IGF 2026 opens call for session proposals for Nairobi meeting
Stakeholders can apply to organise workshops, open forums, lightning talks, Day 0 events, launches, awards, and networking sessions for IGF 2026. The deadline is 31 July 2026.
The Internet Governance Forum has opened the call for session proposals for IGF 2026, which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 14 to 18 December.
Stakeholders from all regions and sectors are invited to apply to organise sessions for the annual meeting. Proposals must be submitted by 31 July 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
The IGF is a global multistakeholder forum for discussion of internet governance issues. It brings together governments, civil society, the private sector, the technical community, academia, and other stakeholders. It does not create binding rules, but it provides a space to exchange experience, identify policy challenges, and discuss possible responses.
The 2026 overarching theme will focus on the relationship between artificial intelligence, other forms of intelligence, the future of the internet, and their governance. Sessions are expected to address these questions from policy, technical, economic, and societal perspectives.
The call includes several session types. Workshops are the main substantive format and will be evaluated competitively by the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group, known as the MAG. They should focus on a specific internet governance question and support discussion among participants.
Open Forums are intended mainly for governments, treaty-based international organisations, and some global organisations working on internet governance. They should present relevant activities and leave space for questions and discussion.
Lightning Talks will be short, in-person presentations on specific internet governance issues. Pre-events, also known as Day 0 sessions, will take place before the official programme begins and will be allocated based on relevance, balance, and availability.
The call also covers community and networking formats. These include launches and awards linked to internet governance, as well as networking sessions for stakeholders working on shared issues, regions, or areas of activity.
IGF 2026 will be held in a hybrid format, with participation possible onsite in Nairobi and online. Organisers are expected to design sessions that allow meaningful participation for both groups. For workshop proposals, hybrid interactivity will be considered as part of the evaluation.
The call also addresses the use of artificial intelligence. AI tools may be used to help with drafting or language refinement, but proposals are expected to reflect the organisers’ own ideas, expertise, and policy questions. The IGF Secretariat may use AI-assisted tools to organise or analyse submissions, but workshop evaluation will remain the responsibility of the MAG.
Applicants are encouraged to choose the session type that best fits their objective. Workshop organisers are also encouraged to form diverse teams across gender, region, stakeholder group, age, perspective, and physical ability.
