UNU, SOAS and ICEED Launch UNU Hub at the University of London

London / Tokyo — The United Nations University (UNU), SOAS University of London, and the International Council on Environmental Economics and Development (ICEED) have signed an agreement to establish the United Nations University Hub on Artificial Intelligence for Climate, Governance and Culture.

The new UNU Hub, to be located at SOAS, will take an interdisciplinary approach to researching how artificial intelligence (AI) can be responsibly developed and applied to advance sustainable development across climate, finance, health, well-being, resilience, governance, ethics, culture and heritage preservation.

Humanity stands at a pivotal moment for solving global development challenges. Efforts to solve the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, and address the impact on governance and culture, are being hindered by a strained multilateral system and isolationist policies. At the same time, the explosive pace of innovation surrounding AI is opening vast opportunities for collaboration, education and development solutions.

At the societal level, the new UNU Hub will examine how the rapid diffusion of AI is reshaping the institutions, relationships and information environments that underpin resilient societies. The Hub will explore how AI can be responsibly designed and deployed to strengthen social resilience, reinforce institutional capacity, support informed public participation, and foster more inclusive and trusted forms of governance.

Through this work, the UNU Hub will develop evidence and practical approaches that help societies anticipate, understand and respond to the systemic transformations created by AI, while ensuring that technological progress contributes to social cohesion and human well-being.

The new UNU Hub will be structured around three pillars that bring together the distinct strengths of each partner — UNU as the academic arm of the United Nations, SOAS University of London as a renowned research university, and ICEED as an institute committed to solving challenges at the intersection of environmental economics and development.

The Research, Development and Innovation pillar will be at the centre of the UNU Hub’s work, advancing research on how AI can help overcome challenges across climate and society. The Hub will identify emerging issues, develop new approaches to investigate real-world problems, and disseminate evidence-based analysis and solutions through research reports, articles and briefs to support policy processes.

The Education, Training and Capacity-building pillar will integrate the UNU Hub's research and expertise into learning initiatives including university curricula, relevant degree programmes, collaborative teaching and short courses. It will also create tailored executive education programmes for industry, government and civil society.

The Outreach, Advocacy and Impact Pillar will communicate the UNU Hub’s work and impact to audiences across academia, peer networks, the public and policy circles. It will amplify the Hub’s research, education and capacity-building through public events, global gatherings, high-level briefings, expert commentary and multimedia content.

AI’s potential to help overcome climate and social challenges will depend on coherent AI governance frameworks, innovations designed to benefit the contexts of the Global South and North, and initiatives to effectively communicate progress and facts amid a torrent of AI hype and misinformation.

In its work to advance these efforts, the United Nations University Hub on Artificial Intelligence for Climate, Governance and Culture will join a network of twelve other UNU Hubs across the world that are connecting academia with the multilateral system, producing cutting-edge, policy-relevant research, and training the next generation of leaders.

Comments from leadership

Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, UNU Rector and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations: “Never before has technology had more potential to accelerate sustainable development. Yet, the unchecked or irresponsible use of artificial intelligence carries real risks of turning progress into new problems. As we work to solve interconnected global crises, our use of artificial intelligence must be researched, applied and governed to promote shared values, provide equal access to knowledge and give voice to diverse cultures. This new UNU Hub will blend SOAS’s academic impact, ICEED’s public-private partnerships and UNU’s research expertise across the multilateral system to produce innovative solutions and educational opportunities that advance efforts to use AI for good.”

Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor, SOAS University of London: “The UNU Hub is one of the few applied AI research centres in the world that will address the environment, climate change, governance, culture and ethics. SOAS, as a university that specializes in humanities and social science, has repeatedly made the case for putting people at the heart of the development of AI. That is why our ambition for the UNU Hub is that it will make effective interventions in addressing the challenging global issues that are facing humanity. One of the biggest questions right now is about safety, and I hope with the UNU Hub that we can speak directly to these concerns. We very much look forward to developing our research, education and outreach in this field with UNU and ICEED, and to see its real-world impact take effect.”