The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research opened expressions of interest on October 22 for a new Forum attached to its Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security. The launch took place at United Nations headquarters in New York during a side event to the General Assembly First Committee, organized with Switzerland and Pakistan.
A continuing venue between policy events
UNIDIR created the underlying Centre of Excellence in June 2026. It describes the centre as a permanent platform for consolidating knowledge, connecting stakeholders and sustaining work between major summits and multilateral processes.
The new forum adds an organizational participation channel. UNIDIR says it will provide a neutral venue for exchanging perspectives, collecting input through consultations, disseminating work and encouraging collaboration among governments, industry, researchers and civil society.
Convening power, not regulatory authority
The forum's remit touches military applications, conflict prevention and broader peace-and-security risks, areas where technical evidence and national security interests often collide. A continuing forum can make those debates less episodic and give smaller institutions a path into policy discussions.
The launch does not itself produce a treaty, standard or enforcement mechanism. Its significance will depend on who joins, how transparently consultations are synthesized and whether the centre converts discussion into practical, evidence-based guidance that multilateral bodies and national governments use.