States need to heed U.N. request to ban “killer robots” – HRW
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday that governments should respond to United Nations request to start discussions on a new international treaty to ban lethal autonomous weapons systems, often referred to as “killer robots.”
The Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged in a report publish on August 6, 2024, countries to finalize by 2026 a new international treaty “to prohibit weapons systems that function without human control or oversight and that cannot be used in compliance with international humanitarian law.”
It should also cover all types of autonomous weapons systems, Guterres said.
Mary Wareham, deputy crisis, conflict and arms director at Human Rights Watch, said, “The UN secretary-general emphasizes the enormous detrimental effects removing human control over weapons systems would have on humanity.”
“The already broad international support for tackling this concern should spur governments to start negotiations without delay,” she added.
In the report, the secretary-general emphasizes that the international community must act quickly to address the issue, as time is limited. He also stresses “the need to act urgently to preserve human control over the use of force.”
“Without explicit legal rules, the world faces a grim future of automated killing that will place civilians everywhere in grave danger,” Wareham said.