International coordination is critical for overcoming many global governance challenges, including those raised by emerging technology. Treaties, for example, help states to agree on common standards and shared guidelines for technological development. Arms control agreements can help them avoid dangerous races to build arsenals of new weapons. International gatherings can also aid the development of shared norms and understanding that make it easier to reach agreement on complex governance issues.

Multilateral organizations help shape these efforts. Dozens of international bodies—such as the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—host the negotiations and processes needed to develop effective governance frameworks internationally and domestically. These international bodies serve as forums for diplomats and other representatives of national governments, and their work is supported by research from think tanks, academic centers, and other NGOs. By working at one of these organizations, you might be able to help achieve effective governance outcomes.

Working in or with a multilateral organization can be a great opportunity to develop professionally and make a difference, particularly if you’d like to live outside the US, work with a diverse set of international stakeholders, and tackle the unique challenges of international coordination. But this career path comes with some important potential downsides—both personal and professional—that you should consider.

What is multilateral governance?

Multilateral governance refers to agreements and efforts involving multiple countries to pursue common goals. It involves collaborative decision-making and coordinating implementation efforts across national borders. States may use various tools to achieve these goals, including (some categories overlap):

1. Treaties and conventions: Legally binding agreements between states.
2. Resolutions: Formal expressions of opinion or recommendations issued by international bodies, like the UN General Assembly; typically non-binding, with some exceptions like UN Security Council resolutions.
3. Economic instruments: Sanctions, tariffs, or aid to influence behavior.
4. Diplomacy: Negotiations and dialogue to build consensus and resolve conflicts.
5. Technical assistance: Sharing expertise and resources to build capacity or help countries implement specific programs effectively.
6. Monitoring and reporting mechanisms: Systems to track compliance and progress and ensure accountability.
7. Arbitration and dispute resolution: Formal processes to resolve conflicts between parties.
8. Soft law: Establishing international standards, norms, and best practices without legal force.
9. Joint military operations: Coordinated security actions authorized by bodies like NATO or the UN Security Council (e.g. UN peacekeeping operations).
10. Joint research and information sharing: Platforms for conducting research and exchanging data on global issues to inform policy decisions (e.g. the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
11. Capacity building programs: Initiatives to strengthen institutions and governance, especially in developing countries.
12. Public awareness campaigns: Global efforts to educate and mobilize public support for international initiatives.

These tools allow multilateral organizations to help address complex transnational challenges that individual countries cannot effectively tackle alone, such as climate change, pandemics, or challenges posed by emerging technologies like AI or cyber.

The multilateral governance process

Developing multilateral policy involves several broad activities.¹ These include:

The multilateral governance process

1. Setting agendas: To bring an issue to the attention of policymakers, actors must convince national governments and multilateral organizations that an issue matters and should be prioritized in diplomatic discussions. Agenda-setting involves activities like research, advocacy, and movement-building work. Non-governmental actors, including issue experts and advocacy groups, are particularly important here. Multilateral organizations themselves often play an important role in agenda-setting by initiating research and discussions about specific issues, including by hosting conferences, publishing reports, and speaking to the media.
2. Making policy: Once decision-makers decide to prioritize an issue, analysts have to consider the various potential solutions, negotiators have to find compromises that work for all stakeholders, and diplomats have to draft policies, guidelines, or directives that define specific initiatives and requirements. Official institutions—both national governments and multilateral organizations—lead this stage, while academics or NGOs are often called upon as experts and representatives of certain interest groups. Part of the policy drafting process involves designing implementation strategies and establishing follow-up mechanisms.
3. Implementation and follow-up: Once a policy has been drafted, it has to be put into action. Multilateral organizations might set up verification processes, member states might pass new laws to implement an agreement domestically, and new international or domestic bodies might be created.
4. Evaluating and monitoring: Finally, it’s important to ensure that the new policy is actually working as intended. This might involve inspections (as the International Atomic Energy Agency performs to ensure compliance with rules on nuclear materials), reporting requirements, audits, or other oversight measures.

Differences between multilateral governance and national policy

Multilateral governance, beyond its focus on global or regional rather than domestic issues, differs from national policy in several key ways. These differences often make multilateral governance particularly challenging. 

First, multilateral governance involves multiple countries with differing interests and priorities, which can make consensus building more complex and time-consuming than at the national level. Multilateral efforts must respect national sovereignty, balancing each country’s unique political, legal, and regulatory requirements, whereas national policy is crafted within the context of a single sovereign entity. As such, member states often fail to reach agreement or only reach weak compromise decisions. These compromises frequently represent the “lowest common denominator” between states and lack commitments significantly different from what individual states would have done independently.

Second, the lack of a central global authority means that implementation and enforcement in multilateral settings often rely on voluntary compliance or soft mechanisms. Nearly all forms of international law are voluntarily entered into, and most lack direct enforcement power. While international courts, police, and military enforcement mechanisms exist, they are typically more politically constrained and less effective than their national counterparts. Some international institutions address this by giving their member states authority to enforce international agreements. But enforcement is often challenging, for example, because of the difficulty in reaching agreement on enforcement measures and individual states’ reluctance to intervene in others’ affairs (see several examples in the footnote.²)

Additionally, collective action problems at the multilateral level challenge consensus formation and implementation. States often desire the benefits of multilateral integration, such as economic growth and political stability, but may be reluctant to bear the costs of cooperation without assurance that other states will reciprocate.

Despite these challenges, multilateral governance can achieve outcomes through coordination that would not be possible through the actions of individual states alone. Understanding these constraints can help overcome barriers to effective multilateral governance.

Working on multilateral policy

Different actors, skills, and expertise are required at each stage of the governance process described above. That means that there are many different ways to contribute, including working in:

1. Multilateral organizations (e.g. one of the UN’s many agencies, NATO, or the European Commission)
2. NGOs supporting or influencing multilateral organizations (e.g. international advocacy groups, think tanks, and universities)
3. National government (e.g. government agencies dealing with foreign policy, like the US Departments of State or Defense)

Since each country has its own structures and processes for making and implementing foreign policy decisions, this guide focuses mostly on (1) and (2).

Multilateral organizations

Multilateral organizations help states coordinate with each other and implement shared programs. International treaties, for example, are often negotiated within or with the support of multilateral organizations. As such, they shape what those discussions focus on and how they proceed, often even writing the initial “zero draft” of outcome documents in international negotiations.³

As many states lack the capacity to develop comprehensive positions across a wide range of policy issues, they rely on the expertise of specific multilateral organizations and receive direct support from them to negotiate an outcome. They can also help monitor and enforce these agreements, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does for global rules on how nuclear materials are handled.

There are hundreds of multilateral organizations, bodies established by treaty and consisting of multiple member states or other actors like NGOs. These organizations are established to help address various issues of international concern, such as:

• Economic development (e.g. World Bank, International Monetary Fund, UNDP, UNIDO, UNCTAD)
• Health (e.g. World Health Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health)
• Environment (e.g. UN Environment Programme, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
• Security issues (e.g. UN Security Council, NATO)
• Culture and education (e.g. UNESCO)
• Human rights (e.g. UNOHCHR, UN Women, UNFPA, UN Human Rights Council)
• Digital technology (e.g. ITU, UN Tech Envoy Office, UN Global Pulse)

These organizations vary significantly in their focus areas, membership, activities, resourcing (e.g. budget and staff), and overall influence. For example, some multilateral organizations operate worldwide, like the UN, while others are regional organizations, like the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Some of the most well-known and influential multilateral organizations include:

1. The United Nations (UN): Created after World War II to replace the League of Nations, the UN’s purpose is to maintain international peace and security and support cooperation between states on international problems. The core of the UN is the General Assembly, where all 193 member states are represented equally and meet to discuss important issues. The UN also has a Security Council with 15 members (10 rotating and five permanent) that’s meant to safeguard international peace and security. Unlike the General Assembly, it can pass binding resolutions that impose sanctions or authorize military force. The rest of the UN system comprises dozens of bodies, including major funds like the UN Development Programme, specialized agencies like the International Labour Organization, and related organizations like the International Criminal Court. The UN has increasingly recognized the impact of emerging technologies on international peace and security; for example, the Security Council has discussed the risks of AI, cyber threats, and autonomous weapons, while other UN bodies like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems focus on shaping norms and policy frameworks for the governance of emerging technologies.

2. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO): NATO is a collective security group of 32 states from Europe and North America created in 1949. Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty holds that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all and that members may need to respond to such an attack with armed force.⁴ NATO is an important platform for its members’ nuclear weapons strategies, facilitating “nuclear sharing” arrangements that allow member states to deploy and share nuclear weapons knowledge, aircraft, and infrastructure across the alliance. Finally, NATO also plays an important role in arms control and in responding to threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and emerging technologies like cyber attacks.

3. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): A multilateral organization focused on economic development and trade, the OECD was founded in 1961 and now has 38 members (mostly high-income countries from Europe and the Americas). It serves largely as a forum for sharing and coordinating economic policy initiatives, but it also works on many other issues like science and technology policy. For example, it hosts an AI Policy Observatory that researches and publishes analyses of AI trends and policy recommendations.

Below we include a list of multilateral organizations working on policy issues related to emerging technology, such as AI, biosecurity, cybersecurity, and nuclear security.

International NGOs, think tanks, and advocacy organizations

Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seek to support or influence multilateral organizations, including academic research institutes, think tanks, and advocacy organizations with an international focus. 

Many of these organizations focus on doing research or collecting data. Often NGO staff can work on projects for longer than those in governments or multilateral institutions. This lets them develop more specialized expertise, conduct deeper research projects, and focus on issues that are important but perhaps less immediately urgent. For example, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) provide expertise on various emerging military and technological threats. Multilateral organizations may consult with them when they need to learn more about these topics, as developing in-house expertise on rapidly evolving issues is often impractical and resource-intensive. But international bodies are often limited in how much they can rely on think tanks and civil society organizations, as most of these organizations are Western, which can raise questions about their neutrality in international settings. 

Some professors and other researchers can similarly conduct research aiming to inform the policies and processes of multilateral organizations or multilateral governance outcomes. Other NGOs may play more of a political advocacy role by explicitly promoting the adoption of certain international norms, standards, or frameworks.

Another important function NGOs can perform is convening meetings and conferences. NGOs can help spread good ideas, focus attention on specific issues, facilitate cooperation, and strengthen international relationships by hosting events where participants discuss issues and build relationships. Non-official events may lack the gravitas of official status and direct connections to policymaking processes. But they can still play an important role by drawing attention to politically unpalatable issues, or by maintaining discussions and connections when governments are officially unable to for political reasons.

A special form this can take is Track II diplomacy. Dialogue between states can take multiple forms, called “tracks.” Official, government-to-government negotiations are called Track I diplomacy. Track II diplomacy, on the other hand, brings together unofficial representatives from states without direct government participation—often subject matter experts focusing on technical, policy-relevant issues. Track 1.5 dialogues involve a mix of government officials participating unofficially alongside non-governmental experts. While neither Track 1.5 nor Track II discussions carry the official weight of traditional diplomacy, they offer a private, open environment for building trust, holding conversations that official counterparts sometimes cannot, and discussing solutions. These approaches often focus on technical exchanges and can influence official channels by enhancing understanding between parties. For example, the Pugwash Conferences—a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Track II initiative—likely helped reduce nuclear risks during the Cold War when official diplomatic channels broke down.

Private sector engagement with multilateral organizations has also become increasingly important. Many large corporations have dedicated teams or representatives to interface with bodies like the UN; for example, Microsoft established a UN representation office in 2020 to partner with the UN on international technology initiatives, conferences, and other projects.

National governments

You can also aim to work on international issues within a national government. You can work from your nation’s capital in one of the departments that informs and implements foreign policy. Or you can work abroad as a diplomat, such as in an embassy or your country’s delegation to one of the important multilaterals discussed above. In the US, for example, you might try to work for the State Department or the Agency for International Development (USAID).

The impact of this work will vary by government. Major powers—such as the US and larger European countries—typically hold greater sway over multilateral efforts. This influence stems from various factors: substantial financial contributions to international organizations, greater institutional power (like permanent membership on the UN Security Council), economic leverage, diplomatic reach, military power, and technological capabilities. But those countries typically also have large bureaucracies and well-established decision-making procedures, so you might not have as much influence or autonomy in your work. 

In contrast, in some countries with smaller foreign services, individual diplomats or foreign policy practitioners may have more influence over their country’s negotiating positions. In addition, less traditionally powerful countries often play crucial roles in multilateral diplomacy precisely because they carry less geopolitical baggage than major powers. Their relative neutrality allows them to introduce new ideas in international dialogue and take on facilitating and mediating roles that major powers—given their geopolitical positions and competing interests—are less suited for. For example, in the Biological Weapons Convention and other multilateral disarmament contexts, smaller powers (often from the Non-Aligned Movement) have often been critical to advancing negotiations and building consensus.

Why (not) work on multilateral governance?

Making a difference: opportunities and constraints

Multilateral cooperation is crucial for solving many transnational problems, including governing powerful emerging technologies. By working in this area, you could shape norms and support decision-making processes at the highest level. For example, multilateral negotiations and treaties have been essential in the control and nonproliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.

Working in multilateral governance could allow you to offer expertise, spread awareness, and help shape the governance of critical issues like biotechnology or AI. Emerging technologies often create large externalities where benefits are concentrated, but harms or risks are widely distributed. This can produce race dynamics and other coordination problems among states: although each state might prefer a collective commitment to a set of governing policies, individual states lack incentives to bear the costs of these commitments without assurance of compliance and reciprocity. As such, international agreements and multilateral institutions are critical in addressing these coordination problems, and working in this space is an opportunity to contribute to solutions that would be far less effective if coming from individual states alone. 

These are complex challenges that require sharp, multidisciplinary analysis. Someone with relevant knowledge who’s willing to engage with this complexity and develop fair, evidence-based views can offer significant value. Additionally, you could help refine the focus of these efforts; multilateral organizations often juggle competing priorities, and by providing compelling advice, you could help decision-makers focus on the most consequential issues. Finally, multilateral work often requires managing complex projects and teams in high-stakes settings, so effectively executing programs and events in these organizations is highly valuable.

Despite the potential to contribute to impactful issues, your ability to make a difference as an individual working in or with a multilateral organization is often uncertain and could be limited in important ways.

First, while multilateral organizations can focus on important global issues, their ability to act decisively is often highly constrained because key decisions ultimately get made by member states. Multilateral organizations can work to push issues onto the global agenda and can help draft negotiations between states, but most primarily function as forums for facilitating dialogue, negotiation, and decision-making between national governments. So, most consequential policy decisions are made by the member states themselves, not by multilateral organizations. This means it could be hard for an individual in a multilateral organization to make a big difference on important issues (though it also suggests that working on international issues within a national government could be impactful). Some experts we’ve spoken with argue that multilateral organizations help legitimize policy options by bringing research and policymaker attention to them, but they don’t play a major role in directly deciding or implementing many of the most important policies. Of course, there are important exceptions like the IAEA and OPCW, which play crucial roles in respectively implementing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention. 

Second, multilateral organizations are notoriously bureaucratic, slow-moving, and often hierarchical, given the huge range of stakeholder interests involved in the multilateral governance processes. Especially if you’re in a more junior role, it can be very hard to change things if you think they aren’t working well. More senior people might be able to do more to change the institutional structures and culture, but it’ll take a long time to work your way up to those positions. The slow pace of progress in multilateral governance may be particularly frustrating if you want to work on fast-moving issues like emerging technology policy.

Professional development

Working in multilateral governance, you’ll get many opportunities to advance your professional development, especially via the early-career programs offered by many multilateral organizations to train junior staff. Multilateral organizations are often highly prestigious and competitive, so working for one can be a valuable credential. Multilateral work will allow you to expand your professional network, especially among staff of multilateral organizations, diplomats, and NGO workers.

You’ll also gain a better understanding of how diplomacy and multilateral organizations work—including the opportunities they offer and constraints they operate under—which can be useful in any future job relating to influencing international governance decision-making, including in national governments. Finally, doing multilateral work may give you a broader perspective on key global problems and potential governance solutions, understanding not just the effects on and policies of a single country but those of the entire international community.

There are also important downsides to consider, though.

Multilateral governance is a highly competitive field, and you’re typically competing for roles with qualified candidates from many countries. To get your foot in the door, you might have to take internships for no or very little pay (e.g. UN internships are generally unpaid). Even full-time positions can be poorly paid and involve a lot of repetitive, slow-moving work in a highly bureaucratic environment. The competitiveness of these roles can also lead to many overqualified individuals serving across multilateral organizations (e.g. the average age of a UN staff member is ~46).

Some experts we’ve spoken to felt that opportunities to build strong technical or research skills in many multilateral governance roles are limited. Many jobs will have a large administrative or operations component, such as organizing events and meetings. These roles are important and could be highly impactful, but probably aren’t the best option if you’d prefer to be involved with the technical details of decision-making; though there are some exceptions, including the IAEA, CTBTO Preparatory Commission, and OPCW, which employ many technical experts for verification.

Relatedly, some experts worried that the severe resource constraints of many multilateral organizations—small budgets and staff, considering the scale of the problems they’re meant to address—limit opportunities for mentorship and effective management. A lack of support, especially early on in your career, could be personally and professionally frustrating.

Finally, senior positions in places like UN agencies are often filled from outside multilateral organizations. Career paths can go in many different directions, but it’s plausible that if you aim at positions of responsibility in multilateral organizations, you may want to develop expertise in a national government, think tank, or research center and apply for more senior multilateral positions later in your career. You might still want to consider doing a few internships or a junior role in a multilateral organization early in your career for the experience and prestige, even if you don’t plan to climb the career ladder entirely within these organizations.

Personal fit

Given the mixed opportunities for impact and professional development, your professional interests and personal fit are especially important in deciding if working on multilateral governance is right for you.

One advantage of working in this space is that you’ll likely get opportunities to work in different countries, meet many smart and public service-oriented people, and intersect with important global issues. But hiring practices and culture vary greatly across different teams and organizations, so you shouldn’t assume that the people you’ll work with will share your goals and passions.

Effective multilateralism often comes down to consensus building not just within multilateral forums but also in how diplomats can translate those policies (and compromises) back to their capitals. As such, among the most important skills for diplomats and other multilateral policy professionals are multistakeholder analysis and engagement, professional networking, and very strong interpersonal and communication skills. Excellent administrative and project management skills are also often crucial in multilateral organizations to effectively coordinate and execute international initiatives (e.g. conferences) and ensure the smooth functioning of complex global projects.

Many multilateral governance roles will be deeply rewarding and exciting. But some people have also told us they experienced frustration, disillusionment, and burnout after working in this space. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider this path, especially if your interests or skills seem particularly well-suited to multilateral work. But it’s useful to be aware of the potential downsides you might experience.

If, based on what you’ve read so far, you’re unsure about your fit for this kind of work, there are different things you could do to get a better sense of it. Some of these are easy and you can do from the comfort of your home; others are more involved (see also our general list of activities to test your fit for policy work). You might try:

• Reading some testimonies online about what it’s like to work in a multilateral organization and how to get a job there (e.g. on Reddit r/UNpath and r/nato). 
• Reading multilateral agreements like the recent Pact for the Future or the UN Cybercrime Convention. 
• Reading a few reportsfrom multilateral organizations about issues of interest, such as:
  • The UN Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence’s interim report
  • The OECD’s AI Principles
  • NATO’s factsheet on its approach to cyberdefense and countering weapons of mass destruction
• Reading a few think tank reports about international governance issues, such as:
  • The reports from the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) on topics like AI, chemical and biological weapons, cyber security, nuclear weapons, science and technology, and interconnected global risks. 
  • Reports on international AI governance from think tanks like the Centre for International Governance Innovation, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chatham House, and Brookings.
  • NTI’s work evaluating health security and pandemic preparedness across 195 countries.
• Completing relevant online courses, such as:
  • EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course
  • Nuclear Threat Initiative Education Center
  • Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non‑Proliferation Nuclear Security E-Learning Module
  • IAEA Learning Management System
• Speaking to some professionals with experience in multilateral organizations or relevant think tanks. If you don’t have existing connections, you could contact people with relevant experience via email or LinkedIn to express interest in learning about their work.
• Attending an international conference (e.g. some NGOs bring in early-career people to attend relevant conferences, such as the Biological Weapons Convention or the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties).
• Participate in a Model United Nations (Model UN) conference or similar events (e.g. Model WHO, Model WTO). These conferences can give you a simplified impression of international diplomatic negotiations and the function of multilateral forums like the UN.
• Interning in multilateral organizations (see the next section)
• If you’re a student, you could focus your studies and research on multilateral governance issues.

Pathways and (early-career) opportunities

There are various routes to get started in multilateral governance:

• Internships: Most multilateral organizations—including the United Nations, OECD, NATO, and many others—have well-established internship programs. Unfortunately, many of them are unpaid, so be sure to check the program details. There are also internship opportunities with other organizations in multilateral governance, such as think tanks and NGOs (see our list of organizations below). Many countries also offer internships for their citizens at their embassies, consulates, and missions abroad. For example, if you’re a US citizen, you can apply to intern with the US missions to the UN in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, or the US missions to NATO and OECD.

• Graduate school: Many jobs at multilateral organizations require you to have a graduate degree. There are many good graduate school options to prepare for a policy career generally (e.g. a policy master’s or law school), but if you’re especially interested in multilateral issues, consider completing a degree in international relations/affairs, security studies, international law, or international economics. Some schools specialize in these issues, such as the Geneva Graduate Institute, which has close ties to the UN. STEM graduate degrees can also be highly valued, particularly for roles with a more technical program focus.

• Early-career programs: Some multilateral organizations run 1-3 year training and job programs for early-career professionals, which are often the best (or the only) way to get a job there without extensive outside experience. These opportunities include:
  • UN Young Professionals Programme (YPP): a 2-year entry-level program for talented professionals aged 32 or younger to enter the UN system. Applicants undergo a competitive written examination, and top performers enter a talent pool for potential placement in P-1/P-2 level positions across UN Secretariat departments and offices worldwide.
  • UN Junior Professional Officer Programme (JPO): a 1-2 year program offering nationals from donor countries hands-on experience in international development and UN operations, working from developing countries or UN headquarters.
  • OECD Young Associates Programme (YAP): a 2-year program for exceptional recent undergraduates to engage in policy research and analysis across OECD’s focus areas. Designed to cultivate analytical skills and provide hands-on experience, preparing participants for future postgraduate studies and careers in international policy.
  • NATO Young Professionals Programme (YPP): a 1-3 year opportunity for citizens of NATO member countries with a master’s degree and minimum one year of relevant experience. YPP offers rotational assignments across NATO’s political and military structures, fostering expertise in international security and defense policy.
  • EU Blue Book traineeship: a 5-month paid internship for university graduates to gain practical experience in EU institutions, conducted twice yearly. Trainees work on policy development, administrative tasks, and EU project management, providing insight into the functioning of the European Union.

• UN Volunteer: UN volunteers can work at home or abroad and take on various roles, from short-term tasks to longer-term commitments. They don’t get paid but do receive a stipend for living expenses.

• Apply directly to specific jobs: Check out the career platforms and job boards of the multilateral organizations that interest you most. See the section below for specific organizations you may want to look into for emerging technology policy.
  • UN Careers: This page offers information on working at the UN and allows you to filter UN jobs by location and area of expertise (e.g. all roles in fields like “science and technology”, “security institutions”, and “natural and life science”.) See also the UN Job List website.
  • OECD: This page explains the career opportunities at OECD, the application process, and more. You can find current vacancies here.
  • NATO: This page describes the various employment areas at NATO (e.g. political affairs, science and technology). You can find current vacancies here.

You can also find relevant advice about getting opportunities in organizations like think tanks in our other guides on policy fellowships and think tanks.

Which multilateral organizations are most relevant to emerging tech issues?

Below, we list the organizations we’ve come across in our research that seem particularly relevant to emerging technology policy. We’ve divided them up broadly by policy area, though many institutions touch on multiple issues.

Note that this list isn’t comprehensive. We also haven’t looked closely at the work of each of these institutions, and your experience will depend greatly on the specific role and team you work with. So you should also do your own research before focusing too much on any of the following options. In several cases, it’s also not clear whether you can even apply for jobs in these institutions. But we hope this list will still serve as a helpful starting point.

Multilateral governance organizations in emerging technology policy (not comprehensive)
	Governmental	Non-governmental
AI	OECD AI Policy Observatory Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology International Organization for Standardization (ISO) UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), (e.g. AI hub, AI Ethics Recommendations, & Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory) International Telecommunications Union (ITU) (e.g. AI for Good Global Summit) EU AI Office UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) (e.g. AI) UN Office on Disarmament Affairs (e.g. Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems) UN University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) (e.g. Governance of AI) Council of Europe (e.g. Framework Convention on AI)	→ See our full list of AI policy think tanks, many with a US focus. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (e.g. Digital and Cyberspace Policy) Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (e.g. AI, Autonomy in weapon systems) Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative The Future Society Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI) (e.g. Global AI Risks Initiative) IEEE Global Initiative 2.0 on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems International Centre for Future Generations (e.g. Advanced AI team)
Biosecurity	Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit (BWC) in the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) World Health Organization (WHO) World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GPWMD) Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) OECD (e.g. Biosafety – BioTrack, Emerging Technologies) Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) (Biosecurity) UNIDIR (e.g. Chemical and Biological Weapons) Australia Group (AG)	→ See our full list of biosecurity policy think tanks, many with a US focus. Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) Nuclear Threat Initiative Bio (NTI bio) Pandemic Action Network (PAN) Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) Chatham House Global Health Programme
Cyber	International Telecommunications Union (ITU) UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) (e.g. Cybersecurity) INTERPOL Cybercrime ProgrammeOECD (e.g. Digital security) NATO (e.g. Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence) NIST (e.g. International Cybersecurity and Privacy Resources)   EU Institute for Security Studies (e.g. EU Cyber Direct) UNIDIR (e.g. Cyber Security)	→ See our full list of cyber policy think tanks, many with a US focus. Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) Global Forum on Cyber Expertise SIPRI (e.g. Cybersecurity) International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (e.g. Cyber Power and Future Conflict) Center for Internet Security (CIS)
Nuclear weapons	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO Prep Com) Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) UNIDIR (e.g. Nuclear Weapons) Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT)	→ See our full list of nuclear security policy think tanks, many with a US focus. Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) SIPRI (e.g. Nuclear arms control / Nuclear security) IISS (e.g. Nuclear Power and Weapons) Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) Arms Control Association (ACA) James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) European Leadership Network (ELN) Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique (Foundation for Strategic Research)
Space	UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) (see also Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the Outer Space Treaty) Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) Group on Earth Observations (GEO) European Space Agency (ESA) UNIDIR (e.g. Space Security)	→ See our full list of space policy think tanks, many with a US focus. Space Data Association (SDA) International Astronautical Federation (IAF) SIPRI (e.g. Space security) IISS (e.g. Cyber, Space and Future Conflict)

Further reading

• Careers in international organisations, LSE 
• How to Get a Job at the UN, Patrick Tammer
• International Organization Careers: Students & Young Professionals, State Department
• The Best Ways to Get a Job With the United Nations, wikiHow
• 10 tips for finding a job with the United Nations, LinkedIn post
• Career review: Diplomacy

Appendix: International agreements on emerging technology and security

One key way to learn about international policy and law is to familiarize yourself with the existing international agreements, statements, resolutions, etc., and how they came about. The following is a list of many agreements focusing on emerging technology and security issues:

International agreements on AI, bio, cyber, nuclear, and space issues

Multilateral treaties, agreements, or principles governing emerging tech (not comprehensive)
	Treaty, agreements, or principles	Entry into force
AI	Pact for the Future & Global Digital Compact, UN Summit of the Future	2024
	Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI	2024
	Governing AI for Humanity, report from the multi-stakeholder High-level Advisory Body on AI	2024 (publication)
	UN General Assembly resolution: Seizing the opportunities of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems for sustainable development	2024
	Seoul Declaration for safe, innovative and inclusive AI: AI Seoul Summit 2024	2024
	The Bletchley Declaration by Countries Attending the AI Safety Summit 2023	2023
	Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of AI and Autonomy	2023
	OECD AI Principles	2019
Biosecurity	Nagoya Protocol	2014
	International Health Regulations (IHR)	2005
	UN Security Council Resolution 1540	2004
	Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety	2003
	Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)	1975
	Geneva Protocol	1928
Cyber	UN Cybercrime Convention	2024
	Report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Advancing responsible State behaviour in cyberspace in the context of international security	2021
	Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace (not a treaty)	2018
	Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare (a study of international law)	2013
	Budapest Convention on Cybercrime	2004
Nuclear weapons	Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)	2021
	Nuclear Terrorism Convention	2007
	UN Security Council Resolution 1540	2004
	Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)	1970
	Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)	Not in force
	Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material	1987
	Partial Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (PTBT)	1963
Space	Artemis Accords	2020
	Moon Treaty	1984
	Registration Convention	1976
	Space Liability Convention	1972
	Rescue Agreement	1968
	Outer Space Treaty	1967