GPD and ECNL call for rights-based design of UN’s new AI governance bodies

Global Partners Digital and the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law have jointly submitted recommendations to the UN on the establishment of the AI Scientific Panel and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, urging that both mechanisms prioritise human-rights expertise, inclusive participation and transparent governance. Their submission emphasises that these bodies will shape global AI regulation and therefore require structures capable of ensuring evidence-based decision-making and rights-respecting outcomes. The organisations underscore the need for multidisciplinary representation that includes technical, social-science and human-rights expertise, alongside meaningful participation from the Global Majority and communities most affected by AI systems. They warn that voluntary or opaque selection processes would undermine credibility and limit the diversity needed to assess AI’s social, economic and political impacts.

The submission draws heavily on the findings of their earlier analysis of global AI governance mechanisms, arguing that the AI Scientific Panel should centre its mandate on evidence-gathering, risk and impact benchmarking, and robust human-rights impact-assessment guidance. They recommend a panel of 50 to 100 members supported by thematic working groups, backed by clear conflict-of-interest rules, public calls for nominations and an independent, multistakeholder nomination committee. Equally, they argue that the Global Dialogue must be grounded in international human-rights law, support the identification of AI uses incompatible with those standards, and ensure structured multistakeholder deliberation that avoids replicating restrictive General Assembly rules. They call for the Dialogue to be embedded within the open, bottom-up ecosystem represented by the Internet Governance Forum, complemented by mechanisms to track global AI policy developments and integrate UN accountability processes such as the Universal Periodic Review.

Both organisations conclude that the effectiveness of these two new UN mechanisms will depend on the degree to which they embody transparency, participation and system-wide coherence. They argue that the Panel and the Dialogue should reinforce existing UN structures rather than duplicate them, particularly by aligning with WSIS processes and strengthening the role of the IGF. Finally, they underline that civil-society engagement must extend beyond representation within the two bodies; it should be supported through regular consultations, open forums, and accessible participation channels that foreground underrepresented communities and those in the Global Majority. They stress that such measures are essential to ensuring that global AI governance evolves in a democratic, inclusive and rights-respecting direction.