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International organisations (OECD, UNESCO, UN, G7, ISO) High at the time Adopted

UNESCO member states adopt the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI

Concerns UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI

Verified against the official source 26 Sep 2026 · reviewed by Bhaskar Bhatt (a factual check against the official source, not a legal review or legal advice)
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In brief

UNESCO member states adopt the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. Recorded on 23 November 2021. It concerns UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. 193 member states adopted the first global normative instrument on AI ethics at the 41st General Conference, with values, principles and eleven policy action areas and a readiness assessment methodology for implementation.

Date
23 November 2021
Jurisdiction
International organisations (OECD, UNESCO, UN, G7, ISO)
Instrument
UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI
Impact
High
Status afterwards
Adopted
Official source
UNESCO

What changed?

193 member states adopted the first global normative instrument on AI ethics at the 41st General Conference, with values, principles and eleven policy action areas and a readiness assessment methodology for implementation.

What does it mean in practice?

Governments use the readiness assessment to shape national AI strategies; organisations can use its ethical impact assessment.

Official source

Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial IntelligenceUNESCO · 23 Nov 2021

Cite this record

AIPolicyTracker (2026). “UNESCO member states adopt the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI” [AIPT-CHG-0013, record version 1, verified 26 September 2026 by Bhaskar Bhatt]. https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-CHG-0013 (accessed 12 November 2026). Data licensed CC BY 4.0.

Permanent id AIPT-CHG-0013: it never changes or gets reused, and its address keeps working if this page moves.

Cite the official text alongside it: Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, UNESCO, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381137.

BibTeX 
@misc{aipolicytracker2026_unescomemberstatesadoptt,
  author       = {{AIPolicyTracker}},
  title        = {{UNESCO member states adopt the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://aipolicytracker.org/changes/2021-11-23-unesco-ethics-recommendation}},
  url          = {https://aipolicytracker.org/changes/2021-11-23-unesco-ethics-recommendation},
  urldate      = {2026-11-12},
  note         = {Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Accessed 12 November 2026}
}

Disclaimer: informational only, not legal advice. Verify every claim against the linked official sources and consult a qualified lawyer before acting.