GGE on LAWS adopts 2018 report

In its report of the 2018 session, the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) reiterated the applicability of international humanitarian law to the development and use of LAWS and noted that human responsibility must be retained when it comes to decisions on the used of weapons systems. The report also summarised the group discussions on the human element in lethal force, aspects of human-machine interaction in the development, deployment and use of emerging technologies in the area of LAWS, and on the potential military implications of related technologies. When it comes to the possible policy options for addressing the humanitarian and international security challenges posed by emerging technologies in the context of LAWSs, the report outlines the four proposals discussed within the Group: a legally-binding instrument, a political declaration, and clarity on the implementation of existing obligations under international law, in particular international humanitarian law.