Geopolitical calendar

2022	Event	Location
5-8 Sep 2022	Eastern Economic Forum	Russia, India, Asia-Pacific
The Eastern Economic Forum is being held in Vladivostok (Russia) to discuss economic, political and cultural relations between Asia-Pacific countries and Russia. India is also participating, indicating the significant relationship between Russia and India, which has been a focus given India’s neutral stance in the Ukraine conflict.
8-9 Sep 2022	Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Ministerial	US/Indo-Pacific
The gathering, held in Los Angeles (US), comes under a US economic initiative (the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework) designed to counter China’s influence in the Pacific. It will include discussion on trade, supply chains, clean energy, tax and anti-corruption initiatives.
9 Sep 2022	Emergency meeting on energy crisis	EU
At the meeting, the European Commission will likely propose both emergency measures to combat surging energy prices and a broader reform of the EU energy market. EU member states will likely quickly agree on stopgap measures, such as an energy price cap or other technical measures to reduce prices. However, longer-term reforms will likely take several more months to agree.
11 Sep 2022	Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks	US
The 21st anniversary of 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
11 Sep 2022	Parliamentary election	Sweden
The incumbent Social Democrats are likely to win the largest share of the vote. However, the party is unlikely to gain a majority. Government formation prospects will likely hinge on whether centrist parties are prepared to govern with the far-right Sweden Democrats in a coalition led by the centre-right Moderate Party. Government formation is likely to take several weeks.
13-27 Sep 2022	Opening of the UN General Assembly	Global
The 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York (US) will provide a chance to review progress in implementing the pledges from the 2021 General Assembly, such as vaccine equity and climate change action. The Ukraine conflict and its ramifications will also feature.
14-15 Sep 2022	G7 trade ministers meeting	Global
The trade ministers from the G7 member states will hold a meeting in Neuhardenberg (Germany). The summit will focus strengthening global trade, COVID-19 recovery, ESG standards and resilient supply chains.
15-16 Sep 2022	Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)	Global
The summit will take place in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). It is the largest regional grouping in Eurasia and is expanding to include some countries in MENA and Asia. The SCO was created to address the issues of terrorism, extremism, and separatism. It has since focused on developing security and economic ties, as well as widening its membership. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt will become dialogue partners and Iran will become a full member this year.
25 Sep 2022	General election	Italy
A general election will be held following a government collapse in July 2022. Anti-establishment and right-wing parties lead in the polls, which suggests a likely return to a populist approach following relative stability under Prime Minister Mario Draghi. The economy, energy costs and supplies, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict will likely be critical issues in the election campaign.
Oct-Nov 2022	Second Russia-Africa Summit	Russia/Africa
The first Russia-Africa Summit was held in Sochi (Russia) in 2019. The second event will be held in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Russia is already a big investor in Africa, and in the wake of Western sanctions there is a greater impetus for Russia to find alternative markets for its energy, grain and other commodities.
16 Oct 2022	20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China	China
The National Congress is held every five years. President Xi Jinping will likely seek to extend his leadership. Energy, economic and environmental issues will likely be discussed.
16-18 Oct 2022	World Health Summit 2022	Global
The World Health Summit will be held in Berlin (Germany). Experts, businesses and politicians will engage in critical discussions on key health-related issues. COVID-19 and other burgeoning diseases will likely be a central focus.
19-21 Oct	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) finance minister meeting	Asia/Americas
The meeting will take place in Bangkok (Thailand) to discuss regional and global economic challenge. These include rising inflation, COVID-19 recovery, sustainable finance and digitisation.
25 Oct 2022	International Conference on Ukraine Reconstruction	Europe
The European Commission and the German G7 Presidency will co-host an international conference in Berlin (Germany) on the reconstruction of Ukraine after start of the conflict in February.
29 Oct 2022	UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee	Global
A special 150-nation meeting in New Delhi (India) will focus on emerging technologies that are experiencing rapid development and pose an increasing threat of abuse for terrorism purposes.
3-4 Nov 2022	G7 Foreign Ministers summit	Global
The foreign ministers of the G7 member states will meet in Munster (Germany). The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the worsening economic and energy outlook into the heating season in the northern hemisphere (October-March) will likely be key topics of discussion.
7-18 Nov 2022	27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)	Global
Convened in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) COP 27 will enable the assessment of progress by parties to commitments agreed under the Glasgow Climate Pact (COP 26) and a further opportunity to agree co-ordinated action to address climate change.
8 Nov 2022	Midterm elections	US
The US elections will be held for all 435 seats of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate. This is the first national election since the 2020 presidential election. It will likely be a bellwether for President Biden’s and the Democratic Party’s approval more broadly ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
14-19 Nov 2022	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)	Asia/Americas
The APEC leaders’ summit will take place in Bangkok (Thailand). APEC will continue to encourage trade between member states and promote sustainability.
15-16 Nov 2022	G20 leaders’ summit	Global
The 17th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit will convene in Bali (Indonesia). The G20 comprises 19 countries and the EU. The summit will focus on matters including the Ukraine crisis, the global economy as well as equitable COVID-19 vaccine access.
21st Nov - 18th Dec 2022	FIFA World Cup Qatar	Global
The choice of Qatar as host nation for the men’s soccer (football) tournament has proved controversial, and multiple national teams and other stakeholders have raised concerns about the country’s human rights record, particularly around labour rights. Activist groups will continue to urge businesses associated with the competition to raise concerns, and engage in a socially responsible way.
13-15 Dec 2022	US-Africa Leaders’ Summit	US/Africa
The summit will focus on new economic engagement between the US and African countries, promote human rights and democracy, regional security, food insecurity and climate change. This comes after the US in 2022 updated its policy on the region to engage beyond extremist threats.