By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
A new United Nations-backed
coalition has been launched to ensure that children's rights are embedded in
the development and governance of artificial intelligence, bringing together
governments, UN agencies, technology partners, civil society and education
stakeholders around a common global framework.
The Coalition for Children's
Rights and Protection in the Age of Artificial Intelligence was unveiled during
the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva. The initiative brings together
17 countries, United Nations agencies and a broad range of partners, with its
work anchored in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the world's most
widely ratified human rights treaty.
The coalition aims to
promote an approach to AI governance that recognises children not only as users
who require protection, but as rights holders whose perspectives should be
considered in the design and deployment of AI systems that influence their education,
development and everyday lives.
The United Nations Office
for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET) is among the founding members of
the coalition, reflecting the UN's broader efforts to advance responsible and
inclusive artificial intelligence governance.
Speaking at the launch,
United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology Amandeep Gill called for
urgent global action to protect children in the age of AI, urging governments
and stakeholders to work together to address emerging challenges.
The coalition follows the UN
Secretary-General's call for an AI Child Safety Pledge and will focus on
sharing evidence, best practices and policy approaches to strengthen
child-centred AI governance across countries.
Organisers said the
initiative also seeks to expand participation, particularly from countries in
the Global South, ahead of the next Global Dialogue on AI Governance scheduled
to take place in New York in May 2027.
