Given the continued uncertainty surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 International Social and Behavior Change Communication Summit is again being postponed. The new dates are Sept. 20-24, 2021.

The event will still take place in Marrakech, Morocco.

“Looking at current trends, we felt it necessary to postpone the Summit to next September to better ensure a safe environment where our community can all come together,” says Susan Krenn, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs and head of the Summit Secretariat. “This was not an easy decision to make, but one we felt was for the best, given that we don’t know what the situation will be this fall.”

Originally, the Summit was to take place March 30 through April 3 this year, but as COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and the world’s airports and borders were shutting down, the decision was made to postpone until October 2020.

But with more than 6.5 million COVID-19 infections around the world and more than 381,000 deaths coupled with many nations in various states of lockdown, the health of participants and their ability to travel to Morocco was of utmost concern. Large gatherings continue to be banned in many countries.

Many international events have been postponed until fall of 2021.

A new registration period will commence closer to next fall and a new refund policy has been posted to the SBCC Summit website. Answers to many questions are posted here.