July 11
New York
Hybrid
Convened by C4UN, Global Futures Forum 2026 brings together civil society organizations, regional networks, and reform actors to shape the future of the United Nations.
Convened by C4UN, Global Futures Forum 2026 brings together civil society organizations, regional networks, and reform actors to shape the future of the United Nations.
Reimagining Multilateralism Beyond the Pact for the Future
UN Reform Is Underway. Civil Society Paves the Way.
In 2024, world leaders adopted the Pact for the Future at the UN Summit of the Future, committing to reform across five areas: Sustainable development, Peace and security, Digital governance, Youth and future generations, and Transforming global governance.
While the ambitions are real, implementation faces growing geopolitical pressure, a serious budget crisis, and mounting skepticism about whether multilateral institutions can deliver.
The 2028 review of the Pact for the Future is the first formal moment to assess whether these commitments are being honored.
GFF 2026 is where civil society arrives at that process with a clear, coordinated position. Designed as a collaborative civic laboratory, it is a space to collectively shape practical ideas for the road to 2028 and beyond.
The Forum Centers on 3 Key Questions
01
What does a redesigned United Nations look like?
Participants will work through proposals on institutional structure, democratic participation, financing, and governance reform.
02
What kind of leadership does the UN need in this era?
The forum will examine the selection process for the Secretary-General, the principles that should govern UN leadership, and what legitimacy means when trust in multilateral institutions is under pressure.
03
What does success for the Pact for the Future actually require?
Participants will define the metrics, review mechanisms, and people-centered processes that determine whether the 2028 review is substantive or ceremonial.
The Road to GFF
The Road to GFF
GFF 2026 builds on years of sustained civil society engagement. The 2023 Global Futures Forum produced the People's Pact for the Future.
The 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi launched the ImPact Coalitions, bringing together organizations around shared reform priorities.
The 2025–2026 Regional Futures Forums extended that process across six regions.
Since February 2026, C4UN has convened regional civil society forums, bringing together organizations and stakeholders who rarely get to shape global governance conversations from their own context.
Each forum produced recommendations, surfaced regional challenges, and generated proposals that fed directly into the GFF agenda.
Civil Society Recommendations
for the 2028 Pact Review
A Collective Vision on the Future
UN System
Global Futures Forum
Advocacy Agenda
Your Time Here Creates Real Impact
Every session at GFF 2026 is designed to produce a concrete output. The work done here feeds directly into civil society's engagement with the 2028 review of the Pact for the Future.
Draft Program
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Registration
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Opening Plenary: From the Pact for the Future to the Next Era of
Multilateralism
10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Regional Futures Forum Assembly
1:15 pm - 3:00 pm
ImPact Coalition Forum
3:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Futures Design Labs
Lab 1: Measuring the Pact Focused on Accountability
Lab 2: Designing the UN After Reform
Lab 3: Leadership and Legitimacy
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Synthesis and Plenary Review
--
High-Level Closing Session: The Road to 2028
Voices at GFF 2026
GFF 2026 brings together civil society leaders, UN stakeholders, policy experts, youth movement representatives, and member state diplomats.
GFF is part of a bigger conversation
July 9
We the Peoples: Shaping
the Future of the UN
July 10
Major Groups and Other Stakeholders official session at HLPF
July 11
Global Futures Forum 2026
Sept
Outcomes Presented at UNGA
Resources
2025 Pact Progress Report
Stakeholder Monitoring Report
Pact Follow-up Dashboard
2026 Pact Timeline
Our Partners​
Join Us and Be a Part of the Change
The Global Futures Forum is open to civil society organizations, UN stakeholders, policymakers, youth leaders, and anyone working toward a more accountable multilateral system.
In-person attendance is at Scandinavia House, New York City.