Principles for the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in the United Nations System

In September 2022, the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination endorsed the Principles for the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in the United Nations System, developed through the High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) which approved the Principles at an intersessional meeting in July 2022.

These Principles were developed by a workstream co-led by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Office of Information and Communications Technology of the United Nations Secretariat (OICT), in the HLCP Inter-Agency Working Group on Artificial Intelligence. The Principles are based on the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference at its 41st session in November 2021.

This set of ten principles, grounded in ethics and human rights, aims to guide the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across all stages of an AI system lifecycle across United Nations system entities. It is intended to be read with other related policies and international law, and includes the following principles: do no harm; defined purpose, necessity and proportionality; safety and security; fairness and non-discrimination; sustainability; right to privacy, data protection and data governance; human autonomy and oversight; transparency and explainability; responsibility and accountability; and inclusion and participation.

Additional information on HLCP's work on AI can be found on the artificial intelligence topic page.