November 25, 2014
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW): Nov. 13-14 Meetings and Beyond
The United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) met for the second time this year on November 13th and 14th in Geneva to discuss lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). The main purpose of the meeting was to chart out the CCW’s agenda for the spring of 2015, and the parties agreed to reconvene at the United Nations in Geneva for the tentative dates of April 13-17, 2015 to for another round of substantive discussions on LAWS.
Non-governmental activists have called for a legally-binding treaty to ban so-called “killer robots.” International discussions have been underway at the CCW since May 2014 to better understand issues associated with increasing autonomy in weapon systems.
The CCW is comprised of 118 nations and serves as a forum for states to discuss regulations on weapons that cause unnecessary suffering or are inherently indiscriminate. Previous weapons regulated or banned under the CCW include blinding lasers, incendiary weapons, and non-x-ray-detectable fragments.
More from CNAS
-
Episode 26 - Paul Scharre
Podcast
What are autonomous weapons systems? How are they used in modern warfare? And how do we strengthen international cooperation? In this episode, the Director of the Technology a...
By Paul Scharre
-
Robots That Kill
Podcast
By Paul Scharre
-
CNAS Tech: How (Not) to Talk About AI & Lethality
Podcast
The U.S. Army recently announced its new Advanced Targeting & Lethality Automated System, or ATLAS program. The announcement generated concern and media headlines about the le...
By Paul Scharre, Kara Frederick & Megan Lamberth
-
Will WWIII Be Fought By Robots?
Video
What will autonomous weapons mean for how future wars are waged and the loss of human lives in armed conflicts? That's the topic of a new book, Army of None: Autonomous Weapon...
By Paul Scharre
