The Week Ahead at the United Nations in Brussels, Belgium and further afar. Join events, seminars and conferences, in person or online, from the heart of the European Union to UN Headquarters and missions around the world.
Find out about key UN-EU events, international observances and global summits.
Bookmark this page to stay abreast of what’s happening.
BRUSSELS/BELGIUM:
29 September
- Join FAO & UNEP for the 7th Observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
Hybrid, Rome – 12.30-14.00 CEST – Additional information
30 September
- ILO will participate in an event titled: “From aid to ownership: Rethinking international development through a cooperative lens”, organized by Cooperatives Europe
Comet Louise, Place Stéphanie 20, 1050 Bruxelles – 13.30-17.30 CEST – Additional information
1 October
At the European Parliament:
- DEVE: Debriefing by the DEVE and ENVI delegation on the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, 13-15 July 2026, New York, United States.
- AFET: Exchange of views with the UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva, Head of the UN Task Force for the Strait of Hormuz.
12 October
- Roundtable Discussion – Green Hydrogen and Innovative Fertilizer Production: Towards a Win -Win Partnership in the EU & Africa
NRW representation, Room Heine – 14:00 – 15:30 CEST – Additional Information
12-14 October
- European Week of Regions and Cities
EP, COR & DG REGIO, Brussels – Additional information
13 October
SDG-Forum Belgium
Flagey, Place Sainte Croix, 1050 Ixelles
Additional information
- Climate and information integrity (UNRIC & FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment)
EN / NL / FR – 11.00-12.30 CEST
- Whose SDGs, whose Rules? (UNA Belgium)
EN – 11.00-12.30 CEST - Agri-food systems and the SDGs: accelerating the transition (FAO)
EN – 13.30-15.00 CEST - “Navigating Uncertain Times: Let’s Stick Together!” The importance of belonging to an SDG Community (CIFAL Brussels)
EN – 13.30-15.00 CEST - The Future of the Global Workforce: Rethinking the Quality of Education (UN Youth Association Brussels)
EN / NL – 13.30-15.00 CEST - Biedt de VN jongeren een duurzame toekomst? Intergenerationeel debat, van Agenda 2030 tot 2050 (VVN)
NL – 15.30-17.00 CEST - Leaving no one behind: Migration as a powerful driver for sustainable development (IOM)
EN – 15.30-17.00 CEST
Until 15 October
- Photographic exhibition A New Generation of Scientists – Parc de Bruxelles
More on the Brussels exhibit | Exhibit info
15 October
- Start of the UN Brussels’ Back to school campaign
22 October
- Cine ONU de Wilde Noordzee (with UNEP)
23 October
- UN80 ‘Shared Lives, Shared Future’ exhibition (open for three weeks)
Koekelberg, Brussels – Opening at 4 p.m – Additional information
- WIIS Brussels « Conversations With » session featuring Florence Raes, the Director of UN Women Brussels
WIIS Brussels (in person) – 18.30 CEST – Additional information
24 October
- UN Day celebrations
3 November
- The ILO will participate in a research conference on “The socio-economic value of job quality”, organized by the European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) in association with the EESC
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Rue Belliard 99/101 Brussels Belgium – Additional information
EUROPE AND BEYOND:
September
28 September to 2 October
- COFO 28 and World Forest Week events
Hybrid, Rome (Italy) – Additional information
29 September
- FAO and UNEP to mark International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
Hybrid, Rome (Italy) – 12.30-14.00 CEST – Additional information
October
1 October
- FAO to mark first observance of International Coffee Day
Rome, Italy (Hybrid) – 12.15-16.00 CEST – Additional information
5-7 October
- 2026 EIFAAC International Symposium on managing and conserving inland Fisheries and Aquaculture resources in a changing world
Riga, Latvia – Additional information
8-16 October
- World Food Forum 2026
Rome, Italy – Additional Information
12-16 October
- FAO Science and Innovation Forum 2026
Hybrid (Rome, Italy) – Additional information - Rome Water Dialogue 2026
Hybrid (Rome, Italy) – Additional information
13-16 October
- Hand-in-Hand Initiative Investment Forum 2026
Hybrid (Rome, Italy) – Additional information
15 October
- Junior World Food Day 2026
Additional information
16 October
- 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17)
Yerevan, Armenia – Additional information - World Food Day
Additional information
25-27 October
- 9th World Investment Forum 2026 (UNCTAD)
Doha, Qatar – Additional information
LOOKING AHEAD:
2-4 December
- 2026 United Nations Water Conference
Dubai, UAE – Additional information
25 January to 12 February 2027
- The United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters
Manila, Philippines – Additional information
3-4 May 2027
- UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance 2027
UNHQ, New York – Additional information
Upcoming observances:
Observances designated by UN agencies or with a global dimension are marked with an asterisk (*).
September
- 05 September: International Day of Charity (A/RES/67/105)
- 05 September: International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls (A/RES/80/10)
- 07 September: International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (A/RES/74/212)
- 07 September: International Day of Police Cooperation (A/RES/77/241)
- 07 September: World Duchenne Awareness Day (A/RES/78/12)
- 08 September: International Literacy Day (14 C/Resolution 1.441)
- 09 September: International Day to Protect Education from Attack (A/RES/74/275)
- 12 September: United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation (A/RES/58/220)
- 15 September: International Day of Democracy (A/RES/62/7)
- 16 September: International Day of Science, Technology and Innovation for the South (A/RES/78/259)
- 16 September: International Day for Interventional Cardiology (A/RES/76/302)
- 16 September: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (A/RES/49/114)
- 17 September: World Patient Safety Day
- 18 September: International Equal Pay Day (A/RES/74/142)
- 20 September: World Cleanup Day (A/RES/78/122)
- 21 September: International Day of Peace (A/RES/36/67)
- 23 September: International Day of Sign Languages (A/RES/72/161)
- 24 September: World Maritime Day
- 26 September: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (A/RES/68/32)
- 27 September: World Tourism Day
- 28 September: International Day for Universal Access to Information (A/RES/74/5)
- 29 September: International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (A/RES/74/209)
- 30 September: International Translation Day (A/RES/71/288)
International Years 2026
- International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists | A/RES/76/253
- International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development | A/RES/78/127
- International Year of the Woman Farmer | A/RES/78/279
International Decades
- United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035)
NEW International Year
- 2028 Proclaimed Year of International Law
