Date: July 2027

Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm 

Format: In-Person and Online 

Tuition: $5,395 (Online) and $6,895 (In-Person)

Application Deadline: TBC

Location: Geneva, Switzerland 

Payment Deadline: TBC

Certificate: AI Governance 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents both significant opportunities and complex challenges for multilateral negotiation and international cooperation, presenting the potential to enhance institutional efficiency, improve analysis of complex issues, support consensus-building, and strengthen evidence-based decision- making, while also raising important ethical, regulatory, and governance concerns. To address these challenges, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) are partnering to deliver an Executive Programme Series on Negotiation and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The series will equip leaders and practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the opportunities, risks, and implications of AI in negotiation, diplomacy, and international cooperation.

As AI systems are increasingly embedded in public administration, security, and development contexts, governments and international organizations face growing challenges in ensuring that their use is safe, ethical, inclusive, and aligned with international law and human-centered values.

The second programme  in the Columbia SIPA-UNITAR Executive Series on Negotiation and AI will focus on AI Governance and will bring together Columbia SIPA’s academic expertise in global policy with UNITAR’s long-standing experience in multilateral capacity-building, to examine how artificial intelligence is being governed at national, regional, and international levels.

Building on both institutions’ strengths, the programme would provide participants with a structured overview of key global and regional AI governance frameworks, including multilateral principles and standards, ethical guidelines, and emerging regulatory approaches. Particular attention would be given to comparative governance models, risk-based regulation, accountability mechanisms, transparency and explainability, and the role of multi-stakeholder cooperation in shaping responsible AI ecosystems.

The training programs are designed to build the capacities of a diverse cohort, including diplomats, delegates, international civil servants and policymakers, academics, and professionals working across the public and private sectors.

Please submit your application at the following link.

Building on both institutions’ strengths, the program will provide participants with a structured overview of key global and regional AI governance frameworks, including multilateral principles and standards, ethical guidelines, and emerging regulatory approaches. Particular attention will begiven to comparative governance models, risk-based regulation, accountability mechanisms, transparency and explainability, and the role of multi-stakeholder cooperation in shaping responsible AI ecosystems.

Particular emphasis will be placed on procurement regulation as a domain where AI governance translates most directly into institutional practice, together with trust and safety, red teaming, third-party assurance, and the use of regulatory sandboxes to enable responsible experimentation.

The executive program will be delivered over a one-week period and jointly designed and delivered by UNITAR and SIPA. The program will be delivered in a blended format, utilizing a hybrid mode of instruction to enable participants to join the sessions either in-person or online. The in-person sessions of the program will be held in Geneva, Switzerland. This flexible delivery model is intended to maximize global reach and impact.

Instructional methodologies will include a range of interactive lectures, case studies, negotiation simulations, scenario analyses, the application of AI and data science tools, group exercises, stakeholder discussions, high-level roundtables, and site visits. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s leading experts in Negotiation and AI.

• Governance Frameworks for Responsible and Ethical AI Use in Negotiation;
• Risk Management and AI Safety Practices;
• AI Governance and Disinformation;
• Procurement regulation, where AI policy has real consequences for organizations, alongside trust and safety, red teaming, third-party assurance, and regulatory sandboxes;
• National Approaches to AI Regulation;
• The Role of International Organisations in Shaping AI Norms.

Combining conceptual foundations with applied policy analysis, the course will equip participants with practical tools to assess governance trade-offs and institutional design choices. Participants will strengthen their ability to design, evaluate, and adapt AI governance frameworks within their own national or multilateral contexts, while contributing to coherent and responsible global AI governance.

• Compare key global, regional, and national AI governance frameworks, including multilateral principles, ethical guidelines, and emerging regulatory approaches.
• Evaluate risk-based regulation, accountability mechanisms, transparency and explainability requirements, and multi-stakeholder cooperation as core elements of responsible AI governance.
• Apply practical governance tools — including procurement regulation, red teaming, third-party assurance, and regulatory sandboxes — to institutional AI safety and responsible deployment.
• Evaluate AI governance frameworks within national or multilateral contexts, informed by comparative institutional design choices and governance trade-offs.
• Engage with the role of international organisations and Member States in shaping global AI norms, contributing to coherent, human-centred, and inclusive international governance

Participants in the Executive Education Programme Series on AI and Negotiation will gain access to a range of professional, academic, and networking benefits designed to support their leadership development and career advancement in an increasingly AI-enabled global environment.

• Joint Columbia SIPA–UNITAR Certificate: Earn a Joint Certificate from SIPA and UNITAR--two of the world’s leading institutions in multilateral diplomacy, public policy, and international affairs--upon the successful completion of each programme. Participants who complete all three programmes would additionally receive an overarching certificate or the full series.
• Access to World-Class Faculty and Practitioners: Learn from leading academics, policy experts, diplomats, negotiators, and practitioners from Columbia SIPA, UNITAR, and the broader international community who are shaping the future of AI governance and multilateral cooperation.
• Membership in a Growing Community of Practice: Become part of a global network of professionals, diplomats, government officials, international civil servants, and regulators focused on AI, governance, negotiation, and decision-making, creating valuable professional connections that can support future collaboration, policy dialogue, and professional opportunities.
• Peer Learning and Cross-Sector Exchange: Expand perspectives through engagement with participants working at the forefront of AI policy, diplomacy, and governance from different sectors and regions and gain practical insights into how AI challenges and opportunities are being addressed across different national and institutional contexts.
• Practical Skills and Applied Learning: Acquire hands-on experience with AI-enabled tools and policy frameworks as well as immediately applicable skills through case study analysis, negotiation simulations, real-word policy exercises, forecasting tools, and scenario planning.
• Enhanced Professional Credentials: Enhance your expertise and competencies in AI, negotiation, governance, and decision-making and gain insights into emerging international norms, regulatory developments, governance frameworks, and geopolitical dynamics that are shaping the future of artificial intelligence worldwide.
• Alumni Engagement Opportunities: Receive invitations to select thought leadership events, policy forums, and networking opportunities organized by Columbia SIPA and UNITAR, to remain engaged with evolving developments in AI and international affairs.
• Exposure to Global Centers of Diplomacy: Gain Exposure to the global centers of diplomacy in New York City and Geneva.

For further information, please contact Ms. Anouk Reilly (anouk.reilly@unitar.org) and Mr. Konstantinos Stravoravdis (konstantinos.stravoravdis@unitar.org).