Published July 2026

Artificial intelligence is transforming economies, societies, and everyday life. While AI presents significant opportunities, it also raises important questions about human rights, accountability, and governance. Recognizing that no country can address these challenges alone, the United Nations convened the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in Geneva in July 2026 to foster a more inclusive approach to global AI governance.

During the session on “Respecting, Protecting, and Promoting Human Rights,” Zach Lampell, Senior Legal Advisor and Coordinator for Digital Programs at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), delivered the following remarks on the importance of ensuring that AI governance frameworks respect and protect fundamental rights.

Human Rights and AI Governance: Remarks by Zach Lampell

On behalf of ICNL, the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, it is an honor to speak with you today.

Yesterday, we heard from global leaders, including the Secretary-General and Heads of State, about the AI we want to see in the world. A recurring theme throughout their interventions was that AI must be human-centered. AI must create value for humanity. AI must protect democratic principles. And AI must be trustworthy and grounded in the rule of law.

Unfortunately, the AI we envision is not always the AI we have today. Existing AI systems can restrict freedom of expression and freedom of association, undermine the right to privacy, flood and manipulate the information ecosystem, generate child sexual abuse material at an unprecedented scale, and fuel mass surveillance, among other harms.

The question, then, is: How do we achieve the AI we want?

ICNL believes the vision articulated throughout this Dialogue can be advanced through three actions:

1. Establish AI Red Lines

Governments should adopt clear prohibitions or moratoria on AI systems and uses that pose unacceptable risks to human rights. This is not a radical proposition. The principle is reflected in the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution Seizing the Opportunities of Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Systems for Sustainable Development. Likewise, UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, endorsed by all Member States, explicitly rejects the use of AI for social scoring and mass surveillance.

We can and should establish red lines where AI cannot be deployed in a manner consistent with human rights.

2. Create Standardized AI Certification Linked to Public Procurement

We should develop standardized certification systems for AI, similar in concept to green building certifications. Through the United Nations or other multilateral, multi-stakeholder bodies, governments and stakeholders could establish certification frameworks based on safety measures embedded at the design stage, particularly around non-discrimination, transparency, and the prevention of misuse. These frameworks should include robust human rights due diligence and independent oversight.

Universal certification would help create a baseline of safeguards applicable to both open and closed AI models.

National procurement laws and regulations should then be linked to such certifications. Doing so would both ensure a minimum standard of safety and create strong market incentives for companies to design and deploy safe and trustworthy AI systems.

3. Guarantee the Right to Remedy

Individuals must have the ability to contest and correct harmful decisions made with the assistance of AI systems.

Too often, people affected by AI-driven decisions have no meaningful avenue to challenge those outcomes. This problem is likely to become even more acute as agentic AI systems become increasingly widespread. Laws and regulations must ensure that a clearly accountable actor remains within the decision-making process.

These three actions are grounded in international law and the rule of law. The rule of law requires that binding legal frameworks be applied equally, regardless of wealth, power, or influence. If we want AI governance to uphold the rule of law, we must enforce international law, including international human rights law, and we must do so now.

ICNL is working, and will continue to work, through multilateral bodies such as the Freedom Online Coalition and its Task Force on AI and Human Rights, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNESCO, the UN General Assembly, and other UN agencies to help develop and implement rules for safe and trustworthy AI.

ICNL will also continue supporting civil society partners from the Global Majority to participate in multi-stakeholder governance processes. Where they are unable to participate directly, we will continue to elevate their concerns so that those most affected by AI are not left behind, but instead help shape the AI systems we want to see.

Thank you.

Want to learn more? In our companion Q&A, Five Questions on the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Zach Lampell explains why the Dialogue matters, the biggest human rights risks associated with AI, and what comes next for global AI governance.