New partnership explores Canada’s role in shaping global cooperation and innovation.
As the international development landscape undergoes rapid and profound change, Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have established a partnership to advance learning and dialogue on Canada’s role in global cooperation, innovation, and partnership.
Shared Futures is a new dialogue series that brings together leaders, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to examine the future of international cooperation and Canada’s role in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.
The series offers a forum for meaningful discussion, knowledge exchange, and relationship-building that foregrounds insights, experiences, and evidence from low- and middle-income countries. The series seeks to contribute to evidence-informed conversations on development priorities, programming, and Canada’s engagement on the global stage.
Over the next two years, Shared Futures will tackle wide-ranging issues influencing the future of global development, including trade and development, global health, artificial intelligence, multilateralism, and innovative financing. Themes will continue to evolve in response to emerging developments and priorities within the sector.
The first public convening of the series on September 29, 2026, will explore how Canada can advance mutually beneficial economic partnerships that support sustainable development outcomes while contributing to Canada’s trade, investment, and economic resilience objectives. Learn more and register.
From focused roundtable discussions to wider public events, Shared Futures will encourage the coming together of practitioners, thought leaders, policy makers, and industry to engage with emerging research, explore new ideas, and reflect on both the global trends and Canadian priorities shaping international cooperation.
By bringing together diverse perspectives from research, policy, and practice, Shared Futures will foster learning, promote innovation, and deepen collaboration between Canadian public, private, and civil society sectors.
