🇺🇳 [UN HLPF Side Event: Save the Date!] Humanity at the Center: Ethical AI, the Water–Energy–Food Nexus, and Global Partnerships for Transformative SDG Action
- IVECA Center
- Jun 8
- 2 min read
📆 Date: July 10 (Friday), 2026
⏰ Time: 13:15 - 14:30 EDT
🏛 Location: Conference Room 3, United Nations HQ, New York (Light Refreshments and Networking, followed by Part 2 at the ROK Mission to the UN, 14:45 - 16:00 EDT)
As the international community enters the final stretch of the 2030 Agenda, artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing faster than governance systems can adapt, while climate disruption, inequality, displacement, and widening digital divides continue to intensify worldwide. Yet AI also presents significant opportunities to accelerate sustainable development through innovations in water management, clean energy, sustainable infrastructure, and integrated water–energy–food (WEF) nexus planning. Building on the 2026 High-Level Political Forum theme, this side event will examine how ethical AI, global citizenship, and WEF nexus approaches can help drive transformative, equitable, and coordinated action toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Convened by Member States, UN entities, civil society, private-sector innovators, educators, researchers, and youth leaders, the event will showcase concrete and scalable solutions already being implemented across diverse contexts. Youth innovators will present AI-enabled, locally grounded projects addressing water efficiency, clean energy, urban resilience, food security, and digital inclusion through intercultural collaboration and global exchange. Private-sector leaders and technical experts will demonstrate practical applications of AI, including smart systems, machine learning, digital twins, vertical farming, circular energy solutions, and integrated resource governance that support progress on SDGs 6, 7, 9, and 11 while generating broader development benefits.
The session will explore both the opportunities and risks associated with AI, emphasizing the need for ethical governance, inclusive education, digital and AI literacy, and cross-sector collaboration. Featuring youth alongside ambassadors, UN officials, academic experts, and industry leaders, the event will highlight how global citizenship values and innovative partnerships can ensure technology serves human dignity and sustainable development. By fostering dialogue, demonstrating real-world solutions, and strengthening multi-stakeholder cooperation, the event aims to generate actionable recommendations and partnerships that support scalable, values-centered SDG implementation as the 2030 deadline approaches.
More details coming soon!
