The DevNet Symposium 2021 will provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to:

• learn from each other’s experiences working and researching differently during the pandemic;
• meaningfully engage around lessons learnt that could help to transform the way development research and practice is undertaken in the future; and
• explore the possible implications of the new ways of working on development partners and the development ecosystem more generally.

At the 2021 DevNet Symposium participants will explore how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected development research and practice, by asking the questions:

• How has the pandemic affected the mobilities of development research and practice?
• How has the experience of the last 18+ months forced a rethinking about research travel, and how differential mobilities impact ways of working?
• What are the ways in which the pandemic has disrupted the status-quo?
• How have operational structures of development had to adjust to the new environment?
• To what extent has the pandemic increased local determination of, and participation in development?

There will be two facilitated discussion sessions, one on rethinking development research and the other on rethinking development practice. Each discussion session will be preceded by a Keynote presentation to be delivered by a well-known and respected leader in their field.

Rethinking Development Research Keynote Speaker:

Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, Director, Associate Professor, Department of Pacific Islands Studies (DPIS), Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS), College of Arts, Languages & Letters (CALL), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Hawai'i

Topic: The challenges, possibilities, and opportunities for collaborations in development research and practice: how the pandemic exposes our vulnerabilities while offering opportunities to chart new directions

Rethinking Development Practice Keynote Speaker:

Valentino (Valery) Wichman, Director of Central Policy and Planning Office, Office of the Prime Minister, Cook Islands

Topic: The future of development practice in the region: insight on how the pandemic has implicated the design and implementation of development policies and projects in the Cook Islands