The IDRC Speaker Series formalizes IDRC’s tradition of inviting speakers with worldwide reputations in their fields to present provocative insights and ideas on issues of social justice and development.

• John Githongo — February 2008
  IDRC hosted a public lecture on February 7 by John Githongo, one of Africa’s most distinguished advocates for transparency and good governance. As part of the IDRC Speaker Series, Githongo shared his insights on the struggle for democracy in Kenya.

• Ricardo Lagos — December 2007
  IDRC, in collaboration with the Embassy of Chile, hosted a public lecture given by the former President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, on December 3. As part of the 2007-2008 IDRC Speaker Series, Mr Lagos addressed the challenges of democratic development in Latin America.

• The Fourth Estate: The Media and Democratic Development
  Station manager Humaira Habib (Afghanistan), journalist Alejandra Matus (Chile), blogger Hossein Derakhshan (Iran), and newspaper editor Mathatha Tsedu (South Africa) related their personal experiences as part of a discussion on The Fourth Estate: The Media and Democratic Development.

• Rory Stewart on Afghanistan's Democratic Development
  As part of IDRC's Speaker Series, Rory Stewart was in Ottawa on October 3 to offer unique insights into Afghanistan's democratic development challenges and opportunities.

• M.S. Swaminathan — July 2007
  Acclaimed by Time magazine as one of the 20 most influential Asians of the 20^th century, Professor M.S. Swaminathan spoke at IDRC's head office in Ottawa on the "Evergreen Revolution" as part of IDRC's Speaker Series. 

• Dr. Amartya Sen — April 2006
  The Series’ first speaker, on 12 April 2006, was Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Amartya Sen, who has re-shaped how we think about poverty and development and is now bringing the same rigour to his inquiries into ending the violence perpetuated by rigid, one-dimensional stereotypes such as “the Muslim world” and “the Western mind.”