MESD International Conferences · 20th Anniversary Edition · 2006–2026MESD Association
MESD20th Anniversary International ConferenceMESD'26 · 10–11 December 2026 · Berlin

20th Anniversary Edition 2006–2026

MESD'26 · Berlin, Germany · 10–11 December 2026

International Conference on the Sustainable Development of Multinational Enterprises

2026 SPECIAL FOCUS

Multinational Enterprises, Sustainability and Responsibility in Times of Crisis

Twenty years after the first MESD conference in 2006, MESD'26 brings the international community together in Berlin to celebrate two decades of research and dialogue while looking ahead to the sustainability challenges shaping multinational enterprises.

Submit an extended abstract Registration from 15 September Read the call

Welcome to MESD'26

20th Anniversary Edition: MESD'26 celebrates twenty years of the MESD International Conference series, from 2006 to 2026.

Conference scope: All topics related to the sustainable development of multinational enterprises are welcome.

2026 thematic focus: Multinational Enterprises, Sustainability and Responsibility in Times of Crisis.

2006–2026

Celebrating twenty years of MESD

In 2026, the MESD International Conference celebrates twenty years since its first edition in 2006. Over two decades, the conference series has provided an international and interdisciplinary forum for research, practice and policy on multinational enterprises and sustainable development.

MESD'26 is both a moment of reflection and a forward-looking conference: an opportunity to revisit how the field has evolved and to examine the emerging challenges that will shape responsible and sustainable multinational enterprise in the years ahead.

2006200920122015201720232026

Twenty years of change. A critical moment for the future.

Since 2006, multinational enterprises have operated through profound economic, technological, environmental, geopolitical and societal transformations. The 20th anniversary provides an opportunity to celebrate the breadth of the MESD research community while placing a special spotlight on one of the defining questions of the 2026 edition: how sustainability and responsibility commitments are maintained, redefined or strengthened in times of crisis.

A broad MESD conference with a special 2026 focus

MESD'26 welcomes research across the full field of multinational enterprises and sustainable development. Contributions may engage directly with the 2026 focus on sustainability and responsibility in times of crisis, but a crisis context is not required.

Broad conference scope

General MESD research

Strategy, global value chains, sustainable supply chains, innovation and technology, CSR and ESG, sustainable finance, people and organizations, climate and environment, SDGs, public policy, partnerships and interdisciplinary perspectives.

2026 thematic focus

Sustainability and responsibility in times of crisis

Geopolitical, environmental, health, energy and social crises; responsibility under pressure; institutional responses; resilience and transformation; critical perspectives on sustainability practices and impacts.

Two complementary families of tracks

Authors choose the track that best matches the main contribution of their extended abstract.

G1-G8

General MESD Tracks

Eight tracks covering the broader field of multinational enterprises and sustainable development, including an open interdisciplinary track.

View General MESD tracks
Current status: the MESD'26 campaign launched on 15 August 2026 and extended-abstract submissions are open. Conference registration opens on 15 September 2026. Presenting authors and co-authors may register after acceptance; non-presenting participants, invited speakers and accompanying persons may register without an accepted submission. Extended abstracts are due by 15 October 2026, with acceptance notifications issued on a rolling basis and no later than 30 October 2026. The conference dates and venue are confirmed.