United Nations, 22 October 2026: Pakistan has called for inclusive, United Nations-led governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military domain, underscoring the need to address its implications for international peace and security, including escalation risks, compressed decision-making timelines and the interaction of AI with nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the launch of the Forum of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, highlighted Pakistan’s longstanding engagement on military AI governance and its role as a founding partner of the Centre, alongside Switzerland and UNIDIR.
Together with Switzerland and @UNIDIR, Pakistan co-hosted the launch of the Center.
“Governance of military AI must be inclusive. It must be anchored in the UN,” Ambassador Jadoon emphasized, stressing that responsible use of AI, while necessary, was not sufficient to address the broader risks to regional and international security and stability.
Recalling Pakistan’s efforts since 2014 to advance a legal instrument on lethal autonomous weapons systems, he highlighted its advocacy for human judgment and control, its 2023 working paper on the security and stability implications of military AI, and its participation in multilateral initiatives, including the REAIM regional consultations hosted in Islamabad in June 2025.
Ambassador Jadoon underscored the Centre’s potential to strengthen continuity across international discussions, build the capacity of developing countries, and promote independent, evidence-based research into strategic risks, including conventional-nuclear entanglement and arms racing. He emphasized that delegations from the Global South must have the knowledge and practical tools needed to participate meaningfully in these discussions.
He also highlighted the Forum’s role in bringing governments, international organizations, industry, academia and civil society together in a sustained dialogue, with a view to informing multilateral processes.
Ambassador Jadoon encouraged delegations, particularly from developing countries, as well as research institutions, industry and civil society, to join the Forum and support the Centre politically and financially.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to remaining an active partner in advancing inclusive and effective international dialogue on AI, peace and security.
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