APC’s policy advocacy work and multistakeholder dialogue efforts are presenting two important opportunities to advance its mission of ensuring that the internet and digital technologies enable social, gender and environmental justice for all people. APC Executive Director Chat Garcia Ramilo, has been invited to join the AI For Good Global Commission and will also be taking part in a series of events surrounding the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in September 2026.
"We will continue to advocate for meaningful multistakeholder participation in digital and AI governance, bring civil society perspectives and the needs of the most affected, and ensure that the AI for Good agenda promotes digital inclusion, adheres to gender justice and human rights standards, and contributes to protecting our people and the planet," summarised Garcia Ramilo.
AI for Good Global Commission
The AI for Good Global Commission brings together “a high-level multistakeholder group to help identify practical pathways to strengthen trust, support responsible innovation, and deliver broad-based economic and social benefits for people around the world.”
As one of the commissioners, Ramilo will join a number of global representatives from government, business and international institutions to engage directly with the defining technical, socioeconomic and policy questions surrounding AI. The commission’s work will complement other UN initiatives, drawing on a broad evidence base including international data and benchmarking, scientific research, and lessons from earlier technology waves. The commissioners meet annually at the AI for Good Global Summit, where their work is intended to inform responses to emerging opportunities and risks, issuing clear calls to action.
As part of this space, APC hopes to promote civil society perspectives in a coordinated and joint manner, working closely with civil society coalitions, drawing on decades of experience in mobilising and advocating for human and digital rights across key areas. These include the urgent need to increase corporate accountability through public interest and human rights-oriented regulation, to embed environmental sustainability by assessing its broader socio-environmental implications, and to mainstream gender within policy and governance frameworks.
Among the most underregulated consequences of AI deployment is the rise of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), including automated harassment, deepfakes, gendered disinformation and surveillance-enabled abuse. Research has demonstrated that women and girls, gender-diverse people and other historically marginalised groups are distinctly and disproportionately affected by these harms while remaining underrepresented in the institutions, processes, leadership and industries that shape AI development and governance.
In the current post-WSIS+20 context, APC will also advocate for more support to community-centred connectivity as a factor for digital equality, warning that while risk mitigation is essential, the persistent digital divide will only widen if the benefits of innovation remain restricted to those already connected.
United Nations General Assembly: An upcoming opportunity
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), taking place from 18 to 28 September at UN Headquarters in New York, will be an opportunity to discuss the needed changes in digital and AI regulation with other stakeholders. APC’s executive director will join AI for Good Commission activities on the sidelines of the UNGA. She will also join several sessions, meetings and side events addressing different topics, among others, on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), AI and violence prevention, and the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines.
For those attending the UNGA this year, here are some highlights from APC’s engagement where Garcia Ramilo will be speaking:
- 21 September [in-person] – Digital@UNGA 2026
Digital@UNGA is a United Nations General Assembly-anchored platform convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to explore how to build an inclusive digital future.
- 21 September [in-person] – AI Middle Powers: Power, Sovereignty and Agency: High-Level Roundtable
A high-level, invitation-only roundtable at the 81st session of the UNGA, bringing together senior officials and thought leaders to explore how AI middle powers can strengthen their influence, safeguard sovereignty, and advance practical approaches to ensuring the benefits of AI are broadly and fairly realised. The event will be co-hosted by the Republic of Kenya, Minderoo Foundation, United Nations Foundation, Open Society Foundations and Project Liberty.
- 22 September [in-person] – Digital Infrastructure Investment Catalyser side event at UNGA 2026: Advancing Digital and AI Infrastructure Investments in Emerging Markets
This high-level roundtable will convene leaders from the United Nations, the private sector and the global finance and investment community to explore how proven delivery, financing and partnership models can translate digital infrastructure priorities into action and help shape the next phase of the Digital Infrastructure Investment Catalyser. The discussion will draw on the Digital and AI Infrastructure Investment Playbook and practical examples of successful collaborations, with a focus on strengthening investment readiness, mobilising capital, and advancing scalable digital and AI-enabling infrastructure in emerging markets.
- 23 September [in-person] – Roundtable Discussion on the Prevention of Non-Consensual Intimate Image (NCII) Abuse
APC will be discussing frameworks of consent that move beyond punitive or criminalisation approaches and learn how definitions of consent, “intimate” and “online violence” are applied within legal frameworks and TFGBV-related programmes.
- 23 September [in-person] – WSIS session: Building an Inclusive Future for All: The WSIS Action Lines as a Framework for Global Digital Cooperation
Following the WSIS+20 review and the adoption of the WSIS+20 Outcome Document, this discussion, with APC as one of the co-organising partners, will explore how Action Line implementation is supporting inclusive and sustainable digital transformation, including through national and regional initiatives. It will be an opportunity for APC to continue advocating for grounded and inclusive action, including confronting digital inequality, the meaningful integration of gender into the implementation of WSIS+20 agreements, as well as meaningful multistakeholder participation.
- 25 September [in-person] – The AI Threat to Women and Girls: From Harm to Accountability
Convened by UN Women and UNFPA, this side event will examine AI-enabled and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls as a critical test case for gender-responsive, rights-based and accountable AI governance.
This schedule will continue to be updated as we get additional information, so keep an eye on it for more details. More information at communications@apc.org.