Mobilizing global leaders from the multilateral, corporate, non-profit, philanthropy, and policy sectors to re-imagine international development and humanitarian assistance and create near-term action plans to propel these ideas forward.
OVERVIEW OF THE HIGH-LEVEL STRATEGY GROUP
The dramatic shifting of the longstanding commitment of the U.S. to foreign assistance, coupled with larger geopolitical trends, has left experts, policymakers, and practitioners ready to rethink development. New visions, models, and practical solutions are urgently needed in the wake of this transformation in development assistance, and leaders are hungry for forums to identify, design, and develop a roadmap forward.
Building on the Aspen Institute’s long-standing ability to convene highest-level, bipartisan leaders from across sectors—including leaders from the Global South, the private sector, development finance institutions, and foreign policy—the Aspen Global Prosperity, Security, and Development High-Level Strategy Group creates a neutral space for constructive, trust-based dialogue that bridges silos, builds shared purpose, and advances consensus and actionable steps toward a forward-looking global development agenda.
The Strategy Group will bring forward concrete and pragmatic models for development assistance in areas of development finance, innovations in scale and efficiency, new public-private partnership ventures, and national government financing, sustainability, and civil society strategies.
STRATEGY GROUP LEADERSHIP
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Henrietta H. Fore | Chairman and CEO of Holsman International; Co-Chair of the Aspen Global Prosperity, Security, and Development High-Level Strategy Group -
Peggy Clark | Founder and Executive Director of Aspen Global Innovators Group, the Aspen Institute -
Jim Pickup | Vice President and General Counsel of the Aspen Institute; President & CEO, Middle East Investment Initiative
CONVENINGS
Inaugural Convening:
From February 9-12, 2026, a diverse group of leaders from government, finance, business, philanthropy, multilateral institutions, and civil society convened at the Bellagio Center in Italy to consider a central question: what comes next for global development?
This gathering took place at a moment of structural disruption. Official development assistance is declining, debt burdens are rising, geopolitical competition is intensifying, and institutional fragmentation is deepening. At the same time, demographic pressures, technological change, and re-emphasis on sovereignty and dignity are reshaping expectations in partner countries. The group came together at this moment not to defend or critique the status quo ante, but to think through how this rupture could become a catalyst for productive reinvention and renewal.
Over four days of structured discussions including breakout working groups, the group focused on identifying practical footholds for action: how to realign development finance with growth and job creation; how to strengthen national government partnership and domestic resource mobilization; how to unlock private sector engagement at scale; and how to embed innovation into systems rather than projects.
