Annual Conference – IAESTE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The IAESTE Annual Conference is the beating heart of our global network — the one moment each year when our worldwide community truly comes together. Delegates from over 80 countries gather not just to discuss operations, but to reconnect, rebuild trust, and strengthen the human relationships that make international exchange possible.

Each year, the conference is hosted by a different country, offering participants a unique opportunity to experience new cultures, institutions, and perspectives from within the IAESTE family. This rotating format reflects the very essence of our mission: international understanding through lived experience.

While hybrid formats have allowed us to stay connected in recent years, nothing replaces the value of meeting in person. It is during these face-to-face conversations, formal and informal, that partnerships are built, challenges are solved, and the foundation for a successful exchange year is laid. As highlighted across our conferences, trust, reciprocity, and collaboration remain at the core of IAESTE’s work .

In 2025, we hosted both a virtual and an in-person Annual Conference, marking an important step back toward fully physical gatherings of our network. Looking ahead, the IAESTE Annual Conference returns to its traditional January/February timing, better aligned with the exchange cycle.

The upcoming Annual Conference in Tanzania is especially meaningful — it marks our return to Africa after more than two decades, opening a new chapter for IAESTE’s global engagement and reaffirming our commitment to truly worldwide cooperation.

Below, you will find a list of recent IAESTE Annual Conferences.

The 80th IAESTE Annual Conference in Tanzania has been recognised as a contribution to Advancing a Culture of Peace in Africa, under a joint initiative of UNESCO’s Division for Priority Africa Coordination and the NGO–UNESCO Liaison Committee.

The Division coordinates UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa, which supports Africa’s development through education, science, culture, communication and access to information. The programme is aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Past Annual Conferences

AC participants, Charlottetown, Canada, November 2025

Annual Conference in Berlin, Germany, 2018

AC participants, Bangkok, Thailand, 2011

1951 – Paris | France
1950 – Helsinki | Finland
1949 – Copenhagen | Denmark
1948 – London | United Kingdom