Human Rights Commission and Red Cross call for legal framework to ban killer robots

Geneva -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross called on states on Friday to “urgently agree on a clear and binding legal framework to ban lethal autonomous weapons, regulate autonomous weapons systems, and ensure human control over them before it is too late.” This came in separate statements ahead of the Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, scheduled to take place in Geneva next week, which is expected to mark a key milestone in international efforts to establish controls on the use of autonomous weapons.

For his part, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stressed the need for states to agree on a binding international treaty to regulate autonomous weapons systems and ban those that target humans, warning that rapid technological advancement and the proliferation of such weapons could reduce the opportunity to establish effective international controls. Türk added that “the international community faces critical choices regarding the future of armed conflict and the role of humans in making decisions about the use of force,” emphasizing that “no machine should ever be granted the authority to decide whether a human lives or dies.” He underscored the necessity of keeping “human judgment and human responsibility at the core of decisions regarding the use of force,” noting that “machines cannot comprehend the value of human life or assess circumstances and contexts in the way humans can, nor can they be held accountable when mistakes or excesses occur.”

Türk warned that failing to ban autonomous weapons designed to target individuals would lead to their proliferation and broaden the range of actors able to acquire them, including armed groups and criminal organizations. He urged states to take measures to curb the spread of these potentially lethal weapons, which can be used without authorization. He considered a ban on the development, use, or deployment of autonomous weapons designed to target humans as the “most effective” means of protecting the right to life and fulfilling states’ obligations in this regard. Türk highlighted the importance of leveraging the upcoming Review Conference to begin negotiations on a binding legal instrument containing clear prohibitions and restrictions on this type of weapon, cautioning that international delay would make establishing effective safeguards “more difficult or impossible.”

For her part, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric, in a statement, called on states to launch negotiations on a new international protocol “before it is too late and to act to ensure that the future of war is not handed over to machines.” Spoljaric stressed that “advanced technological developments on battlefields have not yet translated into improved protection for civilians; rather, the most technologically advanced conflicts have witnessed widespread and indiscriminate destruction.” She said that “proponents of new military technologies make promises to develop more humane, less lethal, and more precise weapons, but the reality of contemporary conflicts provides no evidence of improved outcomes for civilians.”

In this regard, Spoljaric affirmed that historical experience has demonstrated the capacity of international treaties to ban the most dangerous weapons or impose restrictions on them, such as biological and chemical weapons, anti-personnel mines, and cluster munitions.

She emphasized that autonomous weapons cannot be allowed to develop and spread without clear international rules and “meaningful and effective” human oversight, warning of “the dangers of reaching a world in which machines kill humans independently and without human intervention.” Among the key items on the agenda of the Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, scheduled to be held next week, are the continuation of negotiations on lethal autonomous weapon systems and the adoption of a legal instrument governing them. (End) A.M.Kh./M.A.A.