RightsCon 2026 will take place in Lusaka, Zambia, from Tuesday, May 5 to Friday, May 8, 2026! This marks RightsCon's long-awaited return to the African continent and our first ever summit in Southern Africa.
Zambia is one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, with recent investments in expanded connectivity, digital literacy, and the delivery of public services, positioning the country as an emerging digital hub in the region. A key factor in choosing a location is access for our community, and Zambia offers an accessible eVisa process, along with visa-free entry for many countries.
These qualities, along with the country's digital rights ecosystem, made Zambia the right fit, but selecting a host country is never simple. The decision to bring RightsCon to Zambia was made in consultation with regional partners, conveners, community members, and the Access Now team, reflecting our continued commitment to building RightsCon together with you, the community.
The timeline for this year’s summit will remain largely consistent with RightsCon 2025. Here is a snapshot of the major upcoming milestones:
- Call for Proposals opens: August 1, 2025
- Call for Proposals closes: September 12, 2025
- Travel Support launches: September 2025
- Registration opens: November 2025
- Proposals notifications: December 2025
- Public session list: February 2026
- Summit Platform open: April 2026
- RightsCon 2026: May 5-8, 2026
Don’t miss the kickoff to RightsCon 2026 on August 1, 2025, when the Call for Proposals will be launched. As always, RightsCon’s program is built from a grassroots approach: sourced and led by the global digital rights community, so we look forward to seeing where you’ll take us next year!
