Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights

Hosted by the Accelerator Fellowship Programme and the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford

On 5 March 2025, the Accelerator Fellowship Programme and the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford co-hosted the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights at the University of Oxford.

The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law is the first-ever international legally binding treaty in this field. It strives to ensure the compatibility of AI systems with core values, and it was drafted by 46 member states of the Council of Europe, with the participation of observer states and other third states. It was adopted on 5 September 2024, and has so far it has been signed by eight Council of Europe member states alongside the European Union, United States and Israel.

This public event, jointly organised by the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and the Accelerator Fellowship Programme at the Institute for Ethics in AI, brought together a panel of experts involved in the formation of the Convention and in parallel normative projects. Our speakers discussed the negotiating process of the Convention, its main contributions and shortcomings in regulating Artificial Intelligence, as well as the vision for its implementation and potential uptake by states, civil society and technology companies.

Read the full write-up of the event in our insights section.

Host

Prof Yuval Shany

This event was organised with the support of Professor Yuval Shany, International law expert and former Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee, addressing digital human rights and implementation of the AI Bill of Rights, and Fellow of the Accelerator Fellowship Programme of the Institute for Ethics in AI.

Chair

Professor Başak Çalı

Professor Başak Çalı is Professor of International Law at University of Oxford and head of research at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights. She is the principle investigator of ‘Deep Impact through Soft Jurisprudence? The Contribution of United Nations Treaty Body Case Law to the Development of International Human Rights Law’ (German Science Council 2023-2026).

Speaker

Professor Mario Hernandez Ramos

Professor Mario Hernandez Ramos is the Chair of the Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI) of the Council of Europe and Professor of Constitutional Law at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). Previously, he was Professor at the University of Salamanca (Spain), where he obtained his PhD with the Extraordinary Doctorate Award and Doctor Europeus Mention.

Speaker

Dr Angela Müller

Dr Angela Müller is Executive Director of AlgorithmWatch CH in Zurich and Executive Board Member of AlgorithmWatch in Berlin. Before, she led the Policy Team at AlgorithmWatch for four years. She is responsible for the overall strategy of the organization and especially for its work in the fields of policy and investigations.

Speaker

Professor Thompson Chengeta

Professor Thompson Chengeta is a Professor in Law and AI Technologies at Liverpool John Moores University. He is Board Member of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s 15-member Advisory Body on Disarmament Matters. Thompson is a Commissioner of the Global Commission on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (GC-REAIM).

Speaker

Semeli Hadjiloizou

Semeli Hadjiloizou is Researcher in Data Justice and Global Ethical Futures in the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute. She is also Co-Organiser of the Turing’s AI & Arts Interest Group, which convenes a community of over 400 researchers, creative practitioners, and arts organisations from across the globe.

Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights