Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization 

Contracting States to this Agreement, 

Acknowledging the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a driving force for economic and social development, which is conducive to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, and bears on the well-being of people all over the world; 

Recognizing the need to provide more international public goods, and engage in international cooperation and global governance on AI to promote its sound and orderly development in a beneficial, safe and fair direction for the benefit of the entire humanity; Desiring to contribute to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations; 

Decide to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization and have agreed as follows: 

Article 1 | Establishment 

1. The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (hereinafter referred to as the Organization) is hereby established as an independent intergovernmental international organization and conferred international legal personality. The Organization shall have full legal capacity and shall function in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. 

2. All the Contracting States to this Agreement shall be Member States of the Organization. 

Article 2 | Purposes 

The purposes of the Organization shall be: 

a. To adhere to the human-centric approach, and promote the innovation, development, deployment and application of AI for good and for all; 

b. To expand international cooperation on AI, and jointly establish an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for the development of AI, with a view to unleashing the AI dividend; c. To bridge the AI divide and promote greater accessibility of AI technologies and services; 

d. To collectively mitigate and address risks, challenges and impacts arising from the advancement of AI, and promote safe, secure, ethical, trustworthy AI. 

Article 3 | Functions 

1. The functions of the Organization shall be: 

a. To build a platform for supply-demand matching among Member States; 

b. To enhance international cooperation on Al capacity building; 

c. To enhance alignment and coordination on AI development strategies, governance rules and technical standards, facilitate dialogues, build policy consensus, promote interoperability, and share best practices; 

d. To strengthen cooperation on AI science and technology, and encourage joint efforts to develop open-source ecosystem;

e. To enhance global AI governance, provide support for and promote convergence with the process within the U.N. framework; 

f. To maintain communication with other international organizations, to explore appropriate forms of cooperation. 

2. The functions of the Organization shall be limited exclusively  to the civilian domain of AI. 

Article 4 | Fundamental Principles 

The Organization shall follow the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, respect the sovereignty of states and the diversity of civilizations, uphold the principle of equality, practice multilateralism, and harness the benefits of AI through extensive consultation and joint contribution. 

Article 5 | Structure 

1. The Organization shall establish a Council and a Secretariat. 

2. The Headquarters of the Organization shall be located in the city of Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China, 

3. The Organization may establish subsidiary bodies and working groups as necessary for the performance of its functions and fulfillment of its purposes. 

Article 6 | The Council 

1. The Council shall be the decision-making body responsible for setting the overall strategy and regulations of the Organization; reviewing and approving budget and final accounts reports, annual work plans and annual work reports; admitting new Member States and Observers; appointing the Secretary General and Deputy Secretaries General; establishing subsidiary bodies and working groups; and any other matters for decision as put forward by the Member States for consideration. The Council shall also exercise such other powers and perform such other functions as the Member States determine to be necessary for the implementation of this Agreement. 

2. Every Member State shall be a member of the Council. The Council shall hold a plenary session annually. The Chairperson of the Council, whose term of office shall be one year, shall be elected by the plenary session of the Council with due regard to equitable geographical distribution. 

3. Each Member State may designate one official coordinator, to keep necessary liaison between the Member States and the Secretariat, and develop recommendations for the Council. The meeting of official coordinators shall be convened under the direction of the Council. 

Article 7 | Decision-Making Process 

1. The Council shall adopt its rules of procedure. 

2. Decisions of the Council shall be made by the plenary session of the Council with the presence of at least two-thirds of all Member States, and such decisions shall be made on the basis of consensus to the furthest extent possible. 

3. In the event that consensus cannot be reached after every effort has been exhausted, decisions of the Council may be made by a two-thirds majority of the Member States present and voting. 

4. Each Member State shall have one vote. 

5. Paragraph 3 of this Article does not apply to amendments to this Agreement. 

Article 8 | The Secretariat 

1. The Secretariat, as the permanent administrative body of the Organization, shall be responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the Council, the drafting of budget and final accounts reports, annual work plans and annual work reports for review and approval by the Council, project management, coordination with other relevant international bodies, and other matters assigned by the Council. The Secretariat shall operate under the responsibility of the Secretary General. 

2. The Secretariat shall have one Secretary General who serves as the chief administrative officer of the Organization. The Secretary General shall hold office for a term of three years and may serve one additional term. The Secretary General shall be from among the nationals of and nominated by Member States, and appointed by the Council. 

3. The Secretariat shall have two Deputy Secretaries General, who shall hold office for a term of three years and may serve one additional term. The Deputy Secretaries General shall be from among the nationals of Member States, recommended by the Secretary General, and appointed by the Council. Other staff of the Secretariat shall be appointed by the Secretary General in accordance with the Organization’s relevant regulations. 

4. The paramount consideration in appointing the staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of appointing the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. 

Article 9 | Financing 

1. All financial matters related to the Organization shall be governed by this Agreement and the financial regulations or rules adopted by the Council. 

2. The Organization shall derive its funding from annual contributions from the Member States, as well as voluntary contributions from governments, international organizations, corporations, individuals and other entities, and lawful revenue generated from cooperative projects. However, the Organization must only accept contributions under the permission of the Council, and shall not accept any contributions or assistance that may in any way prejudice, restrict, distort, or alter its purposes, objectives or functions. 

3. Annual contributions from the Member States shall be determined by the Council in accordance with an agreed scale of assessment, with reference to their contribution classes in the system of the Universal Postal Union. The economic development level of Member States and their payment capacity may also be taken into account. 

Article 10 | Membership 

1. Membership of the Organization shall be open to all states. 

2. Contracting States that sign this Agreement during the open-for-signature period specified in Article 14 shall be the Founding Members of the Organization. 

3. Any other state desiring to become a Member State of the Organization shall submit an application to the Secretariat and, upon approval by the Council, accede to this Agreement as specified in Article 14. 

Article 11 | Observers 

1. The Organization may grant observer status to non-member and inter-governmental organizations. States or organizations desiring to become observers shall submit an states application to the Secretariat, which shall be subject to approval by the Council. 

2. Observers may attend the plenary session of the Council upon the invitation of the Chairperson of the Council. All the expenses incurred shall be borne by the invited observers. 

3. Observers shall not have the right to vote. 

Article 12 | Privileges and Immunities 

The Organization, its staff and representatives of Member States shall enjoy in the territories of all Member States the privileges and immunities necessary for fulfilling functions and achieving goals of the Organization. The extent of the aforementioned privileges and immunities shall be defined in separate agreements. 

Article 13 Settlement of Disputes 

Any disputes concerning the interpretation or application of this Agreement shall be settled through consultation among Member States. 

Article 14 | Signature and Accession 

1. This Agreement shall be open for signature from May 1, 2026 until July 31, 2026. 

2. This Agreement shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by the Signatory States. 

3. This Agreement shall remain open for accession after the date on which it is closed for signature. 

Article 15 | Entry into Force 

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of deposit of the third instrument of ratification, acceptance, or approval.  

2. For each state ratifying, accepting, approving or acceding to this Agreement after the deposit of the third instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval, this Agreement shall enter into force on the date of deposit by such state of the relevant instrument. 

Article 16 | Amendments 

1. Any Member State may propose an amendment to this Agreement by submitting it to the Secretary General at least two months prior to the plenary session of the Council for circulation to the Member States. The Secretary General shall thereupon inform Member States about the proposed amendment. 

2. Any proposed amendment to this Agreement shall be reviewed and adopted by the plenary session of the Council based on consensus. 

3. An amendment adopted in accordance with paragraph 2 shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by all Member States, and shall enter into force on the date of deposit of the last instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval. Upon its entry into force, the amendment shall replace the original article of this Agreement. 

Article 17 | Withdrawal 

1. A Member State may withdraw from this Agreement and the Organization by written notification to the depositary. 

2. The withdrawal shall take effect one year after the date of receipt of the notification, unless the notification specifies a later date. 

3. The withdrawal does not affect obligations of the Member State arising out of this Agreement prior to the entry into force of  its withdrawal. .

Article 18 | Depositary 

The Government of the People’s Republic of China shall be the depositary of this Agreement, and shall notify all Member States and the Secretary General of the following: the date of entry into force of the Agreement; signatures, ratifications, acceptances, approvals and accessions, etc. 

This Agreement is written in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish languages, all texts being equally authentic. The depositary shall send certified copies thereof to the Governments of other Member States. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.