Geopolitical Calendar

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Date	Event	Location
16 Sep 2026	EU State of the Union speech	Europe
Annual EU State of the Union address laying out EU priorities and initiatives, including on AI and social media, Ukraine and European security, trade defence, critical minerals, and innovation and competition.
22-29 Sep 2026	UN General Assembly	Global
The 81st Session of the UN General Assembly will hold its high-level General Debate in New York City, with world leaders gathering from around 22 September 2026.
23 Sep 2026	General election	Morocco
The ruling coalition formed after the 2021 vote and led by the National Rally of Independents is likely to retain power.
3 Oct 2026	Parliamentary election	Latvia
Latvia First (LPV) is polling among the frontrunners ahead of the election.
3-8 Oct 2026	Pre-COP31	Global
Fiji will host a pre-COP31 meeting to help countries advance discussions and build consensus ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in November. The main ministerial and negotiation sessions will take place in Nadi (Fiji) and the special leaders’ segment will be in Tuvalu.
4 Oct 2026	General election	Brazil
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva leads against potential far-right candidates, though challenges to his candidacy will persist.
4 Oct 2026	General election	Bosnia and Herzegovina
The overall state-level results are likely to lead to prolonged government formation. In Republika Srpksa, the ethnic Serb-majority entity, the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) is likely to win the elections given their popularity and their control of state institutions.
12-18 Oct 2026	IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings	Global
The 2026 Annual Meetings will be held in Bangkok (Thailand). Key topics will include economic growth, financial stability, poverty reduction, climate finance, and other global development priorities.
14 Oct 2026	The International AI Summit	Europe
Ireland will host an international summit on AI focused on strengthening Europe’s competitiveness through applied AI, digital infrastructure, innovation and AI governance.
15 Oct 2026	G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting	Global
The G20 finance and central bank stakeholders will meet in Bangkok, Thailand alongside the 2026 Annual Meetings hosted by the IMF and World Bank.
19-23 Oct 2026	Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC)	Global
COP13 will take place in Vienna, Austria. The meeting will focus on the implementation of UNTOC, international legal co-operation against organised crime, trafficking, smuggling, firearms and emerging crime threats.
25 Oct 2026	Presidential election	Bulgaria
After the first round of Bulgaria’s presidential election, a second round will be held on 1 November should no candidate win 50% of the vote.
25-27 Oct 2026	UNCTAD’s World Investment Forum	Global
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will convene the 9th World Investment Forum in Doha (Qatar) under the theme “Investing in the Future”.
27 Oct 2026	Legislative elections	Israel
Legislative elections will elect the 120 members of the 26th Knesset. An electoral victory by an opposition bloc appears increasingly likely, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu couldwill likely destabilise the opposition by looking to form an alliance with right-of-centre parties.
28-29 Oct 2026	Russia-Africa Summit	Global
The 3rd Russia-Africa Summit will be held in Moscow (Russia) where the focus will be on expanding economic co-operation, AI, digital economy, alternative payment systems, food security and investment.
30-31 Oct 2026	G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting	Global
G20 foreign ministers will meet in Atlanta, Georgia.
3 Nov 2026	Off-cycle state, congressional and gubernatorial elections	USA
The 2026 US midterm elections will elect all members of the House of Representatives (lower house), one third of the Senate (upper house), governors in 36 US states, and over 6,000 state legislative seats.
7 Nov 2026	General election	New Zealand
The general election will determine whether the governing National-led coalition retains power or is replaced by a Labour-led coalition.
9-20 Nov 2026	Conference of the Parties (COP31)	Global
Australia and Turkiye will co-host the summit, which will be held in Turkiye. However, major multilateral binding progress remains unlikely.
15 Nov 2026	Presidential election	Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde will hold a presidential election, with a second round scheduled for 29 November if no candidate wins an outright majority. Paulo Veiga recently emerged as the frontrunner for the ruling Movement for Democracy (MpD) nomination ahead of the presidential race.
18-19 Nov 2026	APEC Economic Leaders Summit	Global
China will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen. Leaders of APEC’s 21 member economies (which include the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, and ASEAN economies, among others) will meet to promote regional trade and investment liberalisation.
1 Dec 2026	G20 Presidency	UK
The UK takes over the presidency of the G20 from the US.
2-4 Dec 2026	UN Water Conference	Global
The UN Water Conference - launched in 2023 as a spiritual successor to the 1977 UN Water Conference - will convene in the UAE with cohost Senegal for its second edition. Its purpose is to achieve SDG 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation, with particular attention paid to the fact that the UN system is now in the final third of its fifteen-year 2030 Agenda timeline.
4-8 Dec 2026	Hanukkah	Global
Eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple.
5 Dec 2026	Presidential elections	The Gambia
Incumbent president Adama Barrow is running for a third term.
6 Dec 2026	General election	Guinea-Bissau
The general election will aim to restore civilian constitutional rule following the 2025 military coup and will serve as a key test of democratic transition and regional stability in West Africa.
13 Dec 2026	General election	Haiti
Although the general election is scheduled, it is highly likely to be postponed due to intense insecurity.
14-15 Dec 2026	G20 Leaders Summit	Global
The 21st G20 Leaders’ Summit is scheduled to take place in Miami (Florida, US), marking the first US-hosted G20 since 2008[SP6.1]. The US presidency’s priorities focus on unleashing economic prosperity, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering innovation in AI and emerging technologies.
22 Dec 2026	General election	South Sudan
The general election will be the country’s first since independence and represents a critical milestone in the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement.
25 Dec 2026	Christmas Day	Global
Annual Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
1 Jan 2027	G7 Presidency	USA
The US takes over the presidency of the G7 from France.
16 Jan 2027	General election	Nigeria
General elections will be held to elect the president and vice president, members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
27 Jan 2027	Presidential election	Kyrgyzstan
Incumbent President Sadyr Japarov is eligible to seek a second term following a Constitutional Court ruling that his current mandate counts as his first under the 2021 Constitution.
30 Jan 2027	Presidential election	Germany
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is term-limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term.
7 Feb-8 Mar 2027	Ramadan	Global
Islamic holy month of fasting, prayer and reflection observed by Muslims worldwide.
20 Feb 2027	Presidential election	El Salvador
The presidential and legislative elections will take place under newly amended constitutional rules that permit the indefinite re-election of the president. Incumbent President Nayib Bukele of Nuevas Ideas is running for re-election for a third term.
26-29 Mar 2027	Christian holiday of Easter	Global
The Christian holiday of Easter may coincide with elevated extremist activity, especially in hotspot regions such as the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.
12-18 Apr 2027	IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings	Global
The Spring Meetings will be held in Washington DC (US). Participants include central bankers, finance and development ministers, private sector leaders, civil society representatives and academics.
18 Apr 2027	Presidential election	France
The presidential election will likely be highly contentious, with a second round on 2 May if no candidate secures a majority vote.