UNESCO Member States · recommendation

UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

Global normative recommendation covering ethical impact, human rights, governance and policy approaches for AI.

voluntaryUNESCOVerified 23 Aug 2026

Applicability

Member states and institutions using UNESCO's ethics framework as a policy/governance reference.

Enforcement context

Recommendation rather than directly binding legislation.

Regulatory timeline

Material dates and status changes.

23 Nov 2021

UNESCO AI Ethics Recommendation

Global normative recommendation covering ethical impact, human rights, governance and policy approaches for AI.

Source for this event →

CRG implementation mapping

Operational obligations and evidence expectations.

UNESCO-EIA

Ethical impact assessment

Assess material ethical, rights and societal impacts of AI systems, especially in consequential contexts.

Actor: AI actors/policy makers · Domain: impact assessment

Evidence: Impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, mitigations and review.

Mapped CRG assurance controls: RISK-04FAIR-01
Primary source

Verify the underlying instrument.

Cybatar's mapping is designed for AI governance and assurance work. Legal interpretation remains anchored to the current primary text and competent authority guidance.

Open UNESCO source