![[Translate to Englisch:]](/fileadmin/user_upload/Neu_Foto.svg "[Translate to Englisch:]")
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UNICEF, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), UNESCO, UNICRI, UNODA, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Representatives of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and on Violence against Children, and theUnited Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children issued the Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence and the Rights of the Child in Geneva on 19 January 2026. The document confirms the shared commitment to fostering an approach to artificial intelligence based on children's rights and calls for coordinated action to ensure that AI is designed, developed and governed in a way that respects, protects and fulfils the rights of the child. In addition to the United Nations organisations, the statement is also supported by more than 50 organisations, including the Digital Opportunities Foundation.
At the signing ceremony held at the ITU premises, both ITU Director Comsas Zavazava and Sophie Kiladze, Chair of the Children's Rights Committee, emphasised that the document is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child andGeneral Comment No. 25 on the rights of children in the digital environment. Aware of the existing risks and potential dangers associated with artificial intelligence, it is important to take advantage of the opportunities provided by this technology. Developers of applications, legislators and regulators have a responsibility to ensure that AI does not violate children's rights, but rather contributes to their realisation. The joint statement provides important guidance on how to achieve this goal. Taking this guidance into account will also fulfil the wish expressed by Emma at the event, who called for a child protection mode that does not simply exclude children from using the application, but rather enables them to participate safely.