Date: 30 September - 1 October 2026

Fragile Lives 2026

Berlin, Germany

Evidence for human development, food security, and peace in poly-crises

About the conference

Fragile Lives 2026 is the third edition of an annual international expert conference. Fragile Lives focuses on:

using rigorous, scientific evidence to inform policy interventions in fragile, conflict-affected, and underdeveloped settings.

Conference Program

Fragile Lives 2026 will once again feature a range of presentations and discussions on cutting-edge research and pressing policy challenges. To this end, we are hosting presentations in cooperation with Households in Conflict Network (HiCN), thereby creating a space for academics studying the micro-level impacts of conflict and fragility to present and discuss their ongoing work. Beyond these academic sessions, we are partnering with a range of donor, policy, and practice organizations for research-to-practice sessions on some of the most pressing crises the world is facing. A detailed conference program will be available in Summer 2026.

To find out more about the content of Fragile Lives, take a look at the programs for 2024 and 2025.

Keynote Speakers

Caitriona Dowd

Lecturer/Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow), University College Dublin

Caitriona Dowd is Assistant Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research focuses on the role of violent conflict in humanitarian crises and food insecurity; civilian targeting; and the use of new and emerging methodologies for violence monitoring. Caitriona currently co-leads a Research Ireland-funded project on the gendered dimensions of hunger in peace and conflict, alongside projects on conflict and social capital, conflict and smallholder agriculture, and trauma-sensitivity in peace and conflict research.

Juan Vargas

Carlo Alberto Chair at the Collegio Carlo Alberto and Professor of Political Economy at the University of Turin

Juan Vargas is Carlo Alberto Chair at the Collegio Carlo Alberto and Professor of Political Economy at the University of Turin (ESOMAS). He is also the network director of the America Latina Crime and Policy Network (AL CAPONE) of the Latin America and the Caribbean Economics Association (LACEA). He has held visiting academic positions at NYU, Harvard, and UCLA. In 2018, Juan obtained the biennial "Juan Luis Londoño Prize", awarded to the best Colombian economist under 40.

Organizing Partners

Fragile Lives is hosted by a cooperation between Humboldt University of Berlin and Leibniz Institute for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), with support from ISDC - International Security and Development Center.