Global Visions and the Finnish Society for Development Research (FSDR) will organise a Public Forum in Helsinki on Wednesday 24 February 2027. The forum will be a pre-conference event for Development Days 2027, which takes place at the University of Helsinki on 25 and 26 February.
Earlier in 2026, Global Visions and FSDR worked together on the Public Forum Whose Future? Global Visions in a Contested World. Following the success of that event, we are pleased to continue our collaboration in 2027.
Development Days 2027
The theme of Development Days 2027 is Empowering Development: People and Nature in the Era of New Technologies and Geopolitics.
At a time of rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty and growing pressure on people and the natural world, the conference will examine how development can be reclaimed as a source of collective power, critical inquiry and transformative action.
The programme will consider how new technologies are changing power, work, society and the relationship between people and nature. It will also address geopolitical change, global inequality, ecological pressures and the possibilities for building more just and sustainable futures.
A public discussion in Helsinki
As one of the Helsinki events taking place ahead of Development Days 2027, the Public Forum will bring academic research into conversation with the wider public. Our aim is to create space for discussion that is critical, accessible and open to different perspectives.
Further information about the Public Forum, including its theme, speakers, venue and programme, will be announced soon.
Call for working group proposals
The call for Development Days 2027 working group proposals is now open. Proposals must be submitted by 15 October 2026.
Further information about the conference and the submission process is available on the FSDR Development Days 2027 website.
Conference theme description adapted from the FSDR Development Days 2027 website.
