Monday, May 4^th,2026   

7:00 am – 8:00 am

Set up, Conference Coordinator, Committee, Volunteers

Monday, May 4^th, 2026

8:00 am – 9:00am 

Registration and Coffee Mingle (Common Space)

9:00 am – 9:15 am 

Welcome and Opening Remarks: CAIDP Director and SIDGS

Acknowledgement of Indigenous Lands

9:15 am – 9:20 am 

Introduction of Keynote Speaker by CAIDP Sponsor  

9:20 am – 10:15 am

Remarks by Keynote Speaker

Speaker: Ambassador Rosemary McCarney

Rosemary is the 2020-2021 Senior Fellow in Foreign and Defence Policy at Massey College. Rosemary was appointed the inaugural 2020 Pearson Sabia Distinguished Visiting Professor in International Relations at Trinity College, University of Toronto where she teaches Multilateral Diplomacy -Global Governance.

Rosemary McCarney served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Office of the United Nations and to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament based in Geneva, Switzerland. Rosemary is also an award-winning humanitarian and business leader, a recognized public speaker and author and an expert on international economic development. An experienced senior executive and academic, she has developed strong business management and organizational leadership skills over 30+ years of global executive, legal and academic experience.

Immediately prior to her Ambassadorial appointment, Rosemary successfully led Plan International Canada, one of the oldest and largest charities in Canada and a member of the global Plan Federation, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer. With many years of Executive experience, Rosemary has provided leadership and governance to a wide range of global organizations across the private, public and not for profit sectors. Rosemary has actively led executive management teams with a clear and pragmatic approach to driving business results, creating stakeholder value and achieving sustainable growth and impact.

10:15 am – 10:20 am 

Thanks to Keynote Speaker:

Program Overview: CAIDP Director 

Housekeeping:  

10:20 am – 10:30 am 

Break

Breakout Sessions Theme: Strategy & Policy: The New Canadian Direction

Breakout Session 1: 

Breakout Session 2: 

Breakout Session 3: 

10:30 am – 12:00 pm 

Title:   Trade & Development: What It Means for Development Actors Today

Moderator:

John Karalis (Project Director, Cowater International)

Panelists:

Alan Bowman (Director General, Global Affairs Canada, Southeast Asia and Oceania Bureau)

Alice Tipping (Director, Trade and Sustainable Development, IISD)

Wilson Pearce (Senior Director: International Trade Strategy and Operations, Canadian Commercial Corporation)

Steve Tipman (Executive Director, TFO Canada)

Title:   Securing peace, operating in conflict-affected areas and addressing humanitarian needs

Moderator:

Alan Quinn (Director, International Programs and Partnerships, Humanity & Inclusion)

Panelists:

Nilofar Kayhan, (Lead Technical Advisor, Humanitarian and Resilience Programming, CARE Canada)

Yiagadeesen “Teddy” Samy (Director, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs)

Dalia Al-Awqati (Deputy Director, Humanitarian Affairs, Oxfam Canada)

Jon Unruh (Professor of Geography, McGill University)

Title:   Pursuing biodiversity conservation and climate action through a gender-transformative approach

Moderator:

Chris Huggins (Associate Professor, International Development and Global Studies, uOttawa)

Panelists:

Eddy Pérez (Founder, Pérez Strategic Partnerships)

Laura Parisi (Associate Professor, Gender Studies and former President, CASID)

Marco Heredia (Project Manager, Alinea)

Olivia Nasewicz (Program Manager, Environmental Advisor, WUSC)

12:00 pm – 1:15 PM

Lunch and Keynote Address:

Speaker: Celina Caisar-Chavannes

Celina Caisar-Chavannes (she/her) is a globally respected leader and humanitarian who, for over 25 years, has been dedicated to helping individuals awaken their innate potential and live in alignment with their unique gifts.

Widely regarded as one of the foremost experts in leadership, neuroscience ad personal transformation, Celina has worked with leading organizations such as TD Bank, Canadian Tire, Aga Khan Foundation, and McDonalds’s Canada. She is renowned for her ability to captivate audiences with her dynamic presentations, blending cutting edge research with heartfelt authenticity. Her insights inspire individuals to achieve their highest potential, empower teams to thrive, and guide organizations toward sustainable, transformative change.

A national bestselling author and celebrated international speaker, Celina’s work in cognitive consistency and inclusive leadership continues to shape the global conversation on equity, humanity, and meaningful impact.

Practitioner Workshops

1:15 pm – 1:55 pm

Networking

Using NotebookLm to improve workflows

Tool/approach to be identified

Breakout Sessions Theme: Finance & Delivery: Innovative Modalities

Breakout Session 4: 

Breakout Session 5: 

Breakout Session 6: 

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm 

Title:    Innovative Finance for Development Outcomes

Moderator:

Lindsay Wallace (Executive Director, FINCA Canada & Chair of the Board, CAFIID)

Panelists:

Krishna Malhotra (Associate Director Blended Finance Accelerator, Convergence Blended Finance)

Cam Do (Director General, Development Finance, Global Affairs Canada)

Pranay Samson (Director, Innovative Finance, Plan International)

Nadia Guerch (Head of Programs, Cowater International)

Title:   New Partnership Models for a Changing Development Landscape.

Moderator:

Tanya Salewski (Vice-President Program Delivery, ALINEA)

Panelists:

Michael Wodzicki (Co-founder and Partner, Nexus Cooperation)

Abbas Sumar (Principal, Summar + Associates Ltd)

Yvette Macabuag (Head of Program Quality and Impact, CUSO)

Title: Pursuing biodiversity conservation and climate action through a gender-transformative approach

Moderator:

Bart Édes (Professor of Practice, Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University)

Panelists:

Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, Department of Communications, uOttawa)

Dr. Mandana Arabi (Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Technical Advisor, Nutrition International)

Maggie Gorman Vélez (Vice President, IDRC)

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm 

Break 

Breakout Sessions Theme: Sector Sustainability & Career Shifts

Breakout Session 7: 

Breakout Session 8: 

Breakout Session 9: 

3:30 pm – 4:45 pm  

Title:   How established practitioners and new entrants can adapt in the challenging new environment

Moderator: To be announced

Panelists: To be announced

Title:  Sharpening the skills needed to prosper in the new age of overseas development assistance.

Moderator: To be announced

Panelists: To be announced

Title:   The Role of Philanthropy in Sustaining Development Practice

Description: This panel examines how funding sources including foundations, family philanthropies, diaspora networks, and innovation platforms operate in practice, where they are most active, and what development organizations need to understand to engage them effectively.

Panelists: To be announced

4:45 pm – 5:00 pm 

Conference summary and recap

5:00 pm – 5:10 pm 

Closing Remarks and Thanks

5:10 pm

Move to the Post Conference Discussion with Parliamentarians and Reception venue

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Arrival

6:00 pm – 6:05 pm

Call to attention, Welcome, Housekeeping, Hand-0ver of agenda to moderator

6:05 pm – 7:00 pm

Title: Canada’s Official Development Assistance in a Changing World: Perspectives from Parliament

7:00 pm

Reception