More than 800 million people worldwide continue to live in extreme poverty despite global development targets, while the challenges are compounded by rising conflicts, disasters and cuts in international aid, including in Switzerland.
To address these challenges, the 17th annual StopArmut Conference will be held Oct. 31, 2026, at the Zwinglihaus in Basel, bringing together representatives from academia, politics, churches and civil society to discuss solutions and Christian social responsibility.
Organized by StopArmut, a campaign sponsored by Interaction, the umbrella association of Swiss Christian development organizations, the 2026 conference has the theme “Poor World – What Next? How global poverty shapes us and how we can stand against it together.”
The event comes at a critical juncture for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by 193 countries in 2015. Goal 1 set an ambitious target to end extreme poverty everywhere by 2030, yet organizers note that 826 million people — roughly one in 10 globally — still live on less than $3 a day.
Christoph Hochuli, a Grand Council member for the Evangelical People's Party in Basel-Stadt and a featured conference speaker, highlighted what he sees as the media's limited coverage of global poverty compared with acute natural disasters.
“Disasters like wildfires, earthquakes and floods are widely reported in the media, as are the death tolls, which is good,” Hochuli said. “But global poverty — the poor living conditions that also lead to many deaths — is rarely reported on.”
The daylong gathering will include practical lectures, networking opportunities and a trade fair featuring global anti-poverty organizations. The program also includes a performance by the Surprise Street Choir. More information and registration details are available on the organization's website at stoparmut.ch/konferenz.
