On the sidelines of the United Nations Global Dialogue on AI Governance, we, along with Global Network Initiative under the MAP-AI initiative, are conducted a multistakeholder convening in Geneva, "Designing AI Governance: Human Rights and Multistakeholder Leadership" on 08 July 2026. It brought together a wide range of stakeholders to foster inclusive discourse around global AI governance, build cross-regional connections among key actors, and strategize to embed human rights-based priorities, benchmarks, and commitments into AI governance with a focus on the UNGDAI and the 2027 Swiss Summit.  

This session was part of the full-day Multistakeholder Convening on AI Governance co-organized by the OHCHR B-Tech Project & BSR, Global Network Initiative & Centre for Communications Governance NLU Delhi, through the MAP-AI project, the PAIRS Network & the Geneva Graduate Institute, and the Global South Network for Trustworthy AI.

Objectives  

• Reflect on the 2026 UNGDAI and coordinate stakeholder efforts across key AI governance processes and spaces in 2026 and 2027.  
• Synthesize and put forward a bottom-up, rights-centric agenda to inform the key themes of the UNGDAI and the intersessional work ongoing between the 2026 UNGDAI in Geneva and the 2027 UNGDAI in New York.  
• Identify and build on lessons from other key governance processes and spaces that can be taken forward by the UNGDAI. 

The session featured a fireside chat with the UNGDAI co-chairs — H.E. Ms. Egriselda López, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the United Nations and H.E. Mr. Rein Tammsaar is the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Estonia to the United Nations. This was followed by breakout group discussions where participants where split into four streams: 1. AI opportunities and implications, 2. Bridging AI divides, 3. Safe, secure, and trustworthy AI and, 4. Respecting, protecting, and promoting human rights.