2026 Forum The Program

In a year where international aid has taken historic cuts, the Paris Peace Forum will place children at the heart of the global agenda. The Child Summit will mark a major moment to advance child wellbeing as a pillar of human capital development and sustainable economic growth.  

• Putting children first: the Forum will launch a declaration that will set global commitments and a shared framework for governments, businesses and civil society actors 

• Children in the age of AI: safeguarding and empowering the new generation  

• No child left hungry: protecting children from malnutrition in fragile and conflict-hit zones 

• Protection in conflict: the case of children in Ukraine 

Amid rising global fragmentation, participants will examine new geopolitical dynamics and the means of rebuilding frameworks for cooperation, including where traditional multilateralism is currently at a standstill. From the human and social impact of conflict to democratic erosion, from the protection of civic space to information integrity, this segment will give voice to different stakeholders who will discuss solutions and possible pathways forward in the face of multiplying crises. Topics likely to be addressed include: 

• Rewiring multilateralism: new principles for global cooperation and stronger institutions 

• Defending truth and open societies: information integrity, civic space, and pluralism against democratic backsliding  

• Protecting civilians in war: upholding international humanitarian law and sustaining essential services in conflict 

• Peace built with civil society: from Israeli-Palestinian dialogue to a civilian-centered path in Sudan 

The Forum will explore how states, businesses and civil society can build more open, secure and equitable governance frameworks for AI, ensuring that innovation drives shared prosperity rather than deepening global divides. It will examine the geopolitical and economic stakes of the technology, along with the challenges and opportunities it presents in fields such as cybersecurity, child protection, and preparing tomorrow’s workforce through AI literacy and skilling. Topics likely to be addressed include:  

• Building AI’s future together: North-South cooperation and open, resilient AI 

• AI’s double edge: managing cyber risk, from capable AI to the Pall Mall Process 

• iRaise: building AI that benefits children 

• AI for everyone: literacy and skills for the future of work, and closing the gender gap 

Besides the special focus placed on safeguarding children’s essential needs (health, nutrition, education), other sessions will also address the broader development challenges shaping resilience and prosperity worldwide, such as agricultural transformation or the mobilization of private capital for sustainable growth. Topics likely to be addressed include: 

• Mobilizing private capital: is investment risk in emerging economies overblown? 

• Food in Africa through the shocks: building agricultural resilience amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis 

• Innovation for all: expanding smallholder access to agricultural technology 

• Healthier policy, healthier people: countering health disinformation and reimagining drug policy 

At a moment when environmental and resource challenges are reshaping international cooperation, participants will look into ways to build more responsible and equitable models for the energy transition, in fields such as critical mineral sovereignty, green industrial cooperation, and the financing of responsible mining. They will examine a range of topics from the implementation of shared commitments to protect the high seas to means for local and youth-led solutions for fair and resilient climate action. Topics likely to be addressed include: 

• Protecting the high seas: implementing the BBNJ Treaty, marine protected areas, and beating plastic pollution 

• From mineral sovereignty to shared value: green industrial cooperation, responsible mining finance, and local solutions for a fair transition 

• Building climate resilience: can cities, science and nature align? 

• Redefining CSR: from corporate responsibility to mutual value creation