Seminar: AI Governance for Sustainable Development

This Seminar is co-organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy, Durham University and the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore.

In association with: UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence Law and Sustainability

• Date: 29 July 2026
• Time: 13:00 – 14:30

Concept

The Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy, Durham University (CSDLP) and the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore (CIL) are co-organising a seminar on AI governance for sustainable development. The seminar will examine how international law and technology regulation can respond to the climate, environmental, institutional and social impacts of artificial intelligence.

Bringing together expertise from CSDLP and CIL, the seminar will explore comparative and international perspectives on AI governance and sustainable development while strengthening opportunities for collaboration between the two centres.

The seminar will also connect with the work of the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence Law and Sustainability, including its focus on responsible AI governance, sustainable development, international legal cooperation and capacity building.

Rationale

AI governance is increasingly treated as a matter of innovation, risk management and digital competitiveness. However, AI also raises deeper questions for sustainable development. These include the energy and water demands of AI infrastructure, the environmental cost of compute, the distribution of technological benefits and burdens, the accountability of public and private actors and the role of international law where domestic regulation remains fragmented or incomplete.

This seminar will create a space for senior scholars, PhD researchers and early career researchers (ECRs) to consider how AI governance can be aligned with sustainability, climate responsibility and public interest regulation. It will also provide an opportunity to identify future collaboration between CSDLP and CIL, including research activities, PhD and ECR engagement and possible publications.

Proposed themes

The seminars proposed themes are:

• AI governance and the Sustainable Development Goals
• Climate responsibility, compute infrastructure and the environmental footprint of AI
• International legal responses to emerging technologies
• Technology regulation, public accountability and institutional capacity
• AI, intellectual property and innovation governance
• AI in health, public services and regulated sectors
• The role of universities, research centres, UNESCO Chairs and international networks in shaping sustainable AI governance

Format

The seminar will combine short expert presentations with a moderated discussion and a dedicated PhD/ECR component. The PhD and ECR session will include short research interventions, informal feedback on work in progress and a roundtable on future research agendas in AI governance, sustainability and international law.

Professor Petra Minnerop, Director, Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy, Durham University
Sustainable development law, climate governance, environmental responsibility and the role of international law in supporting sustainable technology regulation.

Dr Jon Truby,Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore
Moderator and presenter. Dr Truby will introduce the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence Law and Sustainability, the ILA Committee on AI and Technology Law and the AI and Technology Law Programme at CIL.

Dr Mauricio Figueroa, CDF IP Law, Durham Law School
AI, digital technologies, intellectual property law and the regulation of algorithmic systems.

Barry Solaiman, Harvard Medical School Centre for Bioethics (Affiliate) & Governor, World Association for Medical Law
AI regulation, healthcare governance, public accountability and legal responsibility in emerging technology contexts.

Dr Rebecca Owens, Research Associate in AI Law, Durham Law School

AI governance and the UN Sustainable Development Goals