A new international coalition was launched in Geneva on July 7, 2026, aiming to place children’s safety and rights at the forefront as artificial intelligence (AI) transforms how children learn, play, and grow. The Coalition for Children’s Rights and Protection in the Age of Artificial Intelligence brings together governments, UN agencies, technology companies, civil society groups, educators, and child welfare experts.

The coalition’s work is grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty globally. It was officially announced during the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, a two-day event starting July 6.

Founding UN members include the Department of Global Communications (DGC), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, UNICEF, and UNESCO.

Seventeen countries have signed on so far: Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and Spain, alongside the European Commission.

The coalition emphasizes that children are already deeply immersed in AI-driven environments—from educational apps to algorithms shaping their interactions. While AI offers opportunities in education, creativity, and inclusion, it also presents risks that current systems are ill-equipped to manage.

A key principle of the coalition is to shift the perspective from treating children merely as technology users needing protection after the fact, to recognizing them as rights holders whose voices should influence AI development from the outset.

This initiative follows the UN Secretary-General’s call for an AI Child Safety Pledge, made during his opening remarks at the Global Dialogue on AI earlier that week. Coalition members plan to share evidence and best practices and advocate for meaningful inclusion of children’s perspectives in decisions about AI systems affecting their lives.

Sources

UN News: New coalition puts children’s rights at the centre of the AI age