Rethinking Global Aid - The Reset
Global aid is at a crossroads. Rising nationalism, colonial legacies, declining support for development assistance, and a shifting multilateral order are reshaping international cooperation.
Join us for Rethinking Global Aid – The Reset, a student-driven symposium that critically examines entrenched power dynamics, explores alternative models of development, and reimagines an aid system rooted in equity, reciprocity, and genuine partnerships.
We ask: What should global aid look like in 2025 and beyond? Should today’s collapsing structures be rebuilt, or reimagined entirely?
Objectives:
- Provide critical insights into the current global aid landscape.
- Challenge international aid systems and their embedded power structures.
- Reimagine and propose alternative approaches that challenge existing paradigms and envision more equitable, effective and sustainable structures.
What to expect
- Expert talks and a panel debate on current shifts in global aid, grassroot and decolonial approaches to development aid, Global South agency and reflections on Denmark’s role in the global aid landscape.
- A poster fair featuring research, case studies, and reflections on global aid from students, researchers, and practitioners.
- Informal networking over refreshments & snacks connecting students, NGO practitioners, policymakers, and academics.
Programme
The symposium opens with a series of keynote presentations addressing the current shifts in global aid. Adam Moe Fejerskov (DIIS) will discuss recent funding cuts, their broader consequences, and Denmark’s role in international cooperation. Bert Maerten (Oxfam Denmark) will examine how NGOs navigate an increasingly complex aid landscape and the implications for implementation on the ground. Somdeep Sen (Roskilde University) will analyse the structural hierarchies that sustain global inequalities and the imperative to decolonise aid, while Lisa Ann Richey (Copenhagen Business School) will explore the role of business, everyday humanitarianism, and the centering of Global South agency.
The presentations will be followed by a panel debate moderated by Sven Johannesen, Chief Editor of Globalnyt, reflecting on dominant narratives, power asymmetries, and pathways toward a more equitable and sustainable aid system. The session will integrate short video inputs capturing perspectives from the Global South and conclude with an open Q&A inviting reflections from the audience.
The event concludes with a poster fair and networking session over refreshments, providing a platform for students, researchers, and practitioners to present work on shifts in the global aid landscape, decolonial and community-led approaches, and innovations in development practice.
To ensure lasting impact, a collective reflection paper will synthesise the day’s key themes and insights, outlining actionable ideas for reimagining global aid.
More detailed information on the programme, invited panel speakers and more will be published soon on the School of Global Health’s website and social media accounts.
Schedule
16:00 – 16:15 | Welcome
Kick-off and introduction of speakers and guests.
16:15 – 17:00 | Keynote Presentations
- Adam Moe Fejerskov (DIIS) – Recent funding cuts, their overall consequences & Denmark’s role in the global aid landscape.
- Bert Maerten (Oxfam Denmark) – How NGOs navigate the changing aid landscape and its impacts on the ground.
- Somdeep Sen (RUC) – Decolonising aid, addressing systemic inequalities and North–South hierarchies.
- Lisa Ann Richey (CBS) – The role of business, everyday humanitarianism, and centering Global South agency.
17:00 – 17:15 | Break
Snacks & coffee
17:15 – 18:15 | Panel Discussion (moderated by Sven Johannesen, Chief Editor at Globalnyt)
• Screening of short videos capturing Global South perspectives.
• Panel discussion with the keynote speakers on dominant narratives, power relations, and paths toward a more sustainable and equitable “aid” future.
18:15 – 18:30 | Q&A
18:30 – 19:30 | Poster Fair & Networking
Explore student, researcher, and practitioner projects and connect with changemakers over snacks & drinks.
~19:30 | End of Event
Register your attendance here.
You can join the symposium free of charge. Register your attendance here.
Sign up for the Facebook event here.
Call for abstracts
Submit your abstract now. Read more here.