Session
Subtheme
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 1: Isabelle Lois, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Marlena Wisniak, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Heloisa Maria Machado Massaro, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Chetty Pria, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 5: Michael Zanette, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Marlena Wisniak, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Heloisa Maria Machado Massaro, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Chetty Pria, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 5: Michael Zanette, Government, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: We have selected a roundtable-style layout, as this was successfully used for our RightsCon session earlier in the year, enabling a large number of participants to attend while also facilitating interactive dialogue. The open seating arrangement ensures accessibility, allowing for diverse engagement from a broad range of stakeholders, including civil society, policymakers, and technical experts. A 60-minute session provides the optimal balance between depth of discussion and audience engagement. This duration allows for structured inputs from speakers, an interactive discussion, and opportunities for audience participation without losing attentiveness. Given the complexity of UN AI governance mechanisms, this format ensures that participants gain practical insights while maintaining an engaging and inclusive environment for debate and knowledge exchange.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: We have selected a roundtable-style layout, as this was successfully used for our RightsCon session earlier in the year, enabling a large number of participants to attend while also facilitating interactive dialogue. The open seating arrangement ensures accessibility, allowing for diverse engagement from a broad range of stakeholders, including civil society, policymakers, and technical experts. A 60-minute session provides the optimal balance between depth of discussion and audience engagement. This duration allows for structured inputs from speakers, an interactive discussion, and opportunities for audience participation without losing attentiveness. Given the complexity of UN AI governance mechanisms, this format ensures that participants gain practical insights while maintaining an engaging and inclusive environment for debate and knowledge exchange.
Policy Question(s)
(1). What opportunities exist for civil society engagement in the UN’s AI governance processes?
(2). How can the current challenges associated with UN’s AI governance structures be overcome to ensure meaningful multistakeholder participation?
(3). What tactics should be employed to ensure meaningful non-corporate and government participation in AI governance at the UN?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will have the opportunity to outline the key elements they want to see in the UN’s AI governance mechanisms and gain a clear understanding of how to engage with these mechanisms to advocate for inclusive, accountable, and rights-based outcomes.
Key takeaways will include: (1) practical insights on how CSOs and other stakeholders can engage and influence discussions within the Scientific Panel and Global Dialogue on AI Governance; (2) challenges and risks in engaging with UN AI governance structures, and strategies for overcoming them, including related to how these mechanisms should be implemented; and (3) tangible advocacy strategies to push for stronger human rights, transparency, and accountability measures in AI governance at the UN.
SDGs
Description:
As the UN is set to finalise the terms of reference and modalities for the soon to be established Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, civil society organisations (CSOs) and other non-state actors must navigate how to meaningfully engage in these processes. Ensuring inclusive, accountable, and rights-based AI governance at the UN requires active engagement, transparency, and safeguards against corporate or state capture. This session will provide a practical discussion on how CSOs, human rights defenders, and others can meaningfully engage with the UN’s AI governance mechanisms to shape rights-respecting outcomes. Building on discussions from RightsCon 2025 and GPD & ECNL’s previous advocacy efforts to shape the terms of reference and modalities of AI UN governance initiatives, the session will explore: (1) How the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance should be implemented to ensure inclusive, rights-based and accountable governance. (2) How CSOs can engage with the UN’s AI governance bodies in a sustained and impactful way. (3) What mechanisms exist, or should exist, to ensure transparency, accountability, and rights-based outcomes. Through a multistakeholder discussion, speakers from civil society, government, and UN entities will share concrete engagement strategies to influence activities, outputs and decisions within these UN initiatives. The session will also take stock of previous efforts and explore how stakeholders can work together to ensure future AI governance frameworks are rights-based, inclusive and accountable. Looking into the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, we will explore key procedural safeguards and minimum conditions that these mechanisms should follow.
As the UN is set to finalise the terms of reference and modalities for the soon to be established Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, civil society organisations (CSOs) and other non-state actors must navigate how to meaningfully engage in these processes. Ensuring inclusive, accountable, and rights-based AI governance at the UN requires active engagement, transparency, and safeguards against corporate or state capture. This session will provide a practical discussion on how CSOs, human rights defenders, and others can meaningfully engage with the UN’s AI governance mechanisms to shape rights-respecting outcomes. Building on discussions from RightsCon 2025 and GPD & ECNL’s previous advocacy efforts to shape the terms of reference and modalities of AI UN governance initiatives, the session will explore: (1) How the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance should be implemented to ensure inclusive, rights-based and accountable governance. (2) How CSOs can engage with the UN’s AI governance bodies in a sustained and impactful way. (3) What mechanisms exist, or should exist, to ensure transparency, accountability, and rights-based outcomes. Through a multistakeholder discussion, speakers from civil society, government, and UN entities will share concrete engagement strategies to influence activities, outputs and decisions within these UN initiatives. The session will also take stock of previous efforts and explore how stakeholders can work together to ensure future AI governance frameworks are rights-based, inclusive and accountable. Looking into the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, we will explore key procedural safeguards and minimum conditions that these mechanisms should follow.
Expected Outcomes
This session will provide practical recommendations to support civil society engagement in UN AI governance structures and help shape more inclusive, transparent, and accountable policymaking.
Building on the policy questions, the session will produce: (1) An overview of opportunities for CSOs to engage with the UN’s AI governance bodies, including the Scientific Panel and Global Dialogue; (2) a set of recommendations for overcoming barriers to multistakeholder participation, including best practices for ensuring inclusivity, transparency, and accountability; and (3) tactical guidance on how civil society and other actors can insert human rights considerations into the work of the Panel and the Dialogue.
These insights will inform ongoing advocacy efforts, future UN deliberations, and broader civil society engagement strategies.
Hybrid Format: To ensure seamless interaction, both the onsite and online moderators will be physically present in the room, coordinating engagement between in-person and remote participants. The onsite moderator will lead discussions and manage speaker interventions, while the online moderator will monitor the virtual chat, relay questions, and facilitate real-time interventions. A dedicated online participation queue will ensure remote attendees can contribute equally.
To enhance engagement, almost half of the session will be allocated for audience participation, with Q&A, live polling, and direct interventions from both onsite and online participants. We will use Slido for real-time input and the chat function to integrate remote contributions, ensuring an inclusive and interactive hybrid session.