Events

ITU workshop on ‘Trustable and Interoperable Digital Identities for Human and Agentic AI’

The International Telecommunication Union will hold a two-day workshop on ‘Trustable and Interoperable Digital Identities for Human and Agentic AI’ to explore technical, policy, and governance aspects of digital identity for both humans and agentic AI, focusing on trust frameworks, security, interoperability, and standardisation.

It will bring together stakeholders from governments, industry, academia, and standards bodies to examine technical approaches related to trust frameworks, trust management, security, and interoperability; and to investigate actionable recommendations and consolidated insights to advance standardisation work in the field.​

Sessions will include discussions on scaling trust across ecosystems, addressing standardisation gaps, and identifying how human and AI agent identities intersect.

The event is open to ITU member states, sector members, associates, academic institutions, and other interested participants at no cost, but registration is required.

Organisational session of the UN Global Mechanism on ICT security

The organisational 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 30-31 March.

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. 

Proceedings will begin with the opening of the session by the Secretary-General or a representative, followed by the election of a Chair for a two-year term. States will then adopt the session agenda and engage in a general exchange of views on the mechanism.

The session will also consider the agenda for future substantive plenary meetings leading up to the 2030 Review Conference, and consider the overall organisation of work, including the programme for the first plenary session and the structure of dedicated thematic groups (DTGs). Any additional organisational matters may be addressed under ‘any other business.’

The mechanism is mandated to 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. 

Beyond the organisational session, 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 DTGs—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.

Achieving depth: Subsea telecommunications cables as critical infrastructure

The UN Institute for Disarmament Research and the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN will convene a roundtable on subsea cables as critical infrastructure on the margins of the organisational session of the UN Global Mechanism on ICT security.

The discussion will present UNIDIR’s report entitled Achieving Depth: Subsea Telecommunications Cables as Critical Infrastructure.

The roundtable will bring together representatives from governments, international organisations, industry, and the research community to present the report and discuss its key findings and recommendations. Discussions will focus on identified physical and cyber threats to subsea cable systems, approaches to strengthening their protection and resilience, and potential pathways for implementing the report’s recommendations.

Building AI literacy in parliaments

The Inter-Parliamentary Union will host a webinar on ‘Building AI Literacy in Parliaments’ on Wednesday, 1 April 2026, from 15:00–16:00 CEST. The session, part of the Transforming Parliaments webinar series, will explore how parliaments can develop training and resources to support AI literacy among members, parliamentary staff, and IT teams.

The webinar will highlight the IPU Guidelines for AI in parliaments, emphasising that AI literacy should reach all roles within parliaments. Participants will discuss understanding AI capabilities and limitations, recognising bias and hallucinations, and ensuring human-centred decision-making. The session targets MPs, parliamentary managers, and staff involved in AI oversight, legislation, or the development of AI literacy programs.

The webinar will be conducted in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. A recording will be made available on the IPU’s Innovation in Parliament YouTube playlist.

Blockchain Forum 2026

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.

29th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD)

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.

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