The year begins with elections in Bangladesh, Thailand and Nepal, but also with the Vietnamese Communist Party Congress. The Philippines will hold the rotating presidency of ASEAN, while Shenzhen will host the APEC summit. Japan will host the 20th edition of the Asian Games. Anniversaries include 500 years of the Mughal Empire in India and 50 years since the death of Mao Zedong.

INTERNATIONAL YEARS AND SUPERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

The UN has declared 2026 Year of the Rangelands and Pastoralists, Volunteers, and the Woman Farmer. Grasslands cover about half of the planet's land area and are home to unique biodiversity. Pastoralists raise livestock, contribute to food security and preserve a rich cultural heritage and local and indigenous knowledge, preserving ecosystems around the world.

Another issue that will be the focus of attention for the United Nations over the next twelve months will be the contribution of volunteers to the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2026, the Philippines will assume the presidency of ASEAN

The People's Republic of China will host the APEC summit in Shenzhen, the forum that brings together the countries of Asia and the Pacific

In 2026, India will hold the rotating presidency of BRICS

In 2026, France will lead the G7, while the United States will lead the G20

ELECTIONS AND OTHER POLITICAL EVENTS

19-25 January: Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which will bring together 1,600 delegates to consolidate the leadership of General Secretary To Lam and approve the country's objectives for the five-year period up to 2030

25 January: last day of the disputed elections organised by the military junta in Myanmar

5 February: expiry of the NewSTART treaty between Russia and the United States on nuclear arms limitation

8 February: general elections in Thailand

12 February: general elections in Bangladesh

22 February: parliamentary elections in Laos

5 March: parliamentary elections in Nepal, the first since the youth riots in Kathmandu

March: approval of the 15th Five-Year Plan of the People's Republic of China during the annual National People's Congress

May: deadline set for general elections in Lebanon

7 June: parliamentary elections in Armenia

27 October: deadline for parliamentary elections in Israel (but they may be brought forward to June if the Netanyahu government, which currently does not have a majority in parliament, fails to pass the budget law by February

In Bahrain, general elections by November

Iraq must elect a new president by the end of the year

In India, elections will be held in 2026 to renew the governments of the states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the territory of Puducherry

INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS

9-12 February: World Health Expo in Dubai

24-27 February: Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development in Bangkok

17-22 May: The 13th World Urban Forum, an event promoted by the UN on the challenges of increasing urbanisation on the planet, will be held in Baku

8-22 September: UN General Assembly in New York

9-20 November: COP 31 World Conference on Climate Change in Antalya, Turkey

2-4 December: UN Conference on Water

NEW YEAR'S DAYS AND RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

17 February: Lunar New Year. The Year of the Horse begins in China

Ramadan 2026: Should begin on 18 February 2026 and end on 19 or 20 March 2026 – dates may vary depending on the sighting of the moon.

20 March: Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is celebrated

1 April: At sunset, the Jewish holiday of Passover begins

5 April: Easter for churches that follow the Gregorian calendar

12 April: Easter for Eastern Christian churches that follow the Julian calendar

1 May: Buddhist festival of Vesak

8 November: Hindu festival of Diwali

CHURCH

7-8 January: Consistory of all cardinals in Rome convened by Pope Leo XIV

28 January: Enthronement of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to hold the office of Anglican primate

23 May: Centenary of Pope Pius XI's motu proprio which, by merging the Lombard Seminary for Foreign Missions in Milan and the Pontifical Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul for Foreign Missions, gave rise to the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME)

2 July: Beatification of Fr Francis Truong Buu Diep, the first Vietnamese martyr of the 20th century to be raised to the honours of the altar, at the Tac Say Pilgrimage Centre in the diocese of Can Tho in the province of Ca Mau

20-26 July: 20th Plenary Assembly of the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences) in Indonesia

3-4 October: Eighth centenary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi

No international trips have yet been officially scheduled for Pope Francis. However, it is known that plans are underway for a trip in the spring that would take the Pope to Algeria, following in the footsteps of St. Augustine, in what would be the first trip by a pontiff to that country. From there, Prevost is expected to make stops in one or more countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Another itinerary that has been discussed concerns Latin America, starting with Peru, the country where Leo XIV was a missionary and bishop.

At the moment, there are no concrete plans for a trip to Asia, bearing in mind that the Pope will most likely travel to Seoul in 2027 for World Youth Day.

OTHER EVENTS

8-22 February: Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Italy

7 February-8 March: T20 Cricket World Cup in India and Sri Lanka

15 March 2026: Academy Awards in Los Angeles

11 June-19 July: FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico

19 September-4 October: XX Asian Games in Japan in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya

ANNIVERSARIES

15 January: 25th anniversary of the founding of Wikipedia

21 April: 500th anniversary of the founding of the Mughal Empire in India in 1526

26 April: Forty years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union

9 September: Fifty years since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976

11 September: Twenty-fifth anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York