In Conversation With Mr Mikel Aguirre, UNESCO’s Social Media 4 Peace project coordinator
Loading player...
South Africa is set to host one of the world’s largest gatherings of media, digital and information regulators, as over 50 countries prepare to convene in Pretoria for the International Conference on Digital Platform Governance on 12 and 13 February 2026.
The conference comes at a time when governments and regulators globally are under increasing pressure to respond to the growing influence of digital platforms — not only in shaping public opinion and information access, but also in amplifying online harms such as disinformation, hate speech, harassment, and algorithm-driven manipulation.
The event is co-hosted by the Information, Communication, Technologies and Media Regulators Forum of South Africa, together with the Social Media 4 Peace South Africa (SM4PSA) coalition. It is supported by international bodies including UNESCO, the African Network of Regulatory Authorities, the Francophone Network of Regulatory Authorities, the I4T Knowledge Network, the South African National Commission for UNESCO, the European University Institute, and the European Union.
The conference comes at a time when governments and regulators globally are under increasing pressure to respond to the growing influence of digital platforms — not only in shaping public opinion and information access, but also in amplifying online harms such as disinformation, hate speech, harassment, and algorithm-driven manipulation.
The event is co-hosted by the Information, Communication, Technologies and Media Regulators Forum of South Africa, together with the Social Media 4 Peace South Africa (SM4PSA) coalition. It is supported by international bodies including UNESCO, the African Network of Regulatory Authorities, the Francophone Network of Regulatory Authorities, the I4T Knowledge Network, the South African National Commission for UNESCO, the European University Institute, and the European Union.
