The Futures Summit: A New Era of Development Cooperation

The global development enterprise, built over the past seven decades, is now subject to the deepest skepticism and sharpest inflection point in its history. The consensus that undergirded U.S. policy and U.S. global leadership is gone. Indeed, amid powerful cross-currents, a dramatic, post-aid moment has arrived, one that policy makers are just beginning to define.   

On one hand, it is a moment of disruption, risk, and uncertainty. USAID has been dismantled, and there will be no restoration. The implications for populations served are profound and still unfolding. Associated questions are being asked about the direction of U.S. policy, including its capacity to deliver.  

Simultaneously, it is a creative moment of honest self-criticism, open possibility, and reform. It is an invitation to innovation that stretches beyond the Washington Beltway. It is a period that offers historic opportunity to craft new approaches that can transcend outdated institutions and better equip the United States in an era of hardening geostrategic competition. 

Building on a strong legacy of annual forums, The Futures Summit  will leverage CSIS’s exceptional convening power, its expertise across a range of essential domains, and its history of fostering timely respectful dialogue. The event will feature global leaders and will be centered around three thematic tracks: 

For questions, please reach out to Madeleine McLean at MMcLean@csis.org. 

This event is made possible through generous support from Chevron Inc. (Founding sponsor), Cisco, and the Embassy of Denmark in Washington D.C.