(Geneva) For lack of consensus to launch negotiations on the future of “killer robots”, the 125 states meeting in Geneva referred the matter back to the experts, to the chagrin of those who wanted tangible results.
The final declaration of the review conference of the United Nations Convention on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCAC), which has been held on the shores of Lake Geneva since Monday, does not address the subject of Lethal Weapons Systems autonomous (SALA) than in fairly general terms.
It recognizes principles acquired since 2019, on the precedence of international humanitarian law over all weapon systems including SALA or the fact that humans must “at all times assume responsibility” for their use.
She also insists on the fact that the Convention – which has already allowed progress on improvised explosive devices, laser weapons or mines – remains the appropriate forum because it “tries to find a balance between military necessity and humanitarian considerations” .
The group of government experts who have already worked at length on the subject will meet for ten days of work in 2022.
The “Stop killer Robots” campaign, which brings together nearly 180 NGOs, was indignant at the meager result and pointed the finger at the United States or Russia.
Dead end
This result “is totally insufficient” in the eyes of the vast majority of States, civil society and international public opinion, launched the representative of the campaign Friday evening before the delegations gathered at the Palais des Nations.
“It’s a dead end! “, He hammered, believing that the discussion would have to be done elsewhere. No doubt on the model of the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines.
We start with a hard core of countries and we try little by little to convince others to join the movement.
For France and others, the strength of the CCAC is that it would encompass “all the main military powers” and “when we discuss and negotiate, we are sure that everyone accepts the constraints” , explained before the meeting the Ambassador of France, in charge of disarmament issues in Geneva, Yann Hwang.
But how to find consensus. Traditionally, the Russians do not wish to tie their hands in advance and the Americans recalled Friday evening that their preference was for a non-binding text.
“From our point of view this would go a long way in clarifying what international humanitarian law requires and in promoting standards of responsible behavior”, recalled the delegate from Washington, at the end of the session.
Dual purpose
The debates are made all the more difficult as the concept of autonomous weapons is vague and mixes so-called dual-use technologies – civil and military – such as artificial intelligence.
If partially autonomous weapons already exist (decoys on military aircraft for example), truly autonomous systems on the battlefield, capable of fighting without human intervention, are still theoretical, if we are to believe most experts.
But their opponents, who also include the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, the ICRC, guardian of the Geneva Conventions which form the basis of international humanitarian law and dozens of countries, do not want to wait for them to exist to stop them.
Switzerland, which spoke for many countries including Germany, Brazil, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa or Italy, Norway and Sweden, said its disappointment in front of the little progress and regretted that some countries are abusing the rule of consensus to block everything.
“What our work has enabled us to understand so far is that autonomous weapons systems cannot be used while respecting international humanitarian law”, declared the Swiss delegate and warned: “Au current rate of progress, technological development is likely to overtake our deliberations ”.