Learning from the Global Majority: A New global AI Governance

_{Tech Policy Press}

Abstract:

This workshop brings together researchers, policymakers, and civil society representatives from the Global Majority and Europe to explore inclusive and sustainable approaches to global AI governance. Hosted as part of the UNU 50th anniversary celebrations, and supported by the VUB Global Minds Fund, the event seeks to highlight regional experiences, share good practices, and identify concrete opportunities for cooperation between Global Majority countries and the EU in advancing responsible, rights-based, and sustainable AI. The programme includes a high-level opening session, a panel of international experts, breakout discussions, and a guided tour of AI innovations developed with ethical and societal considerations.

Co-organised by Vrije Universiteit Brussel’s Law, Science, Technology and Society (LSTS) research group, UNU-CRIS and Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-eGov), the UNU AI Global Network, Stellenbosch University, Humane-AI.Asia, Colnodo, and LAPIN, the event is part of the United Nations University’s 50th-anniversary celebrations. As emerging AI trends reshape the global balance—such as Brazil and Colombia’s investment in green data centers, South Africa’s focus on social equity, and Vietnam’s plan to develop an AI-centric distric - this workshop offers an opportunity for the EU to learn from Global Majority countries and reimagine its role in fostering inclusive and sustainable AI governance.

Featuring a diverse set of international speakers from across the Global Majority, including Colnodo (Colombia), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), and Humane-AI.Asia (Vietnam), along with experts from Global Majority institutions based in Europe, such as LAPIN (Brazil), the workshop will critically examine whether current governance models foster genuine inclusion or reproduce existing power asymmetries. Hosted at FARI and supported by VUB and UNU-CRIS, the event reinforces the strong and growing collaboration between VUB-LSTS and UNU-CRIS, helping to position Brussels as a key hub for interdisciplinary research on global AI governance, aiming to lay groundwork for stronger, more equitable partnerships in the future of AI policy.

Keywords:

AI governance, Global Majority, international cooperation, responsible AI, AI sustainability

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