ACFID National Conference 2026
Mobilising the Collective: Reshaping Systems for a Just Future
The ACFID National Conference 2026 will be held on 12-14 October 2026 at the National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC).
See the conference website for more information.
2026 marks a period of profound transformation. The systems that underpin development, humanitarian action, and global cooperation are being tested in new and complex ways. Challenges to the rules‑based order, intensifying geopolitical competition, and a growing number of protracted humanitarian crises are reshaping the global landscape. Climate‑driven disasters, political instability, economic shocks, and the rise of anti‑rights movements increasingly overlap, creating a polycrisis environment that stretches institutions and the people working within them.
The domestic context is shifting as well. Australians are facing rising cost‑of‑living pressures and widening inequality, alongside growing political polarisation and changing patterns in party engagement. Financial stress is increasing, climate impacts are intensifying, and public trust in institutions continues to erode. Views on Australia’s role in the world are becoming more polarised, while misinformation and disinformation, accelerated by generative artificial intelligence, are weakening the impact of traditional messaging and public campaigning. These dynamics are reshaping political settings and influencing the enabling space for civil society and development organisations.
Yet, despite these challenges, the sector is not standing still.
International development and humanitarian actors are responding with determination, innovation, and creativity. New models of practice are emerging to meet growing complexity, and locally led action remains fundamental to effective and ethical work. NGOs are sustaining deep, long-term partnerships grounded in local leadership. Even as government funding tightens, diversified funding sources, including an expanding role for philanthropy, are helping fill critical gaps and maintain high impact programs. The sector also carries a unique and enduring strength: a shared mission to end poverty and advance a more just world.
Across all of this sits a clear imperative to mobilise the collective power of the sector to reshape systems for a just future.
Contribute to Conference
Concurrent Sessions
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) is calling for Expressions of interest for concurrent sessions at its 2026 National Conference, to be held on the 12th to 14th of October in Canberra.
Concurrent Sessions are break-out sessions within the conference that delegates can choose from to attend. They complement the “plenary” sessions which bring all delegates together to hear the same speakers at the same time, and concurrent sessions may have a more participatory format. At up to three points of the Conference program, delegates will have a choice of five concurrent sessions to attend each time.
ACFID Awards 2026
ACFID is seeking nominations for the ACFID Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award, the ACFID Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award and the ACFID Media Award.
Nominations for each category close on Friday, 28 August 2026 and the award recipients will be invited to accept their award at the ACFID National Conference 2026 in Canberra on 13th October 2026.
Please note that nominations for the ACFID Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award and the ACFID Outstanding Contribution to the Sector Award may only be submitted by ACFID member agencies. Nominations for the ACIFD Media Award may be submitted by anyone.
