Global learning, Inclusive futures, Embracing diversity through education

From 9 to 11 April 2026, the University of Malta will host the International SIPeS Conference 2026 at its Valletta Campus under the theme Global Learning, Inclusive Futures - Embracing Diversity through Education.

This international event is being organised in collaboration with SIPeS Italy and the University of Salerno, with the support of the Government of Malta’s Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector.

Over three days, the conference will bring together researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, professionals, and community representatives to exchange ideas and explore new directions for inclusion in education and beyond.

The conference comes at an important time. Across the world, education systems are responding to social changes, growing diversity, migration, disability rights, neurodiversity, digital transformation, and increasing calls for more equitable and responsive systems. In this context, the International SIPeS Conference 2026 offers a timely platform for thinking carefully about how education and society can move forward in inclusive and meaningful ways for all.

What makes this event significant is both its international standing and practical relevance. It is not simply an academic conference. It is a space where research, policy, professional practice, and lived experience come together. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with current thinking, share innovative work, build professional connections, and contribute to discussions that have real implications for schools, universities, workplaces, communities, and society.

The conference will feature a distinguished group of speakers whose work has helped shape thinking and practice in inclusive education, leadership, equity, disability, and social participation. These include Prof. Catia Giaconi, President of SIPeS Italy, Prof. Paola Aiello from the University of Salerno, Roselyn Cason Marcus, Global Director at McKinsey and Company, Dr Rosa M. Colon-Kolacko, an internationally recognised leader in inclusion, diversity, and equity, and Dr Alistair de Gaetano, Chairperson of the Malta Autism Advisory Council and an important voice in Malta’s disability and autism policy landscape.

The conference will address a broad range of themes, including disability and neurodiversity, inclusive pedagogies, leadership, teacher education, wellbeing, lifelong learning, interagency collaboration, early childhood inclusion, digital futures, and inclusive education beyond the school setting. This scope creates opportunities for dialogue across disciplines and sectors, while keeping a clear focus on building more inclusive futures.

The event also offers an opportunity for active participation. Researchers, professionals, and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts for paper presentations. Contributions may focus on empirical research, theory development, policy analysis, or practice-based innovation, provided they are relevant to inclusive education. This gives participants the chance not only to present their work to an international audience but also to become part of a wider conversation that is helping to shape the future of inclusion.

For Malta, hosting this conference is both a privilege and an opportunity. It places the country at the centre of an international conversation on inclusion and opens the way for new partnerships, fresh ideas, and stronger connections between local and global perspectives.

Further information about registration and abstract submission is available on the conference website.