IACD runs conferences every year.
These are international or global regional conferences, intended to bring community development practitioners, students, trainers from around the world together to share experiences and to hear some of the world’s top experts in our field. These conferences are always run in association with other partners within the respective global region, or at international level. Since 2018 our international annual conference has been called the World Community Development Conference. These conferences have led to conference reports, special publications, Declarations and articles in the magazine and journals.
Below are some of the international and regional conferences IACD has held in the past.
October 2018
Georgian Conference on Community Development and Disability
Here we supported the International Inclusive Communities Pushing the Limits Conference. The conference was attended by c300 participants from across post Soviet Union countries and organised by IACD member Inclusive Practices. This was the first IACD associated conference that had taken place in one of the post Soviet Union countries. It was also the opportunity to launch the Russian and Georgian language translations of the International Standards. IACD wishes to express huge thanks to our partners, Inclusive Practices, for translating the report and for organising such a wonderful conference. You will find further photos from the conference here http://inclusivepractices.net/pushingthelimits/festival-2018/
September 2018
Nigerian Conference on Community Economic Development
Theme: Strengthening Community Economic Development
The IACD/Institute for Community Development Practitioners/University of Ogun State 2018 conference held in September, on the theme of Strengthening Community Economic Development has just ended. The conference was organised and chaired by IACD Africa Director and Global Ambassador Muhammad Bello Shitu. A report from the conference will be published later.
Prof Shitu is also currently editing the forthcoming Africa Special Issue of Practice Insights magazine which will include articles from the conference, as well as articles about community development from Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa and more. Watch out for publication in late October. For now, enjoy the photos from the conference! Many thanks to Lola Oloba, our Nigerian Country Correspondent for these.
January 2018
Asia-Pacific Community Development Conference in De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde, Philippines
Theme: Reflexive Community Development Practice Amidst
Complex Realities and Alternative Movements
November 12 – 15 2017
IACD Nigeria Conference
Strengthening State – Third Sector Engagement for Sustainable Community Development
February 2017
IACD International/Oceania Conference was held in Auckland, New Zealand in partnership with the ACDA, New Zealand Community Development Association.
Theme: Sustainably Yours, Community Development and a Sustainable Future!
This conference continued our roadshow of events related to the implications for community development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A report on the 2017 New Zealand conference has been published and some papers appeared in the April 2017 issue of Practice Insights magazine.
https://www.unitec.ac.nz/epress/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ACDA-IACD-2017-proceedings.pdf
http://www.aotearoacommunitydevelopmentassociation.com/2017-cd-conference
In 2016
IACD/European Community Development Network European Regional conference on the implication for community development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Around 100 attended. A report of the conference, including a statement from participants on future collaborative action across Europe can be found in the Practice Insights 6 magazine.
You can find a report from the conference here: http://eucdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SD-Txt.pdf
In 2016
IACD/Nigerian Community Development Practitioners Association West African Regional conference
Over 60 IACD members attended this conference. Topics covered included:
Education and Community Development
Peace, Conflict and Disaster Management
Health Sector, Welfare and Youth Development
Policy Frameworks, Community Change and Faith Based Issues
Community Participation and Voluntary Sector
Innovations, Communications and Extension Support Issues
In 2016
IACD/Community Development Society (CDS) joint Conference in Bloomington, Minnesota
Theme: Sustaining Community Change—Building Local Capacity to Sustain Community Development Initiatives, with a special focus upon the implication of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for Community Development.
Keynote speakers included the Vice President of the World Bank. Several hundred practitioners and scholars from over thirty countries attended this four day conference. The December 2016 issue of Practice Insights magazine contains a report from the conference.
In 2016
South Asia regional conference in New Delhi in partnership with Grassroots.
This was the first of our roadshow events about the implications of the UN SDGs for community development.
In 2015
International session,reception and our AGM at the 50th Anniversary Conference of our partner the international Community Development Journal.
Participants attended from across the world to celebrate half a century of community development scholarship. Author Marj Mayo, IACD and CDJ Board member was one of the keynote speakers. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuchj3cXRWc
In 2014
IACD/CLDSC International Conference in Scotland.
400 delegates from 32 countries came together in Glasgow, Scotland, to consider “What is our common wealth?” and to celebrate community-led action around the globe. Over three and a half days, a lively crowd of community members, activists, practitioners, researchers and policymakers explored how community development approaches catalyse and sustain change. Conversations were structured around three themes: Health, Wealth and Power. Our partner here was the Scottish Community Learning and Development Standards Council.
Find out more about IACD’s 2014 international conference: www.iacdglobal.org/cita2014
Download the conference report to read more!
In 2013 we ran two smaller celebratory events to coincide with our 60th anniversary. These were both held in the UK, the first in Scotland, where we are based, supported by the Carnegie UK Trust, and the second in London, supported by the Carnegie Foundation.
In 2011, delegates from Around the World met in Lisbon, Portugal.
Hosted by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Psicologia Comunitária and the Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada (ISPA), the conference attracted approximately 200 delegates from Europe and around the world.
The theme of the conference was ‘Transformative Leadership and Empowering Communities’. Sessions allowed sharing of research and practice in areas such as community participation, women and leadership, migration, integration and entrepreneurship.
In 2010 we partnered with the US Community Development Society to run an international conference in New Orleans, USA on The Role of Community in Economic and Disaster Recovery. You can find more information here http://www.comm-dev.org/images/attachments/069_September%202009.pdf
In 2009, several hundred participants from around the world, attended our conference in Brisbane, Australia, on the theme Building Community Centred Economies. You can read the conference report here.
IACD brisbaneconferenceprogram
In 2008 our international conference was in Nova Scotia, Canada under the title What’s Working in Community Development, Nova Scotia. You can find out more here https://ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/event/2008/06/23/conference-whats-working-community-development-nova-scotia
In 2007 Two hundred and fifty community development workers, academics, researchers, donors, policy-makers, and representatives from government, civil society organisations and community groups, met in Hong Kong, China at our international conference on the theme Partnership for People-Centred development: challenges and responses in a globalising world. From this conference emerged the Hong Kong Declaration.
Between 1979 and 2006 we held conferences in:
Dakar (Senegal) 1979.
Kigali (Rwanda) 1980.
Cairo, Egypt 1983.
Seoul (South Korea) 1984.
Charleroi (Belgium) 1986
Taipei (Taiwan) 1987.
Bangkok (Thailand) 1989.
Charleroi (Belgium) 1991.
Banglamung (Thailand) 1993.
Charleroi (Belgium) 1996.
Pretoria (South Africa) 1997.
Edinburgh (Scotland) 1999.
Tel Aviv (Israel) 2000.
London (UK) 2001.
Rotorua (New Zealand) 2001.
Montreal (Canada) 2002.
Ithaca (USA) 2003.
Budapest (Hungary) 2004.
Yaoundé (Cameroon) 2006.