Emerging Technologies: Risks and Solutions to 21st Century Governance Challenges for the UN system
June 2 – 6, 2025
Image Credit: Shutterstock
The Workshop will be directed by:
- Dr. Alistair Edgar, Balsillie School of International Affairs and Wilfrid Laurier University
- Dr. Michal Natorski, UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University
- Dr. Sarah Stanlick, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The ACUNS Workshop will bring together 10 United Nations practitioners and 10 early career researchers or practitioners from other international organizations for knowledge exchange on evidence-based policy, networking, and mentoring.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 20th February 2025, 11:59PM EST
THEME:
Emerging Technologies: Risks and Solutions to 21st century Governance Challenges for the UN system.
DESCRIPTION:
States, international organisations, companies, academia and societies worldwide are grappling with how best to capitalise on the opportunities presented by emerging transformative technologies. At the same time, their application – in often ungoverned spaces – brings many risks which must be carefully managed. As the world’s universal international authority on peace and security, and with a prominent presence in many field locations worldwide, the United Nations (UN) system develops and applies emerging transformative technologies in their wide range of uses to better achieve its mandate on security, development, human rights and humanitarian aid. Yet, at the same time, the nascent nature of our understanding of the capacity of these technologies – and their human, economic, and environmental impacts – puts us at a critical juncture to chart the future use of such technologies.
During the 2024 Summit for the Future, participants debated these risks and rewards of transformative technology. Through dialogue and exploration, they agreed upon a set of commitments that emphasized the role of humanitarian law and civil society in ensuring that technologies were for the benefit, not burden, of humankind. The adoption of the Global Digital Compact “An Open, Safe & Secure Digital Future for All” included in the Pact of the Future paved the way for the new architecture of global governance of digital technologies and artificial intelligence worldwide, while the Final Report of the UN Secretary General’s High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence “Governing AI for Humanity” elaborated specific options for governing AI. In addition, the UN Secretary General launched the UN 2.0 initiative encapsulating a vision of a new organizational culture across the UN system based on a quintet of cutting-edge data, digital, innovation, foresight and behavioral science skills. These recent commitments build on the decade long developments within the UN agencies and bodies which experiment and employ the emerging technologies. Besides the topical issue of Artificial Intelligence, there are efforts to experiment with Virtual Reality, blockchain, Internet of Things, and Robotics across a range of fields from security, development and human rights to migration and the environment. The possibilities – and perils – seem endless. Thus, we affirm the critical need for developing the next generation of UN thinkers and leaders who can take on these complex questions of technology’s role in governance and peacemaking with a critical, compassionate, and creative eye.
OBJECTIVES:
In order to develop that leadership capacity within the UN System, this workshop provides a space for emerging leaders to develop with regards to the following learning objectives. Participants will:
- Map the influence of emerging technologies in the UN system in its policies, policy-making and everyday practices.
- Understand and articulate the different explanatory analytical perspectives on the role of emerging technologies in the UN system.
- Discuss the various methodologies inspired by different academic disciplines to investigate the role of emerging technologies in the UN system from policy, ethical, technological and organizational perspectives, among others.
- Develop an ethical understanding of the risks and rewards of emerging technologies.
- Imagine future scenarios for engaging technology in their work and efficacy as an agent of peace and good governance.
QUESTIONS:
This year’s workshop will also engage the following critical questions:
- What is the practical influence of the use of different emerging technologies on the UN organizational efforts in addressing SDGs across the dimensions of people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships?
- How do AI and other tools help to address the questions of human mobility, food security, climate change or peace operations?
- What are the roles of different agencies and organization units within the UN system driving the work of AI, including, data, algorithms, or visualization? How do different cross-agency communities of practice (e.g. the UN Innovation Network, UN Digital Community, UN Data Strategy Community) stimulate the diffusion of the emerging technologies across the UN system?
- How might the UN partnerships of different stakeholders evolve in employing emerging technologies? What are the roles of member states, tech companies, UN laboratories, and academia in developing new technological solutions for the UN?
- What are the norms and rules governing the development and employment of emerging technologies in the UN system? How do we explain their emergence and consolidation?
PARTICIPANTS:
The workshop will bring together 10 United Nations staff members and 10 early career academic researchers (PhD students and postdoctoral researchers) or practitioners from other international organizations or governments who contribute to the UN system mandate for knowledge exchange, networking, and mentoring. We aim to recruit a multidisciplinary group of participants to create a platform for a dialogue and exchange of perspectives among all participants.
Young scholars and practitioners (that’s you!) will present their research. The workshop will encourage participants to improve their own skills and capacities for engaging constructively in the complex but important areas of research and practice around the workshop theme. The workshop will also feature a keynote lecture, networking opportunities to strengthen connections among scholars and UN practitioners, and mentoring.
Accommodations will be provided by the Balsillie School of International Affairs and Wilfrid Laurier University. Transportation from the airport to your accommodation will be covered by the hosts. Additionally, lunch will be provided each day.
Up to 20 participants will be selected by a review committee for the workshop. Selected individuals will be notified in early March. Workshop participants are expected to submit and present a paper of publishable quality in the workshop. Specifically, each participant will be required to submit a research or policy paper of 5,000-7,000 words (about 10-15 pages) that critically evaluate how emerging technologies promote solutions or increase risks to 21st century governance challenges. The deadline to submit an initial draft will be 30 April 2025. Guidance for the papers will be provided but participants should have a clear idea of the issue they will address in their written work at the time of application (see “Application Procedure” below).
In preparation for the workshop, participants will also be expected to attend an online (Zoom) meeting in early May to introduce themselves to other participants and to present the main idea of their paper. Prior to arrival in Canada, participants are expected to take the time and read each other’s papers, and arrive ready to discuss each other’s work and any common themes that may be emerging from the projects.
Participants are expected to participate fully in all aspects of the program for the full week. The workshop is designed to promote collegial exchange and networking in an intense work program. For this reason, the workshop organizers ask that participants are not accompanied by spouses, children, or other dependents. Neither ACUNS, the host institution, nor any other associated organization will be able to offer any services or support for anyone accompanying a workshop participant.
The working language of the workshop is English.
The workshop is designed for early-career scholars and practitioners. Senior doctoral students, postdocs, junior faculty, other academic research affiliates, and equivalent representatives from the UN system, other international organizations, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations working in areas and disciplines relevant to the theme of the workshop are eligible to apply.
UN Staff interested in applying must have a regular appointment and at least two years of continuous service in the UN system.
The application review committee will consider diversity, including professional expertise (topics, regions, methods, etc.) and personal background (world region/nationality, gender, etc.). For academics, the committee will also consider diversity of fields (international relations/political science, international law, international development/economics, etc.).
All applicants must complete the application form accessible via the blue button on this page. There will be unique questions posed to applicants depending on the nature of their employment: academic, UN staff, or other international organization (IGOs, NGOs, etc.) or government.
All applicants will need to provide the following:
- A description of their substantive area of expertise (250 words).
- A description of how participation will help their career goals (250 words).
- A description of the written work that they would like to present (500 words).
- Their CV or resume.
- The name and email of an individual who can be contacted as a reference regarding their application.
The application deadline is 20 February 2025, 11:59 PM EST.
Applicants will be notified by early March if they have been selected to participate. Due to the high number of applications, the review committee will not be able to provide individual feedback on applications or explanations of its decisions.
For questions please contact admin@acuns.org.