Where will the Annual Conference take place?

The Annual Conference will be held in the city of Leuven, BEL.

What is the primary focus of the Annual Conference?

The conference focuses on regional development, bringing together diverse perspectives on policy and practice in the field.

How long does the Annual Conference last?

The conference is scheduled to run for a duration of three days.

Annual Conference 2026

Name: Annual Conference 2026
Start: 2026-09-07T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-09-09T00:00:00Z
Location: Leuven

Sep 7–9, 2026Leuven, BelgiumIn-person

Starts in 30 daysRegistration open

The Annual Conference is set to convene in the historic city of Leuven, BEL, offering a platform for discourse on critical regional development issues. This event brings together stakeholders from various sectors to engage in discussions that shape the future of regional policy and cooperation. The conference is designed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among participants, highlighting the importance of integrated approaches to development. Participants will delve into topics pertinent to regional dynamics, exploring innovative solutions and best practices. The gathering in BEL underscores the European focus of the event, while also inviting broader international perspectives on regional challenges and opportunities. It serves as a key forum for academics, policymakers, and practitioners to contribute to the evolving narrative of regional development.

Committees & topics

Topics
Strengthening International Cooperation in Counter-Terrorism Efforts · Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation, and Arms Control · Promoting Sustainable Transport for the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda · Strengthening Global Supply Chains to Promote Food Security · Protecting the Freedom of Religion or Belief · Promoting the Rights of Women and Girls in the Aftermath of Conflict · Full and Productive Employment and Decent Work for All · Inclusive Rural and Agricultural Development

Why it matters

This conference holds significant importance as it addresses the multifaceted challenges and opportunities within regional development, a field crucial for balanced global progress. By convening in Leuven, BEL, the event places a spotlight on European regional dynamics, which often serve as a benchmark for other regions worldwide. The discussions are expected to influence policy frameworks and strategic initiatives, fostering more resilient and equitable regional growth.

Understanding the complexities of regional development is vital for addressing disparities and promoting sustainable growth across diverse geographical contexts. The exchange of ideas and experiences at this conference can lead to the identification of effective strategies for resource allocation, infrastructure development, and social cohesion. Such gatherings are instrumental in building a common understanding of regional needs and in formulating collaborative responses.

Furthermore, the conference provides a unique opportunity for networking and partnership building among key actors in the field. The insights gained and connections made can catalyze future research, joint projects, and policy advocacy efforts. This collective engagement is essential for translating theoretical concepts into practical solutions that benefit communities at the regional level and beyond.

How to prepare

To maximize engagement with the conference's themes, participants should consider familiarizing themselves with the foundational principles of regional development and the various approaches to stakeholder engagement. Reviewing materials related to What Is Stakeholder Mapping? can provide a strong basis for understanding the diverse interests at play in regional initiatives. This will enable a more informed contribution to discussions and a deeper appreciation of the perspectives presented.

Given the focus on regional development, it would be beneficial to explore different Engagement Strategies that have proven effective in various contexts. Understanding how different stakeholders, including Hidden Stakeholders, can influence regional outcomes will be crucial. This preparation will allow attendees to critically assess proposed solutions and contribute to more inclusive and sustainable development plans.

Considering the international nature of regional development challenges, participants might also reflect on how cultural and political contexts shape development trajectories. Insights from lessons such as Gender Dynamics Across Cultures, while not directly about regional policy, can offer a broader understanding of societal factors that impact development outcomes. Such a holistic approach will enhance the ability to engage in nuanced discussions and foster cross-cultural understanding.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Belgium

As the host nation, BEL is positioned to showcase its regional development models and facilitate European-centric discussions.

Role in topic

BEL, as the host country in Europe, plays a central role in providing the geographical and institutional context for the conference. Its experience in regional integration and development policies within the European framework will likely inform many of the discussions, offering practical examples and case studies for attendees.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Strengthening International Cooperation in Counter-Terrorism Efforts

Modern multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation took shape after the September 11, 2001 attacks, when the Security Council adopted Resolution 1373 establishing the Counter-Terrorism Committee and obliging states to criminalize terrorist financing, freeze assets, and tighten border controls. The 2006 UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, reviewed biennially by the General Assembly, added a four-pillar framework balancing security measures with addressing root causes and protecting human rights. Sectoral conventions, FATF financial standards, and INTERPOL databases have since formed a dense but uneven web of obligations. The threat landscape has shifted markedly since the territorial defeat of ISIL in 2019. States now grapple with the resurgence of Al-Qaeda and ISIL affiliates across the Sahel and Horn of Africa, the return and prosecution of foreign terrorist fighters, the rise of racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism, and the weaponization of drones, cryptocurrencies, and online platforms. The handling of detainees and family members at camps such as Al-Hol in northeast Syria remains an unresolved political and humanitarian problem. Today the core dispute is less whether to cooperate than how. Many Western states emphasize human-rights-compliant approaches and preventing violent extremism (PVE), while others push for broader definitions of terrorism that critics argue criminalize dissent. Information-sharing, extradition, and capacity-building for the Global South — channeled through UNOCT and the CTED — remain the most contested operational questions.

Key players

Women, Disarmament, Non-Proliferation, and Arms Control

The integration of gender into disarmament has roots in Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, but only entered arms-control treaty language with the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty, whose Article 7(4) obliges exporting states to assess the risk that conventional arms will be used for gender-based violence. The 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons similarly references the disproportionate impact of ionizing radiation on women and girls, and successive General Assembly First Committee resolutions (notably 65/69 and its successors) have called for women's equal participation in disarmament forums. Despite this normative progress, women remain underrepresented in arms-control diplomacy: UNIDIR data show women constituting roughly a third of delegates to major disarmament conferences, and far fewer in head-of-delegation roles. Gendered impacts of weapons — from small arms and IEDs to nuclear testing legacies in the Pacific and Central Asia — are still inconsistently measured. The illicit small arms trade, governed by the UN Programme of Action, is a particular focus given its links to domestic and conflict-related sexual violence. The contemporary debate centers on operationalizing gender mainstreaming: gender-disaggregated data in ATT reporting, gender provisions in any future autonomous weapons instrument, and quotas or sponsorship programs to widen participation. Disputes persist over whether gender language dilutes core security mandates or, conversely, whether current commitments remain largely rhetorical.

Key players

Promoting Sustainable Transport for the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda

Transport accounts for roughly a quarter of global energy-related CO2 emissions and underpins nearly every Sustainable Development Goal, from poverty reduction (SDG 1) to climate action (SDG 13). The UN Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (2014–2016) produced the first system-wide outlook, followed by the 2016 Ashgabat and 2021 Beijing Global Sustainable Transport Conferences, which framed sustainable mobility around safety, affordability, accessibility, and decarbonization. The 2020 General Assembly Resolution 74/299 declared 2021–2030 the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, targeting a 50% reduction in road deaths. Progress has been uneven. Landlocked developing countries face persistent connectivity costs; small island developing states confront aviation and maritime decarbonization dilemmas; and rapid motorization in low- and middle-income countries is outpacing public transit investment. The IMO's 2023 revised GHG strategy targets net-zero shipping "by or around" 2050, while ICAO's CORSIA scheme covers international aviation emissions, but both face equity disputes over common-but-differentiated responsibilities. Key contemporary debates include financing electric mobility and rail in developing economies, harmonizing standards for cross-border e-vehicle charging and battery supply chains, the role of critical minerals, and ensuring that modal shifts do not deepen inequality. The 2026 agenda increasingly links transport to urban planning under the New Urban Agenda and to trade facilitation via the WTO and UNCTAD.

Key players

Strengthening Global Supply Chains to Promote Food Security

Global food security has been buffeted by successive shocks since 2020: COVID-19 disruptions to shipping and labor, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine — which initially blocked Black Sea grain exports critical to North African and Middle Eastern importers — and intensifying climate impacts on staple-producing regions. FAO's State of Food Security and Nutrition reports show the number of undernourished people rising from roughly 580 million in 2019 to over 730 million, reversing more than a decade of progress toward SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Türkiye in July 2022, briefly stabilized markets before Russia's withdrawal in July 2023. Fertilizer price spikes, export restrictions imposed by major producers, and concentration in shipping and seed markets have exposed structural fragilities. WFP operations have been strained by simultaneous emergencies in Sudan, Gaza, Yemen, and the Sahel, while smallholder farmers — who produce roughly a third of the world's food — remain underserved by trade and finance systems. Current negotiations focus on transparent market information through AMIS, disciplining export bans under WTO rules, building regional grain reserves, diversifying fertilizer sources, and strengthening logistics corridors including humanitarian access. Disputes persist over the balance between food sovereignty and open trade, the role of biotechnology, and how to finance resilient infrastructure in import-dependent low-income countries.

Key players

Protecting the Freedom of Religion or Belief

Freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) is protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the ICCPR, and elaborated in the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. A UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB has reported to the Human Rights Council since 1986, and the post-2011 Istanbul Process and Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 sought consensus on combating religious intolerance without resorting to blasphemy laws. Violations have grown in scope and severity. Pew Research and USCIRF tracking show rising state restrictions and social hostilities affecting Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'is, Ahmadis, and non-believers across diverse contexts — including the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, Rohingya in Myanmar, religious minorities in conflict zones from Iraq and Syria to Nigeria, and the resurgence of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred globally. The International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, launched in 2020, now includes more than 40 states. Core disputes include the relationship between FoRB and freedom of expression (particularly around blasphemy and apostasy laws), protections for non-theistic beliefs and converts, the rights of religious minorities versus majoritarian identity politics, and how to address online incitement without legitimizing censorship. Debate continues over whether to elevate FoRB protection through new instruments or to strengthen existing UPR and treaty-body mechanisms.

Key players

Promoting the Rights of Women and Girls in the Aftermath of Conflict

The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda emerged with Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and now comprises ten resolutions addressing participation, protection, prevention, and relief and recovery. CEDAW General Recommendation 30 (2013) clarified state obligations in conflict and post-conflict settings, and the Secretary-General's annual reports on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence have documented patterns across more than a dozen situations including the DRC, Tigray, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan, and Gaza. Despite this normative scaffolding, implementation lags. Women remain underrepresented in peace negotiations — UN Women data show their share of negotiators in major processes has stagnated or declined since 2020. Post-conflict reconstruction frequently fails to address sexual and gender-based violence, displaced women's land and property rights, reproductive health, or girls' return to education. The 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the resulting near-total exclusion of women from public life — characterized by the UN Special Rapporteur as gender persecution — has reframed the debate. Current negotiations focus on financing National Action Plans, ensuring women's meaningful participation (not mere presence) in mediation, integrating gender into DDR and transitional justice, and accountability for CRSV including through ICC referrals and sanctions regimes. Backlash against gender language in multilateral forums and shrinking humanitarian budgets pose growing obstacles.

Key players

Full and Productive Employment and Decent Work for All

SDG 8 commits states to "promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all," building on the ILO's 1999 Decent Work Agenda and its 2008 Declaration on Social Justice. The 2019 ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work expanded the framework to address technological change, demographic shifts, and climate transitions. The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection, launched by the Secretary-General in 2021, aims to create 400 million jobs and extend social protection to four billion uncovered people. Labor markets remain under stress. ILO estimates put global unemployment at around 5%, but underemployment, informality (still over 50% of global employment), and working poverty are far more pervasive. Youth unemployment runs at roughly triple the adult rate, while women's labor force participation has stagnated near 47%. The platform economy, automation and AI-driven displacement, climate-related job transitions, and migrant worker abuses — particularly under the kafala system — pose pressing governance challenges. Key debates include a possible binding instrument on decent work in platform economies, just-transition financing for fossil-fuel-dependent workforces, universal social protection floors under ILO Recommendation 202, and enforcement of core labor standards in global value chains through due-diligence legislation. Disputes persist over the balance between labor market flexibility and protection, and over financing social protection in low-income countries.

Key players

Inclusive Rural and Agricultural Development

Roughly 3.4 billion people — about 43% of humanity — live in rural areas, and most of the world's extreme poor depend on agriculture, livestock, fisheries, or forestry. The 1979 World Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the 2018 UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) form the normative backbone. SDGs 1, 2, 5, 10, and 15 all hinge on rural transformation, and FAO, IFAD, and WFP — the Rome-based agencies — coordinate much of the operational response. Rural areas face compounding pressures: climate shocks, land degradation, conflict-driven displacement, youth out-migration, and persistent gender gaps in land tenure and finance. Smallholders, who produce roughly a third of global food, often lack access to extension services, credit, irrigation, and markets. Land concentration and large-scale acquisitions remain contentious, as do disputes over agroecology versus input-intensive intensification. The 2021 UN Food Systems Summit pushed national pathways for transformation, but follow-up financing has lagged. The contemporary agenda focuses on securing women's and indigenous land rights, expanding rural digital and financial inclusion, scaling climate-resilient agriculture, strengthening producer organizations and cooperatives, and linking rural development to urban food systems. The Committee on World Food Security's Voluntary Guidelines on tenure and on agroecology provide reference frameworks, though implementation gaps are wide.

Key players