ICRAC welcomes the decision by the 2014 UN CCW High Contracting Parties Meeting to keep discussing “lethal autonomous weapon systems” (LAWS). From the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Website:
The decision is an important acknowledgement of the legal, technical, ethical, operational, and societal concerns that have been raised. The broad consensus expressed for continuing the talks shows it is clear that “doing nothing” in the face of ever-greater autonomy in warfare is not an option.
Most of the 118 states that are part of the Convention on Conventional Weapons are expected to participate in the 2015 talks on lethal autonomous weapons systems to be held at the UN in Geneva on 13-17 April. Adopted in 1980, this framework convention has five protocols relating to various weapons, including Protocol IV pre-emptively banning blinding lasers.
The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots supports any action to urgently address fully autonomous weapons in any forum. For example, the Human Rights Council should consider the possible use of fully autonomous weapons outside of armed conflict, such as in law enforcement.
For more information, see: Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Website: Talks on Killer Robots Continue
Latest posts by Frank Sauer (see all)
- ICRAC statement at the 2018 CCW States Parties Meeting - November 23, 2018
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