Thank you for this opportunity to say a few words on behalf of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which I coordinate. The campaign is a global coalition of more than 55 non-governmental organizations active in more than two-dozen countries. We call for a preemptive ban on weapons that would select targets and use of force without further human intervention.
We have a couple of comments on format and then on substance for this session on what the Convention on Conventional Weapons should do about lethal autonomous weapons systems next year.
On format, we’d like to see states do more than just tread water, so we are calling for the establishment of an open-ended Group of Governmental Experts to step-up the deliberations. This would allow for more substantive deliberations over a longer period of time in 2016. As it stands, one week of talks per year is insufficient to tackle the multiple concerns that have been raised with autonomous weapons.
Such a Group of Governmental Experts would be open to all states and registered NGOs thereby ensuring an inclusive process. By our count approximately 65 states have elaborated their views on autonomous weapons and we welcome those contributions, but need to hear from every state on this topic. We urge all states to participate and contribute to these international deliberations.
Ideally, the Group of Governmental Experts should lay the groundwork that would allow states to adopt a mandate at the Fifth Review Conference the Convention on Conventional Weapons in December 2016 to begin formal negotiations that—in our view—should be aimed at preemptively banning weapons that lack meaningful human control of their targeting and attack decisions. Such negotiations should aim to conclude within a year or two.
In terms of key issues to discuss next year, we urge that the concept of meaningful human control be at the center of deliberations as our co-founder Article 36 has just suggested. We urge you to retain deliberations on ethical aspects of lethal autonomous weapons systems. Discuss compliance with international humanitarian law but do not forget to consider human rights law. Look at the relevance of the Martens Clause and how the dictates of the public conscience applies to these weapons. As others have requested, consider proliferation and threats to regional and international security. Finally, address dual use technologies to ensure a prohibition on autonomous weapons does not inhibit useful civilian and military applications of artificial intelligence.
To conclude, it is time for states to be more ambitious and commit to an outcome-oriented mandate of work in 2016. Our Campaign to Stop Killer Robots stands ready to participate and assist with your deliberations next year.
Thank you.
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