GENEVA – A meeting of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW),held under Pakistan’s presidency, has agreed to renew efforts aimed atforging an international consensus on regulating the use of deadlyautonomous weapons, which are capable of making their own combat decisionswithout human intervention, as the state parties to the treaty remainsdivided on the question.
The annual meeting of CCW, which concluded on Friday evening, also agreedon a package of financial measures to help with the long-termimplementation of the treaty as well as on the dates of the next ReviewConference in 2021 at which major decisions in follow-up to this year’smeeting are expected.
Diplomats complimented Pakistan’s new Ambassador to the U.N. and otherinternational organizations at Geneva, Khalil Hashmi, who chaired themeeting, for his “savvy handling” of the three days of intense discussionsto accommodate divergent positions.
The talks in Geneva took place under the 1983 convention, which is intendedto restrict the use of weapons that are considered to cause unnecessary orunjustifiable suffering to combatants or to affect civiliansindiscriminately. It already covers landmines, booby traps, incendiaryweapons, blinding laser weapons and clearance of explosive remnants of war.
Delegates have had discussions on potential restrictions underinternational law to so-called lethal autonomous weapons systems, known as“killer robots”, which use artificial intelligence to help decide when andwho to kill.
Most states taking part – and particularly those from the global south,including Pakistan – support either a total ban or strict legal regulationgoverning their development and deployment, a position backed by the UNSecretary General, Antonio Guterres, who has described machines empoweredto kill as morally repugnant.
But a group of states with advance technological base, including the UK,Australia, Israel, Russia and the US – oppose any legal regulation. EvenIndia doesn’t support aa ban on autonomous weapons.
As discussions operate on a consensus basis, their objections arepreventing any progress on regulation.
Pakistan has long been viewed as an honest-broker at internationalmultilateral forums; building bridges between parties with diversepositions and helping reach a common understanding. This year as well, thislongstanding tradition of Pakistan’s diplomacy was at full view asPakistani chairperson played an instrumental role is facilitating agreementon several key issues, including a new mandate for future work onautonomous weapons.
As Chairman, Ambassador Hashmi carefully balanced the views ofparticipating states as well as those of the strong contingent of civilsociety and NGOs who were also present as observers.
“At a time when polarization is increasing and the challenges facing theinternational disarmament regime are multiplying,” the Pakistani envoysaid, “the continued success of this instrument is a very positive sign.