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The side event organized by UNESCO, at its Headquarters on 11 February 2025, under the theme ‘Preparing AI for the World. Preparing the World for AI’, highlighted Global Priority Africa as part of the AI Action Summit.

Representatives from UNESCO Member States, civil society, the private sector, academia and research took part in the discussions, which very often touched on Africa's main challenges and opportunities in terms of AI and global cooperation. They emphasized the need to promote the diversity of the AI ecosystem, through an inclusive, open and multi-stakeholder approach that places ethics, the protection of human rights and dignity, and respect for values at the heart of AI development, in line with the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (2021), while stressing the need and urgency to bridge the digital divide and help African countries build their AI capacities.

The UNESCO side event featured four highlights: 

- Presentation: “UNESCO: Preparing AI for the World. Preparing the World for AI": A whistle-stop overview of UNESCO's contribution, starting with early digital work and the 2021 Recommendation; a review of programs and impact in education; the training of journalists, judges and public servants; environment, climate resilience and disaster preparedness; culture; policy development support for states; and a look-forward to the G20; neurotechnology, and beyond, presented by Max Kendrick, AI Strategy Coordinator in the Office of the Director-General of UNESCO.

- Priority Africa Fireside Chat – Action Plan for the AU’s Continental AI Strategy:  a discussion between UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations, Firmin Edouard Matoko, and the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission, Amani Abou-Zeid, on the Action Plan for the African Union's Continental Strategy on AI.

- Ministerial exchange: Lessons learned and What’s Next: moderated by UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Tawfik Jelassi, with contributions from : Lino Adrianzén Olaya, President of the Council of Ministers (Peru), Chea Vandeth, Minister of Post and Telecommunication (Cambodia), Ibrahim Kalil Konaté, Minister of Digital Transition and Digitalization (Côte d'Ivoire), Avinash Ramtohul, Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation (Mauritius), Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform (Morocco), Renato Sodium Jr., Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (Philippines), Paula Ingabire, Minister of Information and Communication Technology and Innovation (Rwanda), Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, the President of Saudi Data and AI Authority (Saudi Arabia), Wisit Wisitsora-At, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (Thailand, host country of the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI 2025). Other speakers included: Lacine Kone, Director General and CEO of Smart Africa, Shish Haider Chowdhury, Secretary of the ICT Division (Bangladesh), Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (India), Nezar Patria, Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs (Indonesia). They presented the experience of their respective countries in the development of AI, very often in cooperation with UNESCO through the use of the Readiness Assessment Method (RAM).   

- Panel: Stakeholder Cooperation in an Accelerating Policy Landscape: moderated by Antonio Zappulla, CEO, Thomson Reuters Foundation (key partner), with contributions from Vilas Dhar, President, Patrick J. Mc Govern Foundation (key partner), Youchul Kim, Head of Strategy, LG AI Research (key partner) and Constance de Leuse, Executive Director, AI & Society Institute, University of ENS-PSL).