UNITED NATIONS MEETING OF EXPERTS ON LETHAL AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEMS CONCLUDES

The four-day meeting of experts on lethal autonomous weapons systems held under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) concluded today.

This was the very first step by States, United Nations organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and non-governmental organizations to examine the implications of autonomous weapons. The meeting attracted record attendance. Discussions were held on the ethical, legal, military and technical aspects of these weapons systems.

“Autonomous weapons are a complex issue. We had very fruitful discussions on many aspects of lethal autonomous weapons systems. The discussions held during the meeting took place in very constructive atmosphere and showed that there is a real interest in continuing to explore the issue at the CCW,” said Ambassador Jean-Hugues Simon Michel of France, who chaired the meeting. “The challenging nature of autonomous weapons was reflected in highly interactive and lively debates.”

CCW States parties will take a decision on future work on autonomous weapons at their formal meeting in November.


For use of the information media; not an official record

DC14/017E