As of 1 October 2026. Information only, not legal advice – see the disclaimer.
| Full title | No treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) |
|---|---|
| Type | Regulatory gap |
| Adopted by | – |
| Adopted | – |
| Legal status | No treaty specifically prohibiting or regulating autonomous weapon systems exists; discussions take place in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and in the UN General Assembly |
| Official text | – |
| Subject area | Regulatory gaps; Artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons |
Autonomous weapon systems are commonly described as systems that, once activated, select and apply force to targets without further human intervention. No treaty specifically prohibits or regulates such systems; existing international law, in particular international humanitarian law including the obligation to review new weapons (Art. 36 of Additional Protocol I), applies. Since 2017 a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) under the CCW has discussed the topic, and since 2023 the UN General Assembly has adopted annual resolutions on it. The UN Secretary-General and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have called for a legally binding instrument; several States oppose or have reservations about new binding rules. The topic is relevant to the cyber and information sphere because such systems rely on software, sensor data processing and, increasingly, artificial intelligence.
Nearby instruments and processes:
Calls for a treaty. On 5 October 2023 the UN Secretary-General and the ICRC President jointly called on States to conclude, by 2026, a legally binding instrument establishing prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapon systems. On 25 August 2026 they renewed this call, calling for prohibitions of unpredictable autonomous weapon systems and of systems designed to target humans, and describing the Seventh CCW Review Conference as the clearest path available.
Status of the CCW process. According to Human Rights Watch, the final GGE report includes a characterisation of LAWS and affirms requirements for human control and judgment under international law; 76 States (70 of them CCW High Contracting Parties) have expressed support for negotiating a legally binding instrument. The same source reports that the United States and the Russian Federation sought changes to the text. The Preparatory Committee for the Seventh Review Conference met from 7 to 9 September 2026; the Review Conference is scheduled for 16–20 November 2026 in Geneva, where a negotiating mandate may be considered.
Positions. Some States support a two-tier approach of prohibitions and regulations within a legally binding instrument; others consider existing international humanitarian law sufficient or favour non-binding measures. In the 2024 General Assembly vote, Belarus, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation voted against resolution 79/62; abstaining States included China, India, Israel and the United States (as reported by Human Rights Watch). The Holy See, a High Contracting Party to the CCW, requires in the encyclical Magnifica humanitas (2026) that the decision to use lethal force “remain under effective, self-aware and responsible human control” (no. 200) (see magnifica_humanitas).