Centering Human Dignity in the Age of AI - Side Event on the Margins of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly
Organizers: Microsoft, Apne Aap International, A.F.I. World Peace Initiative, International Cocoa Diplomacy Eti-Oni Development Group, Generative AI for Good
Co-sponsors: Vital Voices, British Standards Institution, NYU Ethical Tech CoLab, Equality Now, Black Basalt Foundation, Women for Afghanistan, Mediators Beyond Borders International, We are NOT Weapons of War, Cocoa Town and Visions of Peace Initiative, Women Voices Now, Save Ukraine.
Aligned with: the UNGA81 theme, "Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All"; the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026; and SDGs 5, 16, and 17.
Program
9:00 – 9:30 am | Registration and Networking
ASH Art Exhibit by Black Basalt Foundation. Works on paper created using ash collected from sites destroyed during the July 2025 violent events in Swaida, Syria.
9:30 – 9:45 am | Welcome Remarks
Yorke E. Rhodes III, Director of Traceability, Microsoft; Adjunct Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs; Co-founder, Ethical Tech CoLab
Her Royal Majesty Queen Angelique-Monét of Eti-Oni, Osun State, Nigeria Royal Patron, Eti-Oni Development Group, AFI World Peace Initiative, and International Cocoa Diplomacy
9:45 – 10:30 am | Session 1: From Testimony to Accountability: A UN Framework Protocol on CRSV
Moderator: Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Member of IF20 Advisory Group on Human Trafficking
Despite a robust body of international humanitarian, human rights and criminal law addressing conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), a persistent gap remains between international commitments and their effective implementation at the national level. This high-level panel will examine the case for a United Nations Framework Protocol on the Implementation of International Obligations relating to Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Survivor-Centred Responses, a practical framework designed not to create new legal obligations, but to help States translate existing commitments into effective prevention, reporting and documentation, national response frameworks, justice and accountability, comprehensive referral mechanisms, and long-term support for victims and survivors. Building on existing international standards and good practices, including the Murad Code, the discussion will consider how a Framework Protocol could strengthen survivor-centred and trauma-informed approaches, national coordination and international cooperation, while addressing emerging challenges and opportunities related to digital evidence, artificial intelligence and responsible innovation. The panel will bring together experts to identify priority implementation gaps and launch a global consultation process towards the development of the Framework Protocol.
Fawzia Koofi, President, Women for Afghanistan
Céline Bardet, Founder and President, We are NOT Weapons of War (WWoW)
Jay Rosenzweig, CEO, Rosenzweig & Company; Honorary Chair, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights; Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Tsitsi Matekaire, Director, Regions, Equality Now
Mandy Sanghera, International Human Rights Advocate
10:30 am – 10:45 | Session 2: Fireside Chat | Developing a standard for human dignity
A fireside chat on the development of a standard on human dignity by the British Standards Institute, covering critical areas such as human rights due diligence, modern slavery, safeguarding, violence against women, and diversity, equality, and inclusivity. The discussion will also highlight how standardisation can play a role in preventing crimes linked to these issues, including money laundering, bribery, and fraud.
Kevin Hyland OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Praevani Global and UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
Fr. Márcio Toniazzo, Executive Director, Scalabrini International Migration Network
10:45 – 11:00 am | Session 3: Fireside Chat | Hearing Their Voices: Survivor Testimony in the Age of AI
Presentation of a survivor testimony developed through the Hearing Their Voices ethical framework, grounded in the principles of informed consent, transparency, authenticity, safety and non-discrimination, alongside additional testimonies developed with survivors from active conflict zones. The screening will be followed by a short discussion exploring the ethical and practical challenges of collecting, safeguarding and sharing survivor testimony during ongoing conflicts, including how to ensure that survivors retain agency and control over their stories while minimizing risks of retraumatization, stigma and retaliation.
Yorke E. Rhodes III, Director of Traceability, Microsoft; Adjunct Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs; Co-founder, Ethical Tech CoLab
Shiran Mlamdovsky Somech, Founder & CEO, Generative AI for Good
11:00 – 11:45 am | Session 4: AI for Peace: Centering Survivor Voices
Moderator: Dr. Estera Borcsa, psychotherapist and trauma expert, Mediators Beyond Borders International
As conflicts, repression and violence continue to affect communities worldwide, artificial intelligence presents new possibilities for ensuring that the voices and experiences of survivors are heard—while also raising critical questions about safety, dignity, consent, authenticity and the risk of retraumatization. This session will explore how AI and emerging technologies can be used responsibly to amplify survivor voices, preserve testimony, support truth-telling and accountability, and contribute to peacebuilding without exposing survivors to further harm, stigma or retaliation. Moderated through a trauma-informed lens, the discussion will examine what it means to place survivors, not technology, at the centre of innovation, including the safeguards needed to ensure meaningful consent, survivor agency and control over how testimony is collected, preserved and shared. Bringing together human rights advocates, practitioners and civil society leaders, the panel will consider how survivor-centred AI can help bridge the distance between lived experience and decision-making, ensuring that those most affected by violence and conflict are not simply subjects of international action, but active participants in shaping justice, reconciliation and sustainable peace.
Manira Alva, Senior Adviser SDG 5, Vital Voices
Marjan Keypour Greenblatt, Iranian Human Rights Advocate and Analyst, Director of Humanitarian Partnerships, Project Aftab
Nadia Muradi, program Director, Black Basalt Foundation
Cate Carbonaro, Executive Director, The Retreat
Megs Shah, Founder and CEO, Parasol Cooperative
11:45 am – 12:00 pm | Session 5: From Words to Impact: A Goodwill Perspective
Ruchira Gupta, Apne Aap Women Worldwide; Emmy-winning documentarian, author I Kick and I Fly, Prof, NYU
Manira Alva, Senior Adviser SDG 5, Vital Voices
Nika Kovac, Institute 8th of March My Voice, My Choice Democracy Hub
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Session 6: Centering Human Dignity in the AI Stack: Technology, Investment and Policy for Human Rights
Moderator: Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Member of IF20 Advisory Group on Human Trafficking
How do we move responsible AI for human rights from promising innovation to sustainable, scalable infrastructure? This session brings together technology leaders, human rights practitioners, humanitarians and policymakers to examine what it will take to fund, build and scale a responsible AI stack for human rights, peace and security.
The conversation will explore the ecosystem needed to take solutions from prototype to deployment, including responsible AI models, trustworthy data and content provenance, traceability, safeguards, ethical voice and media technologies, and sustainable investment models. The panel will examine the respective roles of technology companies, venture capital, governments, civil society and multilateral institutions in ensuring that innovation reaches the people and communities that need it most. The discussion will ask a central question: how can we mobilize technology, policy and capital at scale while ensuring that human rights, safety, accountability and human dignity remain embedded in the architecture of AI from the outset?
Len Khodorkovsky, Senior Advisor to the Chairman, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue
Breeze Liu, CEO, Alecto Foundation
Yorke E. Rhodes III, Director of Traceability, Microsoft; Adjunct Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs; Co-founder, Ethical Tech CoLab
Shane Martin, Venture Capitalist, B Ventures Group
Gabi Leibowitz, Impact, Elevenlabs
Meagan Fallone, Lead, Schwab Foundation Global AI for Social Innovation Coalition, WEF
1:00- 2:00 pm | Lunch
2:00 – 2:10 pm | Goodwill Message
Cheryl Halpern, Award Winning Filmmaker, Former Director of Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and Co-Founder of Visions of Peace Initiative
2:10 – 2:30 pm | Session 7: Fireside Chat | The Puppet & The Algorithm: Preserving Human Agency in Next-Gen Storytelling
Fireside Chat: Her Majesty Queen Angelique-Monét, The Queen Consort of Eti-Oni and Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Member of IF20 Advisory Group on Human Trafficking
The entertainment industry has shifted from experimenting with AI to relying on it as an operational foundation. While public friction and union battles dominate headlines, the day-to-day reality of global media uses AI to manage crushing workloads, automate script summaries, and translate content globally in real time. Hosted by global humanitarian and master ventriloquist Queen Angelique Monet, this panel bridges the gap between Silicon Valley innovation and moral responsibility. The discussion frames AI through the metaphor of ventriloquism: an instrument that requires a human soul to truly captivate an audience.
The fireside chat will discuss the immediate future of entertainment, including mobile-first vertical micro-dramas, interactive media featuring persistent AI characters, and AI "world models" that allow indie filmmakers to build massive cinematic environments without Hollywood budgets. Ultimately, the panel outlines the Human Precision Generative Workflow (HPG), a framework ensuring that while technology handles the heavy technical lifting, creative authorship, nuance, and human taste remain firmly protected.
2:30 – 3:15 pm | Session 8: The Cocoa Renaissance Initiative: Empowering Women Cocoa Farmers Through Artificial Intelligence, Cocoa Diplomacy and Sustainable Development
Moderator: Her Majesty Queen Angelique-Monét, The Queen Consort of Eti-Oni
Presented by: AFI World Peace Initiative, International Cocoa Diplomacy, and the Eti-Oni Development Group, in celebration of the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.
Women perform essential roles across every stage of the cocoa value chain yet receive the smallest share of its economic benefit. This high-level session highlights women cocoa farmers as drivers of sustainable development and showcases how responsible AI, cocoa diplomacy, traditional leadership, and international partnerships can expand productivity, financial inclusion, and climate resilience while preserving indigenous agricultural knowledge. Anchored by the Cocoa Renaissance Initiative, led by His Majesty Oba Dokun Thompson GUREJE IV, The Oloni of Eti-Oni. Includes a special screening of a 10-minute documentary celebrating women cocoa farmers and the Kingdom of Eti-Oni’s 130-year cocoa legacy.
Dr. Charles Akinola, MD/CEO South West Development Commission, Nigeria
Mr. Fuad Abubakar, MD, Ghana Cocoa Marketing Company, United Kingdom
Mrs. Nettie Atkinson, Author and Chocolate Educator
Ms. Saila Balasubramanian, Chief Operating Officer of Cocoa Town
3:15 – 3:45 pm | Session 9: Ethical Tech CoLab Showcase: Human Dignity, Climate Resilience, and Responsible AI in Practice
Moderator: Yorke E. Rhodes III, Director of Traceability, Microsoft; Adjunct Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs; Co-founder, Ethical Tech CoLab and Ruchira Gupta, Apne Aap Women Worldwide; Emmy-winning documentarian, author I Kick and I Fly, Prof, NYU
Presented by: Graduate Researchers of the NYU Ethical Tech CoLab
The NYU Ethical Tech CoLab was founded to explore a central question: How can emerging technologies improve the human condition? Through applied research and prototype development, graduate student researchers work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human rights, sustainability, migration, diplomacy, labor rights, and public trust.
This showcase highlights practical technology interventions developed by the CoLab that are directly relevant to the themes of human dignity, climate resilience, sustainable development, and ethical AI. Researchers will present a series of rapid demonstrations illustrating how emerging technologies can support communities facing climate disruption, strengthen supply-chain labor accountability, improve crisis response, preserve cultural heritage, and enhance international cooperation.
3:45 – 4:00 pm | Closing and Call to Action
Ruchira Gupta, Apne Aap Women Worldwide; Emmy-winning documentarian, author I Kick and I Fly, Prof, NYU
Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Member of IF20 Advisory Group on Human Trafficking
4:00 – 5:00 pm | Royal Cocoa Reception: A Taste of Chocolate from Around the World Celebrating Women Cocoa Farmers