RightsCon 2026 was effectively cancelled after the Zambian government announced a postponement just days before the summit, prompting organisers to advise participants not to travel to Lusaka. That abrupt move cut short what had been planned as RightsCon’s return to the African continent from 5–8 May 2026.
Many of us were looking forward not only to the event itself but also to the diverse perspectives, difficult conversations, and cross-movement exchanges that RightsCon enables. This year felt especially important because colleagues across Africa were preparing to host these discussions on their own turf, grounding global debates in local realities, leadership, and lived experience. Losing that opportunity is a real setback for regional visibility, exchange, and influence in a space that depends on broad participation and civic openness.
A Facilitative Leadership Recipe
We had planned to run an in-person session on Friday, 8 May: A Facilitative Leadership Recipe. We envisioned a practical, participatory session exploring how facilitative leadership can help groups navigate complexity, share power, and make better collective decisions — values that feel even more urgent in moments like this.
Rather than let that energy fade, we’ve decided to move the session online and open it to everyone, not just those registered for RightsCon.
Join us online for A Facilitative Leadership Recipe
Friday, 8 May, 9:00 AM UTC
Register here
A taster for the Strategy Design Cohort
The session also serves as a taster for FabRiders’ upcoming Strategy Design Cohort, a structured online programme for civil society leaders and practitioners developing or updating organisational and programme strategies. Applications for the next cohort, beginning in early June 2026, are now open.
We hope you’ll join us online to keep the conversation going, and to help hold open the kinds of participatory spaces that matter precisely because they are not guaranteed.
