The Summit 2009 was held from November 20th-22nd 2009 at the Maths & Statistics Building at the University of Warwick, with the overarching theme of "Development for the modern age: Crisis, Climate and Co-operation”. Through a range of exciting speakers such as Word Bank and IMF economists, seasoned campaigners from Ethicore and other organisations, senior academics and aid workers, here are just some off the issues the summit addressed.

1.  Embracing Emerging Economies in Development

How will the growth of these economies affect their ability to influence the global economic system?  How has it affected the management of International Financial Institutions?  How will it do so in the future?

How should we trade with emerging economies?  How should we invest?

As these countries start to give aid to lower income countries, how sincere will these efforts be to promote universal prosperity? How will it affect aid efficacy?

2.  The Long-Term Implications of the Financial Crisis For Developing Countries

When will Foreign Direct Investment return to pre-crisis levels?  What effect will the downturn have on the supply side of the economy and long-term growth?

How do these implications vary with the policies implemented by the governments of these countries?

What policy changes should we expect to see as a result of the financial crisis?  Will these policies be beneficial?

How should developing countries and the international community insure themselves against the adverse effects to development of future crises?

3.  Climate-friendly Development as an Efficient Response to the Economic Crisis

To what extent can third world governments afford green stimulus packages?  How does this depend on its country’s prosperity?

How important are developing country emissions in the scheme of things anyway?

What kind of green programs have been successful in developing countries?  Where have mistakes been made?

4. The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Achieving Gender Equality for Aid Effectiveness

To what extent do aid programs practise gender discrimination?  How has this changed in light of the economic crisis?

What are the costs of gender discrimination for aid effectiveness?  Who bears these costs?  

How can the international community and aid donors go about achieving gender equality on aid effectiveness?

5. The Role of the Private Sector in Development

How important is the private sector in development?

How much should the private sector be relied upon to provide basic services such as health care and education?

How can the private sector be supported?  What are the pitfalls of such support?

What programs exist? Which have been effective? Which have failed?