On 16-17 June 2026, CONCORD Delegates gathered for our General Assembly. Over two days, we reflected on the profound changes shaping the sector, explored what they mean for civil society, and began to define a renewed vision for international cooperation.
This year’s overarching theme, Towards a New Vision of International Cooperation, invited members to look beyond traditional approaches and embrace new ways of thinking. A distinctive feature of this year’s Assembly was the way external perspectives were woven throughout the programme. Rather than limiting discussions to our own sector, Delegates engaged with speakers and practitioners from different fields whose insights encouraged us to think outside the box and to consider international cooperation from fresh angles, and the Assembly itself was open not just to CONCORD members, but also to guests and allies.
As Delegates reflected on the future of international cooperation, they also approved CONCORD’s new strategy titled Rising to the Occasion: CONCORD Strategy 2027 onwards, which sets a renewed direction for the Confederation and reaffirms our shared ambition to adapt, innovate, and act collectively in a changing world.
Alongside these strategic milestones, the General Assembly also marked the beginning of a new chapter for CONCORD’s visual identity. The Secretariat unveiled a refreshed branding, including a new logo and graphics. These reflect both the evolution of our Confederation and our ambition for the future.
The thematic sessions
In light of this year’s theme Towards a New Vision of International Cooperation, we organised four sessions to exchange both external and members’ perspectives on our changing role in the sector.
- On Day 1, Dominik P. Jankowski, Deputy Secretary General for Policy and Outreach at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, gave an insightful lightning talk. In times of heightened attention for the Security sector, Dominik explained how the gap between Security and Development Policy could be bridged.
- Day 2 began with Ben Kellard, Fellow at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), whose refreshing view on re-imagining an economy in which both people and our planet flourish, provided the right backdrop for a great conversation on the role of the private sector in creating a sustainable future.
- The Perspectives on International Cooperation 2.0 session featured Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro and Alemayehu Tedla who joined us for a vivid discussion on equitable partnerships and the need to decolonise the logic behind official development assistance . Their conclusion: receivers of Official Development Assistance should have more control over how they spend ODA budget, shifting the focus away from the interests of providers toward the local values and priorities of receivers.
- In a subsequent session, our members’ Delegates brought the General Assembly to a close by exchanging ideas and shaping CONCORD’s future direction. Through interactive formats, including a role-play exercise and a fishbowl discussion, they collectively explored one central question: where does CONCORD situate itself within the current ‘paradigm shift’? This question lay at the heart of this year’s General Assembly, which marked both the last year of CONCORD’s current strategy and the launch of a new one.
The statutory sessions
NEW PRESIDENT AND BOARD MEMBERS
Our General Assembly elected a new President and five new Board members:
New President: Javier Garcia de la Oliva (ActionAid International).
New Board Members: Cristina Fernández Durán (Oxfam International); Inese Vaivare (LAPAS); Isabella Olsson (CONCORD Sweden); Marcos Concepcion Raba (GNDR); Martina Venzo (Plan International).
We are looking forward to working together with you. We would also like to thank our outgoing President, Rilli Lappalainen (Save the Children), and our outgoing Board/Executive Committee Members Ida Ragnarsson (CONCORD Sweden) and Marta Iglesias Lopez (La Coordinadora), who served between 2020 and 2026, and Ruth Faber (EU-CORD), who was co-opted in 2025. Thank you all for your ongoing commitment to CONCORD in both your roles as Board and Executive Committee Members, and your invaluable contribution to defending international cooperation in critical times for civil society.
NEW MEMBERS
CONCORD is growing! Our General Assembly approved the membership of International Justice Mission as a Full Member, and War Child as an Associate Member. Welcome to the Confederation and great to have you on board!
Annual Report 2025
Delegates at the General Assembly also approved our Annual Report 2025, which reviews CONCORD’s advocacy efforts towards equality, sustainable development and civil society power. To learn more about our 2025 successes, check our dedicated webpage.