Rohingya Youth Union-RYU

A successful first Global Dialogue on AI Governance would deliver practical, inclusive, and actionable outcomes rather than only high-level discussions. First, it should establish a shared understanding of key AI risks and opportunities, particularly across different regions and levels of development. This includes recognizing the unique challenges faced by developing countries, such as limited infrastructure, skills gaps, and regulatory capacity. Second, the Dialogue should produce a set of voluntary guiding principles or a roadmap for international cooperation on AI governance. These principles should emphasize safety, human rights, transparency, and equitable access to AI technologies. Third, it should initiate concrete mechanisms for capacity-building, including technical training, knowledge-sharing platforms, and financial support to ensure that no country is left behind in the AI transition. Fourth, the Dialogue should strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration by creating ongoing channels for engagement between governments, private sector actors, academia, and civil society. Finally, success would include a commitment to continuity, with clear follow-up actions, measurable goals, and accountability mechanisms leading into future sessions. The Dialogue should not be a one-time event, but the foundation of a sustained global effort to ensure that AI benefits all of humanity.

• Safe, secure and trustworthy AI
• AI capacity-building
• Protection and promotion of human rights
• Transparency, accountability, and human oversight

These priorities are essential to ensuring that AI development is both responsible and inclusive. Safe, secure, and trustworthy AI is fundamental, as the risks associated with misuse, system failures, or unintended consequences can have wide-reaching impacts across societies. AI capacity-building is particularly urgent for developing countries, where gaps in technical expertise, infrastructure, and policy frameworks risk widening global inequalities. Strengthening local capacity enables more equitable participation in the AI ecosystem. The protection and promotion of human rights must remain central to AI governance. AI systems can unintentionally reinforce bias, enable surveillance, or restrict freedoms if not properly regulated. A human rights-based approach ensures that technology serves people, not the other way around. Transparency, accountability, and human oversight are critical to building public trust. Clear standards for explainability, auditing, and responsibility are necessary to ensure that AI systems can be understood, challenged, and corrected when needed. Together, these priorities create a balanced approach that addresses both innovation and risk while promoting fairness and global inclusion.

One key cross-cutting issue is the growing concentration of AI power in a small number of countries and companies. This raises concerns about digital inequality, dependency, and limited global representation in decision-making processes. Addressing this requires more equitable access to compute resources, data, and research opportunities. Another emerging issue is the environmental impact of AI systems, particularly the energy consumption associated with large-scale models. Sustainable AI development should be integrated into governance discussions, including energy-efficient technologies and responsible resource use. Additionally, the rapid advancement of generative AI introduces challenges related to misinformation, intellectual property, and content authenticity. Mechanisms for content verification and responsible use are increasingly important. Finally, there is a need to address the future of work, as AI-driven automation may disrupt labor markets. Policies should focus on reskilling, education, and social protection to ensure a just transition. These issues cut across all thematic areas and require coordinated, forward-looking global responses.

Governance gaps in AI are already having noticeable effects, particularly in developing countries. One of the most significant challenges is limited regulatory capacity. Many countries lack clear policies, technical expertise, and institutional readiness to effectively oversee AI systems, which increases the risk of misuse, bias, and unregulated deployment. Another major challenge is unequal access to AI infrastructure, data, and computing resources. This creates dependency on foreign technologies and limits local innovation. As a result, countries may become consumers of AI rather than active contributors, widening the global digital divide. There are also concerns related to human rights and social impacts. Without strong governance, AI systems can reinforce existing inequalities, enable intrusive surveillance, and spread misinformation, especially through generative AI tools. A lack of transparency and accountability mechanisms makes it difficult to detect and address these harms. However, there are also significant opportunities. AI has the potential to accelerate development in sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, and public services. With the right governance frameworks, countries can leverage AI to improve service delivery, enhance productivity, and support economic growth. Additionally, growing global attention to AI governance creates an opportunity for more inclusive participation. Countries can collaborate internationally, share best practices, and build local capacity through partnerships and knowledge exchange. Addressing governance gaps through coordinated policies, investment in skills, and international cooperation will be essential to ensure that AI benefits are widely shared while minimizing risks.

The AI Dialogue can serve as a central platform for fostering meaningful, inclusive, and actionable international cooperation on AI governance. By bringing together governments, private sector actors, academia, civil society, and technical communities, it can facilitate the exchange of knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices across regions and sectors. The Dialogue can help harmonize approaches to AI safety, transparency, and human rights protection, while respecting local contexts and priorities. It can also promote multi-stakeholder partnerships to address capacity gaps, particularly in developing countries, ensuring that AI development is equitable and globally beneficial. Moreover, the Dialogue can serve as a neutral forum to identify emerging risks, share regulatory frameworks, and explore interoperable governance models. By fostering trust, encouraging collaboration, and creating a common understanding of AI challenges, the Dialogue can accelerate the adoption of standards, guidelines, and policies that are robust, inclusive, and sustainable. Finally, the AI Dialogue can act as a catalyst for sustained engagement, setting a precedent for ongoing international coordination, monitoring, and follow-up mechanisms that ensure global AI governance remains adaptive to technological change.

The AI Dialogue should build upon existing efforts such as the OECD AI Principles, UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), and regional AI strategies developed by the EU, ASEAN, and African Union. These initiatives provide valuable frameworks, standards, and research networks that can inform global discussions. The added value of the AI Dialogue lies in its inclusive, UN-backed multilateral platform that connects all stakeholders, including those underrepresented in current initiatives. Unlike many existing mechanisms, it can bridge gaps between governments, the technical community, and civil society, fostering dialogue that is both global and context-sensitive. The Dialogue can also coordinate international capacity-building efforts, facilitating technical assistance, training programs, and knowledge sharing across borders. By integrating existing initiatives rather than duplicating them, it can promote interoperability of governance approaches, encourage convergence on ethical and technical standards, and accelerate collaborative solutions to cross-border AI challenges such as safety, bias, and equitable access. Ultimately, the AI Dialogue can become a central hub that strengthens global coherence, reduces fragmentation, and ensures that AI governance evolves collaboratively and inclusively.

Different stakeholders bring unique expertise and perspectives to AI governance: Governments can provide policy insights, share national AI strategies, and contribute to harmonizing regulatory frameworks. Private sector actors can offer technical expertise, operational experience, and insights into AI deployment and innovation challenges. Academia and technical communities can provide evidence-based research, risk assessments, and emerging technological knowledge. Civil society organizations can represent public interests, advocate for human rights, and highlight social, cultural, and ethical concerns. International organizations can share best practices, facilitate cross-border cooperation, and help align global standards. For format and structure, the AI Dialogue could include: Plenary sessions for high-level commitments and policy discussions. Thematic workshops addressing specific topics such as AI ethics, safety, and human rights. Breakout sessions for multi-stakeholder collaboration and scenario-based exercises. Open consultations and digital participation channels to ensure remote and underrepresented voices can contribute. Follow-up working groups to translate dialogue outcomes into concrete recommendations and ongoing initiatives. By combining structured discussions with flexible engagement mechanisms, the AI Dialogue can ensure that all stakeholders contribute meaningfully to global AI governance.

Several voices remain underrepresented in global AI governance discussions: Developing countries often lack the technical capacity or resources to participate fully, which limits their influence on international standards. Marginalized communities and groups affected by algorithmic bias, including women, indigenous populations, and persons with disabilities, are often overlooked. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and local innovators may be excluded from discussions dominated by large tech companies. Youth and emerging technologists are critical stakeholders as they will inherit and shape future AI ecosystems. Inclusion can be enhanced by providing financial and technical support for participation, offering multilingual materials and interpretation, and creating dedicated sessions for underrepresented groups. Structured mechanisms for public consultation, participatory online platforms, and targeted outreach campaigns can ensure these voices are heard and reflected in AI governance frameworks.

To foster dynamic engagement, the AI Dialogue could adopt: Hybrid formats combining in-person and virtual participation to reach stakeholders across geographies. Interactive workshops with scenario simulations, case studies, and "co-creation labs" for collaborative policy and technical solutions. Crowdsourced consultations using digital platforms to collect ideas and feedback from civil society, researchers, and the public in real time. Hackathons and technical sprints to prototype AI governance tools, risk-assessment frameworks, or auditing methods. Thematic roundtables with rotating moderators to ensure multi-stakeholder dialogue and cross-sectoral learning. Youth and community forums to capture innovative perspectives and societal concerns early in decision-making processes. These formats encourage active participation, knowledge sharing, and inclusive dialogue, ensuring that outcomes are both practical and globally representative.

Several policies and initiatives demonstrate effective approaches to AI governance and offer solutions to its challenges. Regulatory frameworks and principles: The OECD AI Principles and UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI provide global benchmarks for trustworthy AI, emphasizing human rights, transparency, accountability, and fairness. These frameworks guide governments and organizations in developing context-sensitive policies. National AI strategies: Countries like Canada, Singapore, and the European Union have implemented AI strategies that combine regulation, innovation promotion, and capacity-building. These strategies integrate ethical guidelines, safety standards, and public-private partnerships, providing a comprehensive governance model. Capacity-building and knowledge-sharing platforms: The Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) facilitates collaboration across governments, academia, and industry to advance AI research and responsible deployment. Similarly, initiatives such as AI4D and the World Bank's AI programs support developing countries in building technical expertise and infrastructure. Transparency and accountability mechanisms: Platforms like Algorithmic Impact Assessments and open-source AI auditing frameworks enable independent review of AI systems, helping detect bias, ensure compliance with regulations, and foster public trust. Ethical AI deployment in practice: Some private sector organizations, such as those implementing responsible AI boards or internal ethics reviews, show how companies can operationalize governance principles effectively while still driving innovation. Multi-stakeholder approaches: Inclusive AI governance initiatives, including community consultations, participatory design, and civil society collaborations, ensure that diverse voices and societal impacts are considered, reducing the risk of harm and promoting equitable access. Collectively, these approaches highlight the importance of combining regulation, ethical guidance, capacity-building, transparency, and stakeholder participation. They offer scalable models that the AI Dialogue can examine, adapt, and promote to support equitable, safe, and effective AI governance globally.