Following the approval in principle of the agenda of the open session by the members of the ICIC Executive Committee and the Planning Committee, the 5th online meeting of the Planning Committee was held to discuss the next organizational steps of the ICIC Conference, which will be co-organized with UNESCO in Sierra Leone on 28-30 September 2026.

The Commissioner’s Office in its capacity as Secretariat moderated the meeting, during which several technical issues were raised such as the relocation of the meetings of the regional networks, specifically the Latin and European networks, where colleagues from the counterparts of Spain and Portugal are also participating. It was also discussed to start work on drafting a joint ICIC-UNESCO declaration, where the members proposed Mr. Mendel from CLD to draft the first draft. In his capacity as the organizer, Commissioner Shaw of Sierra Leone invited all participants to express interest in participating in the conference panels as speakers.

The next meeting is expected to take place in June.