Singapore Calls for UN Framework Convention on AI Safeguards at UNGA
Singapore has called for stronger international cooperation on artificial intelligence, including the possible creation of a United Nations framework convention designed to establish common safeguards and standards for the rapidly developing technology.
Speaking at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan argued that AI governance should not be left entirely to individual countries or major technology powers.
He raised the possibility of creating new international institutions capable of coordinating AI oversight and developing shared rules governing areas such as safety, accountability and the responsible deployment of advanced systems.
Balakrishnan acknowledged that negotiations remain at an early stage and that there is currently no guarantee that governments will ultimately agree on a binding international convention.
Nevertheless, Singapore believes discussions on global AI governance need to begin before technological development moves too far ahead of existing regulatory structures.
The proposal reflects a broader concern among smaller and mid-sized countries that the future rules governing artificial intelligence could otherwise be shaped primarily by the world’s largest technological and geopolitical powers.
For Singapore, supporting multilateral rules has long been a central part of its foreign policy. As a small, highly connected economy, the country has consistently argued that predictable international standards help reduce the risks created by competition between larger states.
Artificial intelligence has increasingly become an area of strategic rivalry, with governments pursuing different approaches to regulation, security and technological development. Those differences have made agreement on global standards difficult, particularly as countries seek to protect both economic interests and national security.
Singapore’s position is that establishing common principles at the international level could help reduce fragmentation while ensuring that countries have a greater voice in determining how advanced AI systems are developed and deployed.
Any future UN framework would still require extensive negotiations over its scope, enforcement mechanisms and institutional structure. However, Singapore’s intervention signals an effort to move the debate beyond voluntary principles and toward more formal international rules.
As AI capabilities continue to advance, questions surrounding safety, accountability and international coordination are expected to become increasingly prominent within the United Nations and other global institutions.
