An event of the Tech Diplomacy Global Institute

Tech Diplomacy Global Assembly 2026

The Founding of the Expert Councils
AI · Cybersecurity · Quantum · Space

Paris · Friday, 11 December 2026

The Annual Assembly

Each summer, the Tech Diplomacy Global Forum convenes the world at UNESCO. Each December, the Tech Diplomacy Global Assembly will convene the community itself: the moment when the Institute’s councils are seated, its graduates celebrated, and its year’s work given to the next.

The inaugural Assembly takes place in Paris on 11 December 2026, at 3 Mazarium. It marks a founding moment for the Institute and for the field it serves.

It closes a year in which the Institute launched the Global Technology Diplomacy Report at Davos, convened 500 leaders at the Tech Diplomacy Africa Symposium in Cape Town, brought 1,200 participants from over 100 economies to the second Tech Diplomacy Global Forum at UNESCO Headquarters, and carried a three-part conversation on AI governance from New York to the Tech Diplomacy Asia Symposium in Tashkent. Paris is where that year is handed on.

The Founding

Four councils begin their first mandate

The centerpiece of the day is the founding of the four Expert Councils of the Tech Diplomacy Global Institute:

Selected from applications received worldwide, the founding members of the 2027 to 2028 mandate will be presented at the Assembly as their councils are formally constituted. From this evening, the councils begin the work described in their mandates: anticipating how frontier technologies are reshaping international relations, and giving governments the frameworks they need to respond.

Explore the Expert Councils →

 

Attending

The Assembly is held by invitation. Council members, participants of the Tech Diplomacy Global Executive Program, Tech Ambassadors, partners of the Institute, and representatives of governments and international organizations are invited directly. If you would like to be considered, or you are enquiring about media accreditation, please write to the Secretariat.

Places can also be requested directly through our registration page. All registrations are confirmed by the Secretariat.

Preliminary Program

08:30 – 09:15

Registration and Welcome

09:30 – 10:00

Opening of the Tech Diplomacy Global Assembly

10:00 – 10:30

High-level conversation
Tech Diplomacy in Practice: Lessons from the Front Line

10:30 – 11:25

AI Diplomacy Council
Governing AI Across Borders

11:25 – 11:50

Keynote
Beyond the AGI Arms Race: A Positive Path Forward for Global Tech Diplomacy
Alvin W. Graylin

11:50 – 12:45

Cyber Diplomacy Council
Crisis in Cyberspace: A Live Simulation

12:45 – 14:30

Lunch and Council Working Sessions

14:30 – 15:15

Quantum Diplomacy Council
Postcards from 2035: Diplomacy in the Quantum Era

15:15 – 15:45

Fireside Chat
Can Diplomacy Keep Pace with Technology?

15:45 – 16:30

Space Diplomacy Council
Who Governs Orbit? Diplomacy for a Crowded Space

16:30 – 16:40

Graduation of the Tech Diplomacy Global Executive Program, Cohort 1

16:40 – 17:00

Seating of the Expert Councils and Closing

Speakers

Portrait of Prof. Alvin Wang Graylin

Prof. Alvin Wang Graylin

Senior Fellow for Technology, Asia Society Policy Institute, Center for China Analysis
United States

Portrait of H.E. Greg Michelier

H.E. Greg Michelier

Ambassador for Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Bahamas

Portrait of H.E. Dr. Eugenio Vargas Garcia

H.E. Dr. Eugenio Vargas Garcia

Tech Ambassador, Brazil

Portrait of H.E. Casper Klynge

H.E. Casper Klynge

Vice President, Government Partnerships, Zscaler
Denmark

Portrait of H.E. Dr. Nele Leosk

H.E. Dr. Nele Leosk

Team Lead, Knowledge Hub Digital, European Commission
Estonia

Portrait of Prof. Corneliu Bjola

Prof. Corneliu Bjola

Professor of Digital Diplomacy, University of Oxford, UK

Portrait of Dr. Olga Cavalli

Dr. Olga Cavalli

Director, South School on Internet Governance, Argentina

Portrait of Prof. Dr. Tawfik Jelassi

Prof. Dr. Tawfik Jelassi

Chair of the Supervisory Board, Tech Diplomacy Global Institute
Tunisia

Portrait of Dr. Ilan Manor

Dr. Ilan Manor

Senior Lecturer, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Portrait of Martin Rauchbauer

Martin Rauchbauer

Head of Unit Focus Point New Technologies, Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs
Austria

Portrait of Dr. Sarah Dagher Al Feghali

Dr. Sarah Dagher Al Feghali

Chief Innovation Officer, Tech Diplomacy Global Institute
United Arab Emirates

Portrait of Ayumi Moore Aoki

Ayumi Moore Aoki

Founder-President, Tech Diplomacy Global Institute
France

Portrait of Dr. Sïmon Saneback

Dr. Sïmon Saneback

Chief Operating Officer, Tech Diplomacy Global Institute
Sweden

Portrait of Mostafa Abdelaziz

Mostafa Abdelaziz

Chief Judge, Dean’s Advisor & Lecturer of Cybercrime Investigations,, Egyptian Court of Cassation, The British University in Egypt

Portrait of Khulud Almutairi

Khulud Almutairi

Researcher and founder, KACST and QSaudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

Portrait of Adrien Cherqui

Adrien Cherqui

Deputy Director, Chaos International - Transnational Research Center
France

Portrait of Cierra Choucair

Cierra Choucair

CEO & Co-founder, Universum Labs
United States

Portrait of Thao Griffiths

Thao Griffiths

Public Policy Director, Meta Platforms Inc.
Singapore

Portrait of Elizabeth Irwin

Elizabeth Irwin

Public policy leader
United States

Portrait of Prof. Laureano Jiménez-Esteller

Prof. Laureano Jiménez-Esteller

Professor in Chemical Engineering, Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Spain

Portrait of Timo Koster

Timo Koster

Consultant / Strategic Advisor, TSKOS STRATEGY LTD.
Curaçao

Portrait of Taro Kuusiholma

Taro Kuusiholma

General Counsel, International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), Tabear Consulting Ltd.
Finland

Portrait of Piero Messina

Piero Messina

Senior Policy Advisor, European Space Agency
France

Portrait of Dr. Mario Rivero-Huguet

Dr. Mario Rivero-Huguet

Senior Advisor Science Diplomacy and Global AI Governance
Canada

Portrait of Mustafa Yaasin Sheik

Mustafa Yaasin Sheik

Director General, National Communications Authority of Somalia

Portrait of Dr. Aishwarya Vishwakarma

Dr. Aishwarya Vishwakarma

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Geneva
Switzerland

Portrait of Andrew Wyckoff

Andrew Wyckoff

Adjunct Professor and Visiting Senior Fellow, Georgetown University, Brookings Institution, IE and EUI
United States

Portrait of Elif Yüksel

Elif Yüksel

Vice President of Business Development, Global Space Solutions LLC
Türkiye

Portrait of Dr. Edith Euan

Dr. Edith Euan

Director - Deep Tech Public Funding, Axelera AI
Belgium

Portrait of Lara Natale

Lara Natale

Chief Impact Officer, Centre for Future Generations
Belgium

Portrait of Michelle Sahar

Michelle Sahar

Head of Cybersecurity and AI Policy, OpenPolicy
United States