Council of Europe · Treaty / Convention
Council of Europe — Framework Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law
Issued by Council of Europe.
Summary
The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law became the first binding international treaty on AI. Adopted in May 2024 and opened for signature in September 2024, it aimed to protect human rights, democratic integrity, and the rule of law in AI governance. The convention was open to non-member states and involved participation from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Japan. It required safeguards for public-sector AI while allowing flexible private-sector compliance through risk-benefit approaches.
Why it matters
Legally binding international AI treaty; human rights, democracy, and rule-of-law protections; public-sector safeguards; flexible private-sector compliance; risk-benefit assessment; open to non-member states.
Governance themes
Topics
Record metadata
- Country
- Council of Europe
- Region
- Europe
- Organisation
- Council of Europe
- Governance themes
- AI governance, Human rights, International cooperation, Risk management, Accountability
- Document type
- Treaty / Convention
- Status
- Adopted
- Publication date
- 17 May 2024
- Last updated
- 27 June 2026
- Language
- English
- Original source
- View original source
Citation export
Plain citation
Council of Europe, Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law, adopted 17 May 2024.
BibTeX
@misc{council_of_europe_framework_convention_ai_human_rights_democracy_rule_law,
title = {Council of Europe — Framework Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law},
author = {Council of Europe},
year = {2024},
howpublished = {Global AI Governance Archive},
url = {https://www.coe.int/en/web/artificial-intelligence/the-framework-convention-on-artificial-intelligence}
}See the citation guide for style-specific examples.
Recorded cross-references
- UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/78/265
- EU Artificial Intelligence Act
- OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence
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