley Gariba, Ghanaian High Commissioner to Canada on the Changing Role for Canadians in Development
  • Laura Dorling van der Oord, Advisor, Office of the Executive Director for Canada, Ireland, and the Caribbean, World Bank Group
  • Terrance S. Carter, B.A., LL.B., TEP, Carters Professional Corporation
  • Shannon Kindornay, Adjunct Research Professor, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University
  • Raul Zambrano, retired UNDP Global Lead and Policy Adviser in the ICT for Development, Access to information and e-governance
  • Jonas Mikkelsen, Head Finance and Strategic Planning, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Stockholm
  • Guy Racine, Senior Account Manager, Export Development Canada
  • Larry Hendricks, President and CEO of Hendricks & Associates
  • Nidhi Tandon, Networked Intelligence for Development
  • Scott Ruddick, Director of Security Services, MEDA

Partner Organizations

This year, we had reserved spaces for partner organizations who organized their own events at the conference, provided for a richer and more diverse set of workshop options for participants. Partners included:

  • The McLeod Group
  • The Philanthropist
  • The Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID)
  • The Canadian Consortium of University Programs in International Development Studies (CCUPIDS)
  • The International Commission of Jurists Canada (ICJC) and the Canadian Bar Association ( CBA)

Hope you did not miss this exciting event! 

For further information, please contact Anjali Nundy (613-241-7007 ext 321), conference coordinator.