Skip to main content

Discussion details

Created 05 May 2022

UNU-WIDER Development Conference

The puzzle of peace – towards inclusive development in fragile contexts

Register to attend the conference virtually here

In 2022, UNU-WIDER hosts two WIDER Development Conferences, the first of which takes place in Helsinki on 16–17 May 2022. 

Across the two days, sessions cover a range of topics on the themes of peace, security, unrest, and the humanitarian fallout of conflict in different regions across the world. 

The programme includes a keynote presentation by Sir Tim Besley and panel discussions on peacebuilding challenges and on post-conflict recovery featuring esteemed experts such as Pekka Haavisto and Jutta Urpilainen. 300+ academics, policy practitioners, and development specialists — including from the United Nations, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the World Bank and other international organisations such as the EU represented by European Commissionner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen. 

Bringing together experts from academic and policy spheres, this conference aims to contribute to solving the puzzle of peace through creating a platform for knowledge exchange, which can inspire and guide research and policy solutions. It provides an opportunity to identify challenges faced by practitioners working in fragile contexts and to discuss ways in which future research can support a way forward. Further, this event acts as a platform to take stock of global progress towards achieving SDG 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions.

The two-day conference is held as an in-person event in Helsinki (COVID-19 restrictions permitting) with the opportunity for audience members to join online. For registration, click here. The Program intersects several issues of the nexus, discussing policy innovation, gender dynamics, reintegrating refugees, social dialogue with ciil representations and movements, climate change and risk of conflict, among other topics.