This side event to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly First Committee, organized in partnership with Switzerland and Pakistan, will mark the recent launch UNIDIR’s Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security, along with the official launch of expressions of interest for its dedicated Forum.
In June 2026, UNIDIR launched its Centre of Excellence in response to the rapid transformation that artificial intelligence is bringing to the global peace and security landscape. The Centre is a permanent platform to consolidate knowledge, connect stakeholders, and sustain momentum between high-level summits and multilateral processes.
Designed to ensure continuity and coherence across processes and initiatives, foster inclusive global engagement, and provide practical and evidence-based policy guidance, resources and capacity-building, the Centre is established as global efforts to govern AI in peace and security contexts are at a critical juncture.
This event will mark the launch of the Forum and the opening of expressions of interest to join. The Forum is an inclusive, multistakeholder platform for engagement, exchange, and collaboration. By formalizing participation at the organizational level, it is designed to provide a dedicated, neutral space for an exchange of perspectives, the collection of inputs through consultations, and support dissemination and collaboration across the wider ecosystem.
Agenda
13:00-13:15 | Registration
13:15-13:25 | Welcome and introductions
13:25-13:55| Kick-off remarks: The role and value of the Centre
13:55-14:05 | Invitation for engagement: The Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security’s Forum
14:05-14:35 | Moderated exchange
14:35-14:45 | Wrap-up questions
Speakers
Opening remarks by Dr Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR
- Oliver Höhne, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York
- Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in New York
- Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, UNODA
- Dr Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR
Moderated by Dr Yasmin Afina, Researcher, Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security, UNIDIR
When and where
Thursday, 22 October 2026 | 13:00 – 14:45 EDT | In person (Conference Room 4, United Nations Headquarters, New York).
Check your local time here.
A light lunch will be served outside Conference Room 4.
Participants
The event is open to all.
Registration is mandatory. Please note that participants joining us in person must have a valid visitor pass or long-term badge to enter United Nations Headquarters, as UNIDIR is unable to facilitate entry arrangements.
RSVP
For in-person participation, please register here.
Further information
For any questions, please contact Dr Yasmin Afina at yasmin.afina@un.org.
In collaboration with
