China Hosts Geneva Side Event on AI and Human Rights

On September 16, 2026, during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Permanent Mission of China to the UN Office at Geneva and the China NGO Network for International Exchanges co-hosted a side event themed "AI Empowering Human Rights Development" at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Nearly 100 representatives, NGO leaders and experts from more than 20 countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland and Cuba, attended the event to discuss strengthening global AI governance to support human rights.

Chinese delegates said China is committed to responding to the concerns of the Global South and uniting the international community to promote AI-enabled human rights protection. They advocated a people-centered, inclusive and win-win approach, and called for AI to empower the rights of persons with disabilities, older persons, women and children. A representative of the China NGO Network shared practices of using AI in natural disaster relief, noting that AI brings both opportunities and governance risks, and urging the international community to improve global AI governance so that technological achievements fairly benefit all countries.

Participants presented AI application cases including brain-computer interfaces, intelligent assistive devices, multilingual public services, and early screening and rehabilitation for autism. They also suggested building public AI infrastructure, removing technological barriers and bridging the digital divide. Some speakers pointed out that global intelligent services currently face uneven resource distribution and supply imbalances, and stressed the need to ensure safe, ethical and inclusive AI development.