UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI (GFEAI) 2026
About the event
UNESCO organizes the fourth UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence at The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh from 14 to 17 September 2026, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represented by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and held in collaboration with the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), under the theme "Transforming Global Cooperation for Ethical AI Governance." This is the first time an Arab country hosts the Forum.
The Forum sets out to share international expertise and experience in AI ethics, to enable a high-level multilateral dialogue that supports decision-makers, to encourage the adoption of practical solutions for applying AI ethics principles, and to support the development of national AI policies and institutional capacity in Member States. It addresses ministers and senior officials, UNESCO Member States, international organizations and AI experts; invitations go to 194 Member States, and the organizer expects 1,200 participants across more than 30 sessions with over 100 speakers.
An invitation-only preparatory day on 14 September hosts parallel working meetings of the UNESCO networks implementing the Recommendation and expert workshops, together with a private scientific briefing for ministerial participants and a closed-door ministerial dialogue on international cooperation. The public programme then runs from 15 to 17 September with seven high-level ministerial dialogues and plenaries, 21 expert panels and two side events hosted by ICAIRE and SDAIA. The Forum launches the second version of the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM 2.0) together with its meta-analysis, and the AI Environment and Ecosystems Toolkit, while a session on the final day under the UNESCO Coalition for Linguistic Diversity in AI devotes a dedicated segment to the Arabic language and its role in the diffusion of knowledge and cultural exchange. Registration is free of charge on the official Forum platform through two separate routes, one for public participants and one for media representatives, attendance remains subject to an acceptance confirmation, and proceedings are livestreamed on the official Forum website during the event.
Agenda
15- Preparatory Day — by invitation onlyParallel working meetings of the UNESCO stakeholder networks implementing the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, expert workshops and working meetings of global and regional UN coordination mechanisms, a private strategic scientific briefing for ministerial participants, and a closed-door ministerial dialogue on international cooperation.
- 09:30–10:15Opening Ceremony
- 10:15–12:00AI, Multilateralism and DiplomacyA high-level dialogue on whether multilateral pathways can close the fragmentation in AI governance, connecting global standard-setting with practical implementation under the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.
- 13:30–15:15Five Years of the Recommendation: Where We Are, Where We Go NextA stock-take of what has been achieved since the Recommendation was adopted in 2021, including the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and the institutional, technical, financial and political considerations Member States have faced.
- 15:30–17:00Financing Ethical AI Governance for the PeopleHow ethical governance systems are funded to move from readiness to implementation, covering regulatory capacity, public-sector readiness and the sustainability of participation.
- 09:30–10:45A New Phase of AI Readiness: Evidence from RAM and the Road AheadFindings from more than 50 completed Readiness Assessments and over 25 more under way, with the launch of the RAM meta-analysis and RAM 2.0, and how policy follow-through can be measured.
- 11:00–12:15Parallel: Institutional Capacity · Humanitarian AI · Youth Mental HealthThree parallel sessions: building institutional AI capacity in public administrations, the ethics of AI use in humanitarian contexts, and the impact of AI on youth mental health and digital well-being.
- 13:45–15:00Parallel: Environment & Energy · Gender Lens · Synthetic BiologyThe environmental footprint of AI systems with the launch of the AI Environment and Ecosystems Toolkit, gender-responsive AI governance through the Women4Ethics of AI Network, and the convergence of AI with synthetic biology.
- 15:15–16:15Parallel: International Supervision · HealthCross-border cooperation between AI supervisory authorities through a Global Network of AI Supervisory Authorities (GNAIS) session, and the ethics and governance of AI across four health domains in a World Health Organization session.
- 16:15–17:15Parallel: Implementation Networks · Business Council · Social InequalitiesHow UNESCO Category 2 centres and partner institutions turn the Recommendation into practice, human-machine relationships in the design of AI-enabled workflows under the UNESCO Business Council for Ethics of AI, and who bears the social costs of the AI revolution.
- 09:30–10:45Sciences · Access to Justice · Arabic Language in AIA session under the UNESCO Coalition for Linguistic Diversity in AI devotes a dedicated segment to the Arabic language and its role in the diffusion of knowledge and cultural exchange, alongside AI in scientific research and access to justice.
- 11:00–12:15Neural Data & Mental Privacy · Education · MuseumsGovernance of neurotechnology under the 2025 UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, the future of education as a public purpose, and findings from the UNESCO-ICOM survey on AI use in museums.
- 13:45–15:00Future of Cultural Work · CSO Network · Physical AIThe transformation of cultural work by AI, the launch of the Global Civil Society Organizations and Academic Network on AI Ethics and Policy, and the ethical implications of AI systems operating in physical environments.
- 15:15–16:45AI for the People: Towards a Shared FutureA closing high-level dialogue on AI at the intersection of shared global challenges: climate resilience, health, food security, inequality, crisis response and social protection.
- 16:45–17:15Closing Session