Date: 28 September - 02 October 2026

Time (EST): 9:00am - 5:00pm 

Format: In-Person and Online 

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

Application Deadline: 07 September 2026

Location: Columbia University and United Nations

Payment Deadline: 07 September 2026

Certificate: Negotiation in the Age of AI 

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.

The first programme in the Columbia SIPA – UNITAR Executive Series on Negotiation and AI is designed to bridge the academic expertise of Columbia SIPA with UNITAR’s extensive experience in diplomatic training, to examine how AI is reshaping the foundations of global governance. As governments, international organisations, and private-sector actors increasingly deploy AI systems for forecasting, crisis response, data-driven policy-making, and strategic communication, the dynamics of negotiation and multilateral engagement are rapidly evolving.

Leveraging both institutions’ strengths to deliver a comprehensive educational programme, it would provide participants with an advanced understanding of how AI alters negotiation dynamics, power asymmetries, disinformation risks, and procedural fairness within multilateral settings. It would combine theoretical knowledge with practical scenario-building exercises, to help participants anticipate and navigate AI-related challenges in diplomatic settings, multilateral spaces, as well as in global security. Through this programme, participants would gain a comprehensive understanding of how to anticipate challenges and leverage AI responsibly within the abovementioned contexts.

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.

Leveraging both institutions’ strengths to deliver a comprehensive educational program, the program will provide participants with an advanced understanding of how AI alters negotiation dynamics, power asymmetries, disinformation risks, and procedural fairness within multilateral settings. It will combine theoretical knowledge with practical scenario-building exercises, to help participants anticipate and navigate AI-related challenges in diplomatic settings, multilateral spaces, as well as in global security. Through this program, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to anticipate challenges and leverage AI responsibly within the above mentioned contexts.

The program will move beyond conceptual treatment to engage participants directly with operational systems, including research tools, forecasting platforms, situational awareness dashboards, and negotiation simulators, supporting critical evaluation of what these tools can and cannot do in diplomatic practice.

The programs will be delivered over a one-week period and will be 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 on the campus of Columbia University and the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. 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, forecasting and 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.

• AI-Driven Models for Strategic Leverage in Complex Negotiation, Diplomacy, and Conflict Prevention, including the Assessment of Negotiation Scenarios, Intelligence Analysis, and Crisis Management;
• Development of AI Tools and Frameworks for Multilateral Organizations: Practical, Policy, and Ethical Dimensions;
• Hands-on content, including tabletop sessions with real systems (research tools, forecasting platforms, situational awareness dashboards, negotiation simulators) followed by critical reflection;
• Evaluation of the tool landscape to provide a framework for judging the offerings available to them (e.g. from Big Tech, startups, civic tech, NGOs, and the UN system). This would include Landscape mapping plus evaluation methodology;
• Practical Application of AI Models to Complex Negotiation; 
• How AI can be used to facilitate negotiation

• Analyze how AI is reshaping negotiation dynamics, power asymmetries, and institutional effectiveness within multilateral and diplomatic settings.
• Engage directly with operational AI systems — including research tools, forecasting platforms, situational awareness dashboards, and negotiation simulators — and critically evaluate what they can and cannot do in diplomatic practice.
• Identify and navigate AI-related risks in diplomatic contexts, including disinformation, privacy, procedural accountability, and the erosion of institutional trust and legitimacy.
• Apply a structured evaluation methodology to map and assess AI tool offerings from technology firms, startups, civic tech initiatives, NGOs, and the UN system.
• Leverage AI responsibly to anticipate challenges, strengthen negotiation outcomes, and facilitate more effective engagement in multilateral and global security contexts.

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).