Global Forum Ethics of AI - UNESCO
- Ethical Governance of AI in Motion
Global Forum Ethics of AI - UNESCO
The overarching purpose: to translate high-level principles (from the Recommendation) into actionable national policies, institutional frameworks and governance mechanisms for AI ethics.
What is the GFEAI
The forum is organised by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a global, multistakeholder event bringing together governments, civil society, academia and industry to discuss ethical, policy and governance issues of AI.
It supports the implementation of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (adopted in 2021) — the first global normative instrument on AI ethics.
The forum serves as a platform for knowledge‐sharing, policy dialogue, capacity building, and peer learning among countries at different levels of AI readiness.
Why It Matters
AI is evolving fast, with global impacts across rights, labour, environment, geopolitics. The forum helps align global norms.
By emphasising participation from many countries (especially the Global South) the forum helps avoid a governance gap where only tech-leading countries define rules. The 2025 edition made a point of elevating Africa’s voices.
Provides tangible frameworks and tools (not just principles) that governments and institutions can use to build their AI governance infrastructures.
Helps connect policy, ethics and technical domains — fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, which is critical for effective ethical AI governance.
Some of the thematic tracks and agenda highlights:
- 22 thematic sessions covering topics such as gender, environment, health, disaster risk reduction, disabilities, education, culture, neurotechnology, quantum computing, judiciary systems.
- 11 side-events including “AI Ethics and Governance in a Fractured World: Asia Pacific’s Path Forward” (24 June) focused on region-specific perspective on governance.
- Closed-door ministerial and industry dialogues (pre-forum) for senior policy officials and corporate leaders.