Summary of activities (October 2023 - March 2024)
Between October 2023 and March 2024, the Stop Killer Robots campaign undertook international outreach and advocacy activities to build momentum towards the launch of negotiations for a new international treaty on autonomous weapons systems. Funding from United Peace International (UPI) enabled Stop Killer Robots to mobilise States in support of a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), bolster participation of civil society in diplomatic meetings and international conferences, and foster greater parliamentary engagement.
Historic resolution passed at UNGA First Committee 2023
Stop Killer Robots advocacy ahead of and at the UNGA First Committee in October and November 2023 mobilised States in support of a resolution calling for a UN Secretary-General’s report on autonomous weapons systems. Led by Austria and a group of 43 co-sponsoring states, the resolution recognized the “serious challenges and concerns that new technological applications in the military domain, including those related to artificial intelligence and autonomy in weapons systems, also raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives.”
Images: (1) Stop Killer Robots campaigner Sylvie Ndongmo of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) with #VoteAgainstTheMachine advocacy pack. (2) Stop Killer Robots campaigners Lene Grimstad of Norwegian Peace Association (left) and Yuki Sakurai of Association for Aid and Relief Japan (centre) with Stop Killer Robots Campaign Outreach Manager Isabelle Jones (right) outside of the United Nations building in New York during the UNGA First Committee.
With a diverse delegation of experts from around the world, including sponsored campaigners from Nigeria, Cameroon, Norway, and Egypt through the support of UPI, Stop Killer Robots ran a concerted lobbying campaign “Vote Against the Machine” during the First Committee in support of the resolution. Campaigners conducted direct outreach to diplomatic and government representatives of States through bilateral meetings, regional briefing presentations, and sharing of advocacy materials. Working closely with the resolution’s co-sponsoring group, Stop Killer Robots led civil society efforts to secure votes in favour of the resolution.
The First Committee of the UNGA adopted the first ever resolution on autonomous weapons with overwhelming support, with 164 States voting in favour, 5 against, and 8 abstentions. The vote was affirmed by the adoption of Resolution 78/241 by the General Assembly in December 2023. The operative paragraphs of the resolution requested the UN Secretary-General prepare a report in 2024 reflecting the views of member and observer states on autonomous
weapons systems and ways to address the related challenges and concerns they raise.
The resolution also establishes an agenda item on autonomous weapons at the UNGA in 2024, providing a further platform for States to advance the beginning of negotiations on a legally binding instrument.
Ensuring civil society participation in diplomatic meetings
Images: The voting result of resolution L.56 in the First Committee meeting room of the UNGA.
Civil society participation in diplomatic meetings is a vital element of multilateralism, strengthening transparency and accountability and providing opportunity for expert contributions from non-governmental organisations, researchers and academics, technical experts, and industry.
As the leading civil society campaign on autonomous weapons systems, Stop Killer Robots actively participated in diplomatic meetings between October 2023 and March 2024, including the UNGA First Committee in October and November 2023 (see above), the CCW Annual Meeting of High Contracting Parties in November 2023, and the Group of Governmental Experts on emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems (GGE LAWS) in March 2024. At these meetings, Stop Killer Robots campaigners and members of staff maintained high expectations for States to commit to launch negotiations of a treaty, reminding delegates that the world expects urgent action in response to the threats
posed by the development and use of autonomous weapons systems. Stop Killer Robots conducted bilateral meetings, produced advocacy materials, delivered statements on behalf of the 250+ members of the Stop Killer Robots coalition, and undertook diplomatic outreach by participating in group meetings with States.
Fostering parliamentary engagement through the Inter Parliamentary Union
Image: Stop Killer Robots campaigner Maria Pia Devoto of Asociación para Políticas Públicas/SEHLAC (right)
standing with the Belgian Rapporteur to the 148th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union, Mr Christophe Lacroix (left).
Stop Killer Robots conducted outreach throughout 2023 and the beginning of 2024 to promote inclusion of a discussion on autonomous weapons systems by the Peace and Security Standing Committee of the Inter Parliamentary Union at the 148th General Assembly. Following this outreach, Rapporteurs from Argentina and Belgium introduced a resolution on the issue of autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence. To build awareness of the issues related to the resolution, campaigners from Stop Killer Robots participated in and gave expert presentations on autonomous weapons systems in geopolitical group discussions in the fall of 2023. While the resolution was being drafted in December 2023, Stop Killer Robots conducted outreach to encourage the development of an ambitious text identifying the challenges raised by autonomous weapons systems and the need for a legally binding instrument with prohibitions and regulations to ensure human control in the use of force. While the resolution was under consideration by the IPU Peace and Security Standing Committee, Stop Killer Robots campaigners and staff conducted rapid analysis and made recommendations on the draft text and suggested amendments. And during the discussions with the Standing Committee from 24-26 March 2024, a Stop Killer Robots campaigner participated as a civil society observer, and provided expert support and input to the co-rapporteurs and delegations in the room.
On March 27 2024, the 148th General Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union adopted by consensus the resolution ‘Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon systems and artificial intelligence’. The resolution urges parliaments and parliamentarians to actively and urgently engage in the debate to address the threat to peace and security posed by autonomous weapons systems. It also calls on relevant parliamentary networks and IPU permanent observers to include autonomous weapons systems on their agendas and to inform the IPU of their work and findings on the issue, and urges the Secretary General of the IPU to share the present resolution and further reports and publications related to AWS with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations for inclusion in the report mentioned in UNGA
Resolution 78/241 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2023.
The passing of this resolution provides a platform for further parliamentary engagement, opportunity to build a network of parliamentary champions, and reinforces important ongoing processes in the UNGA.