The grant will support a global people-centered framework and national pilots in three countries
SEPTEMBER 2026—The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation has granted $250,000 to the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, an initiative hosted by NYU’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC) to develop an international people-centered justice and artificial intelligence (AI) framework, followed by work with three national governments to adapt and pilot its guidance.
“We are grateful for the McGovern Foundation’s belief in our work and its commitment to addressing this urgent need,” said Fernando Marani, CIC Deputy Director. “Given the rapid pace of AI development and adoption, we will bring together the various principles and research, alongside practical examples from around the world, to develop practical guidance on AI and justice grounded in people-centered justice and human rights.”
“More than five billion people live outside the reach of the justice systems meant to protect them, and AI is already reshaping those systems without the communities most affected having a say,” said Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. “What Pathfinders is building with the Justice Action Coalition puts people at the center and gives ministers and judges a practical tool for the decisions they are already being asked to make.”
The international framework will be developed over six months in coordination with the Justice Action Coalition, a multistakeholder alliance of 19 countries and 24 organizations working to achieve measurable progress in justice outcomes for people and communities.
Designed for policymakers and justice leaders, the framework will guide the development of AI and justice strategies informed by people-centered justice principles and evidence on how to close the global justice gap, which affects more than 5 billion people. Its flexible approach will allow countries to adapt the guidance to their national contexts and experiences with AI adoption. “If a Minister or a Supreme Court Justice decides to develop an AI and justice strategy or policy that is people-centered, we want this framework to be a tool to guide that process—what principles do they need to consider, what questions do they need to ask, what can they learn from other contexts, and who else needs to be involved?” Marani said.
Pathfinders will also work with three national governments and local consultants to develop a bespoke national framework that prepares countries to pilot specific projects.
“We want to ensure the framework puts people’s lived experiences at the center of any policy design,” said Nate Edwards, CIC Program Officer and Justice Action Coalition Secretariat Lead for Emerging Technology, AI, and Justice. “The framework should help governments strengthen the capacity of their legal systems to harness the opportunities presented by AI while protecting human rights, ensuring accountability, and providing access to remedy when harm occurs.”
The project will be administered through Pathfinders’ initiative on emerging technology, AI, and justice, led by Nate Edwards. Launched in 2025, this initiative aims to bridge silos between the global justice community, technologists, and digital governance experts. It leverages a multistakeholder network of public, private, multilateral, civil society, and academic experts to provide research, analysis, and technical advice across two complementary tracks:
- Justice for AI Governance: Ensuring technology and AI governance frameworks are designed to uphold human rights, address meaningful accountability, provide accessible remedy mechanisms, and include justice actors in their design;
- AI for Justice: Supporting the justice sector to adopt AI in ways that are coordinated, human-centered, equitable, and safeguard human rights.
Pathfinders is thrilled to join the McGovern Foundation grantee community, rich with like-minded organizations working to leverage technology for social good.
To get in touch about this project or Pathfinders’ work on emerging technology, AI, and justice, contact Nate Edwards at nate.edwards@nyu.edu.
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About NYU’s Center on International Cooperation
The Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at New York University (NYU) is a think tank and research center that, for three decades, has been a leader in applied policy, connecting politics, security, justice, development, and humanitarian issues. Our mission is to inform and strengthen collaborative approaches and/or collaboration among national governments, international organizations, and the wider policy community to build trust, prevent and respond to crises—and advance peace, justice, and inclusion at all levels. Learn more on our website and on social media at @nyuCIC.
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