Join us for RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia!

July 25, 2025 • Event info • 5 min read

We’re excited to announce that the 14th edition of RightsCon will take place in Lusaka, Zambia and online from Tuesday, May 5 to Friday, May 8, 2026. This marks our long-awaited return to the African continent since RightsCon Tunis in 2019, and our first-ever summit in Southern Africa. We can’t wait to welcome the community, hear your insights, learn about your work, and come together in Zambia! 

Why Africa?

Our return to Africa carries deep significance. During RightsCon Costa Rica in 2023, visa barriers disproportionately impacted participants from Africa, preventing hundreds of community members from attending in-person. In response, we made a commitment to bring RightsCon to the continent, and to do so with care, purpose, and accountability.

We’ve seen a surge in digital rights advocacy, research, and innovation across Africa in the last few years, often in challenging political and economic environments. Our decision to host RightsCon in Lusaka is not only about honoring the commitment we made back in 2023, but also about recognizing the strength, resilience, and global significance of Africa’s digital rights community.

“The world has changed dramatically since our last summit in Africa in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic, escalation of militarized global conflicts, rising authoritarianism, and new and disruptive emerging technologies underscores that spaces like RightsCon need to adapt, evolve, and grow in purpose to meet the needs of our community. Hosting RightsCon in Africa is not just important for the region, but it’s crucial to the global digital rights landscape right now.”

Nikki Gladstone, RightsCon Director

🇿🇲 Meet Lusaka, Zambia

Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia, a country located at the crossroads of Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa. Home to more than 20 million people and a burgeoning digital rights community, Zambia is considered one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies. 

In recent years, the government of Zambia has made significant strides in enhancing the country’s digital economy, with investments in expanded connectivity, digital literacy, and digitized delivery of public services, positioning the country as a regional hub for innovation. Lusaka has also become a focal point for the regional and international digital rights community, having hosted key convenings over the years, including Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) earlier this year, MozFest House in 2024 and Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAFRICA) in 2022. 

One of the key factors in choosing a location for RightsCon is the community access to our host country. In addition to offering visa free entry to 167 countries, Zambia provides a standard and accessible eVisa process for other countries, making participation viable for our global community. 

Our decision to bring RightsCon to Zambia was informed by an extensive, multi-year process and was made in consultation with community members and Access Now’s security and Africa regional teams.  Selecting a host country for RightsCon is never simple, and throughout this process, we have worked closely with regional partners to understand the evolving landscape, plan for participant safety, and uphold RightsCon as a trusted and crucial space that drives the global digital rights agenda forward. 

While Zambia offers a stable political context and a consistent record on civic freedoms, like many countries in the region and beyond, it also faces considerable challenges in safeguarding human rights amidst rapid digital transformation. This dual reality presents a meaningful opportunity, not only to convene safely, but to spotlight the vital work of local and regional civil society in advancing digital rights, often under difficult conditions.

“Hosting RightsCon 2026 in Africa is an opportunity to bring key global conversations that shape the future of human rights in the digital age to the continent. Next year’s summit will provide a platform for the RightsCon community to engage with Africa’s dynamic civil society movements and coalitions, fostering connections and resilience that will strengthen digital rights work across regions.”

Naro Omo-Osagie, Access Now Africa Policy and Advocacy Manager

Mark your calendars

RightsCon 2026 will take place from Tuesday, May 5 to Friday, May 8, shifting one day later than our usual Monday start. This change reflects important community feedback and allows us more flexibility to assist participants with travel and visa support in the days leading up to the summit.

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 we launch the Call for Proposals. 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!

Looking ahead

As we gear towards 2026, we are humbled by the community’s continuous support and feedback and we’re eager to apply the learnings and key takeaways from this year’s summit into every step of the road to Lusaka.

Supporting safe, meaningful participation will remain at the heart of our planning. We’ll be working closely with participants, providing guidance on visa applications, travel and accommodation recommendations, and programmatic and operational resources throughout the process, to help make it possible for everyone who wants to join the conversations at RightsCon to do so with support and ease.

“Now more than ever, spaces like RightsCon are vital. In this moment of global crisis, collaboration isn’t optional — it’s essential. RightsCon is where we come together not just to connect, but to build capacity, strengthen alliances, and shape collective strategies for a more just, equitable digital future. We can’t wait to continue this work at RightsCon 2026!”

Alejandro Mayoral Banos, Access Now Executive Director

We can’t wait to welcome you to RightsCon 2026 in Zambia and online!

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