Leaders' Summits
The Christchurch Call Community of governments, online service providers, civil society, and partner organisations gathers for regular summits and leaders' meetings. This page has information about those events.
Leaders' Summit - 10 November 2023
In a time of rapid technological change and complex conflict, the Christchurch Call Commitments remain as relevant as ever.
Aotearoa New Zealand and France co-hosted the fifth Christchurch Call Leaders’ Summit in Paris on 10 November 2023. This was an opportunity for leaders from government, the tech sector, partner organisations, and civil society to advance the vital work of the Call together.
Additional papers
In addition to the joint statement, other papers were produced in preparation for the Summit, including the Summit agenda, supporting papers for each meeting agenda item, and background papers reflecting the Call Community’s work over the course of 2022 and 2023.
Previous Leaders' Summits:
Leaders' Summit - September 2022, New York
The fourth Leaders' Summit took place in New York on 20 September 2022. This meeting included leaders from across government, online service providers, and civil society.
The Summit provided leaders with a platform to consider the community’s priorities, articulate their own priorities, and provide strategic direction for the coming year.
Leaders also considered future challenges and opportunities, including how new technology might impact the Call community’s work. The discussion centred on three topics:
- Incident response, and the ongoing challenge of terrorist and violent extremist content
- Algorithms, radicalisation, and gender
- Future focus of the Call, new technology, and youth.
Read more about these topics and the actions leaders have endorsed in the Joint Statement by the Christchurch Call Leaders' Summit co-chairs, Aotearoa New Zealand and France.
Christchurch Call Community Statements
Ahead of the Leaders' Summit, members of the Call Community were invited to provide statements on their actions towards achieving Call commitments.
Leaders' Summit - May 2021, Virtual
Leaders from the Call Community met virtually on 15 May 2021 for the Christchurch Call Second Anniversary Summit. The COVID-19 pandemic meant leaders were not able to gather in person. The Summit was therefore convened virtually, reflecting the ‘new normal’ of working on a global initiative during a pandemic. Thirty-four governments, eight companies and 30 civil society organisations were represented at the Summit.
Leaders endorsed a programme of four thematic workplans, which can be found below. The Call Community also announced that seven new supporters had joined the Christchurch Call.
Leaders' Summit - September 2019, New York
Prime Minister Ardern and President Macron convened a second meeting of Christchurch Call leaders on 23 September 2019 in New York, in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly’s High Level Week. His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan co-hosted the event. This event was one of the best attended on the first day of UN Leaders’ Week in 2019.
At this meeting, France and New Zealand announced that 32 new countries and international organisations had joined the Christchurch Call. Prime Minister Ardern and President Macron led the Call Community in recognising the impact of measures taken to date, noting that the achievements of the Call Community were only made possible by the collaborative nature of the commitments.
See the press release from the conclusion of the 2019 Leaders' Summit.
Leaders' Summit - May 2019, Paris
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron founded the Christchurch Call in Paris on 15 May 2019 – two months to the day after the livestreamed terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 51 people in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Prime Minister Ardern and President Macron were joined by a group of world leaders, online service providers, and other organisations in adopting the Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online. At this summit, 17 countries, the European Commission, and eight online service providers adopted the pledge.
See the press release announcing that the Christchurch Call has been adopted.