As stakeholders gather for this year's Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, CGD is hosting important discussions with leading global development experts, policymakers, representatives from international finance institutions, and more. Learn more about our schedule of events and sign up below.
For questions, please reach out to [email protected].
More events are being added. Please check back periodically to see new additions!
Last updated: March 31, 2026
Upcoming Events
Shock Absorbers in Debt Contracts for Poor Countries: Preventing Stress from Turning into Default
Tuesday, April 14, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm ET | At CGD and Online
Poor countries, already weighed down by high debt-service burdens, are now grappling with yet another major external shock: the Iran war. We've seen the long-term damage that such shocks can do. Countries that could otherwise avoid debt restructuring need tools to help them weather severe liquidity and fiscal squeezes. How can we help them avoid default? How can we build shock absorbers that promote resilience against a broad array of shocks, not just those that are climate-related?
Join us for this in-person and live streamed event to hear a keynote address from Carmen Reinhart to discuss a new CGD proposal for temporary debt-service suspension clauses that focus on the magnitude, not the source, of the shock.
Hard Questions: Expert Perspectives Ahead of the 2026 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings
Tuesday, April 14, 4:00 - 5:15 pm ET | At CGD and Online
As world leaders in finance and development convene for the 2026 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, this timely event cuts through the noise to focus on what matters. In a conversation co-hosted and moderated by Devex, leading researchers from the Center for Global Development will share their thoughts on the critical questions that will drive the agenda, insights into this moment in global development, and what they’ll be watching. They will examine what the meetings may mean for the most pressing challenges facing developing economies, from the economic fallout from the war in Iran, to the role of MDBs in a shrinking aid landscape. This conversation provides an essential guide to understanding what's at stake—and what comes next—as global leaders gather in the days ahead. In-person attendees are invited to a reception which will immediately follow the event.
Rewriting the Case for Aid: Purpose, Priorities and Political Realities
Wednesday, April 15, 11:00 am - 12:15 pm ET | At CGD and Online
What should Official Development Assistance be used for? Where can it add the greatest value? And how must delivery evolve in an increasingly contested and multipolar world?
This CGD event will unveil a vision for ODA at a moment when the traditional aid model is breaking down and serious debate has begun over what should replace it.
Sustainable Financing for Education: One of the World’s Highest Return Investments
Wednesday, April 15, 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm ET | At CGD and Online
On the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank Spring Meetings, the Center for Global Development and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) will convene a high-level dialogue bringing together leading experts to examine how a sustainable financing approach can meet today’s education challenges. The discussion will explore why long-term, system-level investments—rooted in domestic financing and strategically complemented by external support—are essential to delivering quality education at scale. This event offers a timely opportunity to advance a shared agenda for sustainable financing that can equip all children with the skills they need to thrive.
Investments and Interventions to End Child Marriage
Wednesday, April 15, 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm ET | At CGD and Online
Join CGD, the Institute of Global Politics Women’s Initiative at Columbia University, Girls Not Brides, and the World Bank Africa Gender Innovation Lab for a dynamic discussion featuring voices from across the international development community. This event will explore new research and concrete actions that countries, funders, and communities can take to end child marriage.
How Can Africa Finance Its Own Transformation?
Thursday, April 16, 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm ET | At CGD and Online
This discussion brings together leaders at the center of African finance and reform. They will examine what it takes to move from rhetoric about “mobilizing private capital” to building domestic financial systems capable of funding structural transformation. What reforms unlock pension and insurance capital? What role should multilateral development banks play—catalyst or substitute? And what political and regulatory barriers must be confronted?
Water as Health Policy: Outcomes for Lives and Livelihoods
Thursday, April 16, 4:00 - 5:30 pm ET | At CGD and Online
This event will bring together senior policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to examine a critical question: if the evidence on the links between water and health is so strong, why does progress still fall short? Sector debates continue to reflect persistent trade-offs between expanding access and ensuring service quality, and between infrastructure investment and long-term system performance.
Speakers will draw on experience across government, development finance, and implementation to share practical insights into what it takes to deliver measurable, lasting results. The discussion will explore ways to better coordinate policy, funding, and incentive structures with enhancements in water quality, service reliability, and the ongoing performance of water systems, with the goal of advancing public health outcomes.