CCW GROUP OF GOVERNMENTAL EXPERTS ON LETHAL AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS SYSTEMS TO MEET NEXT WEEK

A Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), which was established in 2016 by the Fifth Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), will meet for the first time from 13 to 17 November.

The GGE will be chaired by Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill of India. It has been mandated with examining emerging technologies in the area of LAWS, and has drawn great interest. Participation is expected from a wide array of stakeholders, including many of the Convention’s 125 High Contracting Parties, as well as representatives of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia, industry and civil society.

The meeting will bring together this diverse group to allow for an exchange of views and expertise on this multi-faceted issue. It is expected that the GGE will consider LAWS from various angles, including technological, military, ethical and legal dimensions.

The discussion will build on three informal meetings of experts on the topic, held under the auspices of the CCW in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

In the foreword to an Occasional Paper published by the Office for Disarmament Affairs, offering perspectives by knowledgeable contributors on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems, and prepared with the above meeting in mind, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, expressed hope that this first round of formal deliberations will “provide an opportunity for States to further build understanding, exchange views and explore areas of normative convergence”.



For use of the information media; not an official record

DC/17/37E