Resolution A/RES/79/325: Terms of reference of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance

The UN General Assembly adopted resolution 79/325 on 26 August 2025. It lays out how two bodies foreseen in the Pact for the Future and its Global Digital Compact are to be built and operated: a scientific panel on AI and a global dialogue on AI governance. Both are limited to the non-military domain.

The panel is to have 40 members, chosen with balanced geographic representation, who sit in a personal capacity for three years. The Secretary-General is asked to hold a published, criteria-based open call and recommend a list for the Assembly to appoint. No more than two selected candidates may share a nationality or affiliation, and staff of the United Nations system are excluded. Candidates must disclose every conflict of interest.

The panel's job is to produce one annual evidence-based summary report that is policy-relevant but non-prescriptive, along with thematic briefs where needed. It elects two Co-Chairs, one from a developed and one from a developing country, plus up to three Vice-Chairs, and may set up working groups or consult outside experts. Up to twice a year it updates the Assembly plenary in an interactive dialogue, and it presents its report at the dialogue.

The dialogue brings together governments and other stakeholders to discuss areas such as safe and trustworthy systems, capacity gaps, human rights, human oversight, interoperability and open-source models. It convenes yearly for up to two days beside existing UN meetings, alternating between Geneva and New York, starting with a launch meeting in 2025, then Geneva in 2026 and New York in 2027. Co-Chairs draft a summary each time. Voluntary contributions are invited, including travel support for developing countries, and the continuation of both bodies may be decided at the eighty-second session.