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AidEx and Development2030 provided an opportunity for the aid and development sector to come together and show their solidarity to the community. Our delegates participated in two very timely conferences with many excellent and high-level speakers who acknowledged the topical challenges, but also highlighted practical solutions and offered encouragement for the future, as the current climate is also a catalyst for progress and change.
We heard keynote speeches from Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, Former UK Minister for International Development, Ministry for International Development; Dominik Stillhart, Head of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); and Ayaki Ito, Director, Division of Emergency, Security and Supply - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – all of whom inspired the audience with insights from the aid and development sector.
Some highlights from the exhibition included the UNESCO display, the new China Pavilion, which alongside the China Networking Area, allowed visitors to share ideas, hear UN perspectives and more, and multiple other country pavilions, including countries such as Denmark, Japan, Norway, the UK and the US, all demonstrating a range of all the latest innovative products and services for the sector.
“We always feel that we learn more from being in the same room with multiple NGOs, and we know they all face similar challenges, so collaboration is really about getting in a room, speaking the same language, asking the same questions and learning from each other.” - Lucia Wagner, Head of NGOs, Europe, Ebury
“AidEx and Development2030 - this is a perfect setting to show humanitarian innovation.” - Sashidhar Jonnalagedda, Co-Founder & VP, SurgiBox
AidEx and Development2030 Awards
Each year, the AidEx and Development2030 Awards aim to recognise and celebrate stand out individuals and projects from the humanitarian aid and development community. The awards are testament to the courage and dedication that people put into their line of work to make the world a better place.
The Aid Innovation Challenge took place on Day One of AidEx, with three teams showcasing their unique innovations. We learnt about Aseel Technology Corporation’s ‘AidOS: The Home of Decentralized Aid’, Sehat Kahani’s ‘Community Innovation Hub’, a leading digital health enterprise from Pakistan that bridges the healthcare access gap through telemedicine, and OptySun’s ‘WaterAid Nexus’.
A big thank you to our judges who included – Nicholas Rutherford, Managing Director of AidEx and Development2030; Julius Hill, EMEA International Affairs & Development IAD Sector Lead, Deloitte; Oliver Mathew, Managing Director, Evenproducts; Kate Maina-Vorley, CEO, Elrha; and Hovig Etyemezian, Head of Innovation, UNHCR. After some deliberation, Sehat Kahani’s ‘Community Innovation Hub’ was chosen as the winner.
Development2030’s ‘Sustainable initiative of the Year’ Award was won by UNHCR’s Green Financing Facility, which is transforming how humanitarian operations go solar — combining innovative finance, real savings, and major CO₂ reductions. By introducing a lease-based solar approach, they’ve created a smarter, scalable, and sustainable way to power humanitarian work — delivering impact where energy access matters most.
Development2030’s ‘SDG Programme of the Year’ Award was won by Operation Sight from Simprints — a groundbreaking programme redefining healthcare delivery in low-resource settings. In the fight against neglected tropical diseases, Operation Sight stands out for its accuracy, integrity, and real-world impact — a true model for equitable, high-quality care at scale.
AidEx’s ‘Young Humanitarian Hero of the Year’ Award was won by Hanya Al Jamal, Senior Project Coordinator at Action for Humanity. Hanya’s work bridges the gap between frontline action and policy, driving meaningful, lasting change. She is a true inspiration and a shining example of the next generation of humanitarians.
AidEx’s ‘Humanitarian Hero of the Year’ Award was won by Shee Kupi Shee, Director of Disaster Management and Peace Building at Lamu County Government. Shee has shown extraordinary courage and leadership in protecting lives and restoring peace across Kenya’s coastal counties and the Kenya–Somalia border. For over a decade, he has worked on the frontlines of crises—ensuring aid reaches communities facing conflict, disaster, and displacement.
“My key takeaway is that despite that we're in a crisis, we are all engaged in conversations, and we're all trying to find solutions for a common problem or a set of common problems.” - Benjamin Safari, Head of Supply Management Services, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Upcoming Events
Next in events calendar is the Humanitarian Finance Summit, co-hosted by Humanitarian Finance Forum (HFF), which is taking place in London on Thursday 26th February 2026. This event merges public and private insights to navigate the burgeoning field of humanitarian innovative finance (HIF).
AidEx Nairobi, the satellite to AidEx in Geneva and focused on aid and development within East Africa, returns for its next edition on 3-4 June 2026 at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi and next year’s AidEx Geneva and Development2030 return to Palexpo on 21-22 October 2026.
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