UNIDIR, together with Switzerland and Pakistan, will host a briefing to mark the pre-launch of the Institute’s Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security. The event will take place ahead of the centre’s formal launch later the same day and will bring together stakeholders engaged in the governance of AI and international security.
UNIDIR’s Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security is being established at a critical moment for global AI governance, as this rapidly-evolving technology reshapes both peace and security landscapes. To address this, the centre serves as a permanent platform to consolidate knowledge, connect relevant actors, and sustain momentum between high-level multilateral processes and global summits on AI and international security.
Designed to ensure continuity and coherence across initiatives, the centre will foster inclusive global engagement and provide practical, evidence-based policy guidance, resources and capacity-building support. Its aim is to strengthen international cooperation on the governance of AI in peace and security contexts at a time of growing urgency and complexity.
The pre-launch briefing will introduce UNIDIR’s centre as a trusted platform for multistakeholder engagement and actionable knowledge generation. It will also invite expressions of interest for collaboration, including through support, participation in its Forum, and other pathways to contribute to its work.
Agenda
08:30 – 09:00 | Registration and light breakfast
09:00 – 09:07 | Welcome and introductions
- Dr Giacomo Persi Paoli, Head of the Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR
09:08 – 09:15 | Kick-off remarks: The expected role and value of the centre
- Reto Wollenmann, Senior Advisor AI and International Security, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland
- Husham Ahmed, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in Geneva
09:20 – 09:25 | Invitation for engagement: The Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security’s Forum
Overview of the centre’s governance structure and ways through which States and the wider multistakeholder community can engage with it through its Forum.
09:25 – 09:40 | Moderated exchange
Participants are invited to share their questions, thoughts and reflections with the speakers.
09:40 – 09:45 | Wrap-up
Moderated by Dr Yasmin Afina, Researcher, Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR
When and where
Wednesday, 17 June 2026 | 8:30 – 9:45 CEST | Building A, Room V, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
Check your local time here.
RSVP
For in-person participation, please register here.
Further information
For questions, please contact yasmin.afina@un.org.
In collaboration with
