Ambassador Thomas Schneider, Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee for New and Emerging Digital Technologies (CDNET) and Co-Director of International Affairs at the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), participated in the Council of Europe’s session “Making AI Safe in the Real World: From Governance Principles to Operational Tools” at the WSIS Forum 2026 in Geneva.

The session brought together senior representatives from governments, international organisations and the international AI standardisation community, including Egypt—recently admitted as an Observer to the CDNET—and experts actively contributing to ISO/IEC AI standards. Discussions focused on how AI governance frameworks can be translated into practical implementation through institutional capacity, international cooperation and technical tools.

In his intervention, Ambassador Schneider highlighted the importance of coherent and interoperable approaches to AI governance, emphasising the value of international cooperation and the practical implementation of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. He underlined that effective AI governance requires not only sound legal principles but also concrete mechanisms enabling public authorities and other stakeholders to put those principles into practice.

The session formed part of the WSIS Forum 2026, one of the world’s leading multistakeholder platforms on digital governance, bringing together senior policymakers, international organisations, industry, academia and civil society to advance inclusive and trustworthy digital transformation.