About

The theme of DevNet Symposium 2021 was:

Rethinking development research & practice in the time of Covid-19 and beyond

The Symposium is being designed to provide development researchers and practitioners with an opportunity to:

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

There were two facilitated discussion sessions, each preceded by a Keynote presentation. Participants explored how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected development research and practice, by asking questions, such as:

• How has the pandemic affected the mobilities of development research and practice?
• 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?

Keynote Speakers

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.

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.

Click on the links below to see the outputs from the discussion groups