A total of 128 countries have reached a consensus in Geneva, under the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), on a non-binding text defining Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), also called "killer robots". The text is described as a step towards international regulation or a future treaty on autonomous weapons.
The definition covers autonomous military systems capable of detecting, selecting and engaging targets based on pre-programmed parameters, without meaningful human intervention or approval for each individual attack.
The CCW was adopted in Geneva in 1980 and entered into force in 1983. It is a UN framework treaty, also known as the Inhumane Weapons Convention. It seeks to prohibit or restrict the use of conventional weapons considered to cause unnecessary suffering to combatants or indiscriminate harm to civilians.
The treaty has a framework convention with general provisions and five annexed protocols containing specific prohibitions. Its flexible structure allows new weapons and emerging technologies to be addressed by adding new protocols.
The agreed text stops short of a treaty because major powers disagree on binding norms. The United States, Russia, India and Israel oppose a legally binding ban or treaty. They favour non-binding codes of conduct or reliance on the existing laws of armed conflict.
A coalition led by Brazil, Ireland and Norway is pushing for a mandatory, legally binding instrument to restrict autonomous targeting.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that unregulated deployment of autonomous weapons violates fundamental tenets of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). It has said this creates ethical, legal and accountability vacuums on the battlefield.
India is a state party to the CCW and takes part in the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) discussions on LAWS. It favours holding these discussions within the existing framework instead of creating separate parallel forums. Along with the United States, Russia and Israel, it opposes a legally binding treaty.
The Stop Killer Robots coalition has criticised the consensus text as substantially watered down. It argues that core protections for civilian populations and strict operational limits were weakened to accommodate major military powers.
With reference to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following countries:
Which of the above oppose a legally binding ban or treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems?
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The consensus text on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems agreed at Geneva is non-binding and does not amount to a treaty.
Statement-II: Major powers such as the United States, Russia, India and Israel oppose legally binding norms on autonomous weapons.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
