The 61st regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC61) is scheduled to take place from 8 September to 23 February 2026 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
This session provides a key platform for the international community to discuss, promote, and protect human rights worldwide. Major agenda items include the discussions on the promotion and protection of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, and the review of specific human rights situations that require the Council’s attention.
The Human Rights Council will review numerous reports during the session.
Masters of Digital 2026 is scheduled for 26 February 2026 as a hybrid conference (in‑person in Brussels, Belgium and online).
The 2026 edition is themed ‘Redesigning Europe’s Digital Power’, with discussions focused on leveraging AI to boost industrial competitiveness, strengthening digital security amid geopolitical fragmentation, and simplifying regulatory frameworks to unlock growth.
Day 1 focuses on AI and tech leadership, including the European AI & Tech Declaration, investment in critical technologies, industrial strategy, and recognition of emerging tech scale-ups through the Future Unicorn Award. Keynote conversations and panels explore regulatory frameworks, competitiveness, and strategic innovation.
Day 2 covers digital backbone development, health and energy transformation, and cybersecurity. Sessions highlight the role of connectivity, AI, and digital infrastructure in strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability. The programme concludes with discussions on transatlantic cooperation and Ireland’s vision for a digital Europe.
Participation is open to a broad range of stakeholders, with virtual registration guaranteed and limited in‑person attendance available by application.
ICANN85 is a community forum organised by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), scheduled to take place from 7 to 12 March 2026 in Mumbai, India. The event will be held at the Jio World Convention Centre and will follow a hybrid format, allowing both in‑person and remote participation.
The programme is expected to encompass a range of sessions where participants engage in policy development activities, advance ongoing technical and operational work, exchange best practices, and discuss matters related to the coordination of the global Domain Name System (DNS) and other unique identifiers essential for internet functionality.
Registration is open for participants interested in attending either in‑person or virtually, with advance registration required for on-site attendance.
The Global Fraud Summit 2026 is a ministerial-level international meeting convened by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), scheduled for 16–17 March 2026 at the Vienna International Centre in Austria.
The Summit aims to provide a high-level platform for dialogue, cooperation, and collective action on fraud as a complex transnational threat. It will bring together senior officials from governments, law enforcement authorities, international and regional organisations, representatives from the private sector, civil society, and academic institutions to examine current and emerging fraud trends, explore policy and operational responses, and strengthen cross-sector partnerships.
The programme is expected to address a range of issues associated with fraud, including its digital and cross-border dimensions, challenges in detection and investigation, strategies for prevention and enforcement, and mechanisms for enhancing international information sharing and coordination. By fostering multistakeholder engagement, the summit seeks to support more effective global responses to fraud, enhance institutional capacities, and identify opportunities for sustained cooperation among states and non-state actors.
The 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC14) is scheduled to take place from 26 to 29 March 2026 at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The Ministerial Conference, convening biennially, holds the highest authority within the WTO. It brings together all WTO members, comprising countries or customs unions, enabling decisions on various issues covered by the multilateral trade agreements.
In advance of MC14, discussions among WTO members have increasingly focused on institutional reform of the organisation. At a meeting on 3 February, members considered next steps for advancing reform work ahead of the ministerial conference, and plans were announced for a ‘reform month’ beginning on 5 February to discuss a post-MC14 work plan.
Key areas identified for attention include decision-making procedures, development and special and differential treatment provisions, dispute settlement reform, and other systemic issues. Members are expected to seek ministerial endorsement of a structured workplan at MC14, and preparatory breakout sessions on reform are included in the conference roadmap. These efforts reflect the central role that reform is anticipated to play in Yaoundé and the intention to initiate high-level political exchanges among ministers on this topic during the conference.
The event will also feature side events on 25 March: the MC14 Business Forum, the MC14 Civil Society Dialogue entitled ‘Africa in the multilateral trading system: Choices and challenges’, and a session of the Parliamentary Conference.
The Conference will be chaired by Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, Cameroon’s Minister of Trade.
The first substantive session of the Global Mechanism on developments in the field of ICTs in the context of international security and advancing responsible State behaviour in the use of ICTs will be held on 20-24 July.
This session marks the start of the substantive work of the Global Mechanism, a new single-track, permanent forum on ICT security under UN auspices.
Within this framework, states will advance discussions across the five established pillars of responsible state behaviour in the use of ICTs, covering existing and potential threats, rules, norms and principles, the application of international law, confidence-building measures, and capacity-building efforts.
The Global Mechanism will convene in different formats.
It will hold substantive plenary sessions once a year during each biennial cycle, the first being scheduled for July 2026.
It will hold two dedicated thematic groups—one addressing general substantive issues and one focused on capacity building—intended to enable more in-depth discussions building on the outcomes of the plenary. In 2026, the dedicated thematic groups are scheduled to take place from 7 to 11 December.
In addition, the mechanism will convene a review conference every five years to assess progress and guide its future direction.
The Blockchain Forum 2026 will be held in Moscow on 14–15 April 2026, bringing together global leaders in Web3, crypto, blockchain, and mining across the rapidly developing CIS region.
The event is expected to draw over 20,000 attendees, including founders, C-level executives, innovators, and investors.
Participants at the two-day forum will gain access to expert insights and forecasts on the evolving industry, engage in high-level networking and deal-making opportunities, and hear directly from founders and senior leaders of major global crypto projects about strategies to capitalise on emerging trends.
The event also features an extensive expo-floor with exhibitions of cutting-edge blockchain and mining technologies, simultaneous translation of sessions, dedicated after-hours networking, and multiple tiers of access for attendees including business and VIP packages.
The 29th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is scheduled to take place from 20 to 24 April 2026 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
For its 29th session, the programme will address the priority theme of ‘Science, Technology and Innovation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence’, and will also review progress on the implementation and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at regional and international levels.
The session will include presentations on technical cooperation activities and the work of the multistakeholder Working Group on Data Governance, as relevant to development objectives. Participation is expected from representatives of national governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector.
The 2026 session of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council will be held from 28 April to 8 May 2026 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
As the primary governing body between Plenipotentiary Conferences, the Council plays a central role in steering the Union’s work across a wide range of issues, including global digital policy, infrastructure development, and the evolving landscape of emerging technologies.
Over the course of the session, delegates are expected to review and guide ITU activities across policy directions, programme implementation and financial matters, as well as to consider emerging issues in connectivity, digital inclusion and ICT development.
Preparatory work for the meeting included a cluster of Council Working Groups and Expert Groups held earlier in January 2026, which addressed specialised topics such as internet policy, child online protection, strategic planning and other expert issues.
Geneva Cyber Week 2026 will take place from 4 to 8 May 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland, under the overarching theme ‘Advancing Global Cooperation in Cyberspace’.
Organised by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the event will bring together stakeholders from governments, international organisations, industry, academia, and civil society to discuss the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in cybersecurity.
Details on the 2026 agenda and events will be announced closer to the date.
