The summit will address key issues concerning children, including health, education, nutrition, new technologies, AI and the protection of children affected by conflict
As international development aid faces cuts and artificial intelligence (AI) advances rapidly, the Paris Peace Forum, an international platform for dialogue and cooperation, will host its ninth edition in Paris on November 10 and 11, bringing together global stakeholders for the first Child Summit since 1990 to discuss children’s rights, health, education and well-being, alongside broader issues including AI governance, geopolitics and sustainable development.
In a press statement, officials of the Paris Peace Forum say that the summit will address key issues concerning children, including health, education, nutrition, new technologies, AI and the protection of children affected by conflict. The discussions will examine how governments and other stakeholders can collectively safeguard children’s rights and make their development a priority in sustainable development strategies.
It adds that the summit will produce three key outcomes, including the Children First Declaration, a common call to action backed by global leaders, the Child Priority Framework, designed to help governments identify effective investments in areas such as maternal care, immunisation and nutrition; and the Action Hub for Children, which will mobilise private-sector expertise, innovation and resources to support children.
According to the statement, the ninth edition of the Forum will also address broader international challenges under four major themes: peace and geopolitics, emerging technologies, development and the planet.
The peace and geopolitics sessions will examine changing global power dynamics and explore ways to rebuild international cooperation amid growing fragmentation and difficulties facing traditional multilateral institutions.
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The emerging technologies discussions will focus on how governments, businesses and civil society can work together to establish safer, more open and equitable AI governance, ensuring that technological progress contributes to shared prosperity rather than widening global inequalities.
The development sessions will examine challenges beyond children’s basic needs, including agricultural transformation and the mobilisation of private capital for sustainable growth. Discussions on environmental issues will focus on responsible and equitable energy transitions, access to critical minerals, green industrial cooperation and financing for responsible mining.
According to the statement, the main sessions will take place at the Palais de Chaillot on November 10 and 11, while thematic events organised with partner organisations will be held at cultural and academic venues across Paris on November 8, 9 and 12.
The programme will begin on November 8 with a public screening of Inside Gaza at the Arab World Institute. The documentary follows the daily lives and work of Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists during wartime. The screening will be open to the public, with free tickets available through the organisers.
Other venues hosting events include the Musée de l’Homme, Musée de la Marine, Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine and Théâtre national de la Danse-Chaillot. The organisers note that some events will be accessible only by invitation, while attendance at all events will be subject to venue capacity and registration requirements.
