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Saudi Arabia convened the final preparatory meeting for the 2026 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Riyadh, as the Kingdom will host the event from October 11 to 14. The Arab Working Group, associated with the Arab League, held its concluding session in the Saudi capital to coordinate Arab nations' objectives and positions for the conference, as well as to champion Arab countries' candidates for elective roles that will be decided during the gathering.

Mansour Al-Qurashi, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for International Cooperation and Partnerships, presided over the meeting. The event aligned with the International Telecommunication and Space Sustainability Conference in Riyadh, underscoring Saudi Arabia's leading role in the communications and information technology domain, its significant influence in global decision-making, and its backing for the ITU's goals.

Saudi Arabia assumed the Arab Working Group's chairmanship due to its influential standing and steadfast involvement as a strategic ITU ally, pursuing initiatives to foster an innovation-driven culture in communications, space, and technology on the international stage. The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme decision-making entity of the ITU, a United Nations specialized agency overseeing information and communication technologies.

This quadrennial conference empowers member states to mold the ITU's future trajectory, establish its agenda and activities, thereby shaping the trajectory of the worldwide communications and technology landscape.