United Nations and Red Cross: Urgent appeal to adopt binding rules to limit autonomous weapons
Geneva, August 25 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric launched an urgent appeal today, Tuesday, calling for immediate international action to adopt “legally binding rules to limit autonomous weapon systems,” warning of growing risks amid the rapid acceleration in the development of weapons technology.
In a joint statement, they cautioned that the world is approaching an “ethical red line” by enabling machines to target humans independently, as human control over the use of force diminishes. Technological advancements in weapons manufacturing are progressing at a record pace, while legal and regulatory frameworks are failing to keep up at the same speed.
The statement emphasized that the widening gap between technological capabilities and regulatory constraints increases the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, and exacerbates the suffering of populations during armed conflicts. It added that continuing to develop autonomous weapon systems lowers the threshold for launching wars, thereby undermining international efforts to build a more peaceful world.
It affirmed that autonomous weapon systems are no longer a mere future possibility, and that the race to increase the level of autonomy in weapons systems is already underway. The statement noted that a number of scientists and engineers involved in developing these technologies have expressed concerns about such weapons and called for restrictions on them.
The appeal urged countries to make the current year a “turning point,” building on progress achieved within the United Nations and the Group of Governmental Experts under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. It also called for moving from gradual discussions on necessary measures to ensure international compliance to adopting decisive actions and launching urgent negotiations to adopt a “legally binding framework regulating autonomous weapon systems,” including clear prohibitions and restrictions.
In this context, the statement highlighted that the Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, scheduled for November, represents an important opportunity for states to decide on initiating negotiations for a legally binding framework. (End) A.M.Kh./N.B.Sh
