UN chief and Red Cross urge binding rules on autonomous weapons
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric called on states to urgently negotiate legally binding rules for autonomous weapons systems, including drones. They warned that the world is approaching a point where machines could select human targets without human control. The appeal comes ahead of a November review conference on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Key Facts
- Guterres and Spoljaric issued a joint appeal calling for immediate negotiations on a legally binding treaty with clear prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapons.
- The appeal states that the world is rapidly approaching a point where machines could autonomously select human targets, which they call ethically unacceptable.
- The two leaders noted that three years ago they had already urged states to establish prohibitions and restrictions on such systems.
- They expect states to decide at the November review conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons to begin negotiations on a legally binding instrument.
Joint Appeal
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric called on states to move immediately to develop legally binding rules governing autonomous weapons systems, including drones. They warned that the world is rapidly approaching a dangerous threshold beyond which a machine could autonomously select a human as a target, describing this as an ethically unacceptable situation. The two leaders recalled that three years ago they had already urged countries to establish prohibitions and restrictions on such systems. Since then, they said, technology has advanced so quickly that the gap between weapons capabilities and existing legal norms has only widened.
Call for Negotiations
Guterres and Spoljaric urged states to begin negotiations on a legally binding treaty with clearly defined limitations and prohibitions. They warned that delay would lead to even greater human casualties. The appeal highlights the upcoming Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, scheduled for November. Guterres and Spoljaric expect that states will be able to decide at that conference to begin negotiations on a legally binding document.
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UN chief and Red Cross urge binding rules on autonomous weapons
