Politicization of Aid

Aid is no sacks of wheat with a red cross tossed into dusty marketplaces from flatbed trucks. It is litigation and activist-training, LGBTQ+ and DEI. The public have only recently begun to understand the extent of the transformation that has been wrought across the last few decades.

But with the closure of USAID, that awareness has accelerated rapidly. Now, the industry must redefine itself, by going back to the fundamentals. What is aid for in the middle of the 21st Century? Is it simply the gift of the giver? Is it more than just leverage in international relations? Can it have a moral value – and how can that align with the priorities of the taxpayers on whose behalf it is sent? 

This one-day conference speaks to the new landscape of aid, beyond the old clichés, and beyond the NGO-industrial complex that replaced them. Charity begins at home – but a new model of aid begins here.

Program* (click here to download the detailed conference booklet)

Master of Ceremonies: Noémi Pálfalvi, Chief Advisor to the Executive Director of the Danube Institute

08:30 - 09:00    Registration
09:00 - 09:30    Opening Remarks and Introduction of the Report 

• John O’Sullivan, President of the Danube Institute
• András László, Government Commissioner, Hungary

09:30 - 11:00    USAID Unmasked: From Humanitarian Aid to Political Interference

• Renaud Beauchard, US Correspondent and Chronicler of Tocsin
• Mohamed Farid, Member of the Egyptian House of Representatives
• Paul McCarthy, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation
• István Kiss, Executive Director of the Danube Institute
  Moderator: Noémi Pálfalvi, Chief Advisor to the Executive Director of the Danube Institute

11:00 – 11:30    Coffee Break

11:30 - 13:00    The EU’s NGO Machine

• Thomas Fazi, Writer, Journalist
• Jorge González-Gallarza, Senior Coordinator for the Iberosphere at the Center for Fundamental Rights
• Sean Nottoli, Visiting Fellow at the Danube Institute
  Moderator: Gavin Haynes, Visiting Fellow at the Danube Institute

13:00 - 13:55    Lunch break

14:00 - 15:30    Sovereignty vs. Global Agendas: How Bilateral Aid Protects National Interests

• Tristan Azbej, Secretary of State for the Aid of Persecuted Christians
• Reverend Fr. Peter Babangida Audu, Chief Executive Officer of the Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria
• Nicholas Naquin, Visiting Fellow at the Danube Institute
  Moderator: Dániel Farkas, Research Fellow at the Danube Institute

15:30 - 15:45    Closing Remarks

• István Kiss, Executive Director of the Danube Institute

*We reserve the right to change the program.

Details:

Date & time: Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 9:00 AM
Venue: Lónyay-Hatvany Villa, 1 Csónak Street, 1015 Budapest (Entrance: Aranybástya Restaurant)
Gate opens at 8:30 AM
Language: English

Participation is free; however, due to limited seating, pre-registration is required by clicking the button below.