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Table of Contents
No treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS)
Draft – editorial review pending. As of 27 September 2026.
| 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 | – |
| Matrix position | syntactic · international order |
Overview
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.
Provisions relevant to the cyber and information sphere
Nearby instruments and processes:
- Additional Protocol I, Art. 36 – legal review of new weapons, means and methods of warfare (ap1).
- CCW GGE on LAWS – mandated by the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties in 2023 to further consider and formulate, by consensus, a set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature [to be verified: exact mandate wording and duration]; concluded its final session on 5 September 2026 with the adoption of a report forwarded to the Seventh CCW Review Conference.
- UN General Assembly resolutions – resolution 78/241 [to be verified: number] (December 2023; 152 votes in favour), resolution 79/62 (2 December 2024; 166 in favour, 3 against, 15 abstentions), which mandated open informal consultations in New York in 2025, and resolution 80/57 (2025; First Committee vote 156 in favour, 5 against, 8 abstentions) (laws).
Application to cyber and information operations
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).
Recent developments
- 2025-05-12 to 2025-05-13: Open informal consultations on LAWS in New York, pursuant to resolution 79/62 (UNODA).
- 2025-11-06: UN General Assembly First Committee approves draft resolution L.41 on LAWS (156–5–8), later adopted as resolution 80/57 (Stop Killer Robots; UN Digital Library).
- 2026-08-25: Renewed joint call by the UN Secretary-General and the ICRC President (UN News).
- 2026-09-05: CCW GGE on LAWS concludes its final session with adoption of its report (Human Rights Watch).
- 2026-09-07 to 2026-09-09: Preparatory Committee for the Seventh CCW Review Conference (Permanent Mission of Italy, Geneva).
Related entries
Sources
- ICRC, Joint call by the UN Secretary-General and the ICRC President (5 October 2023), accessed 2026-09-27
- ICRC, Renewed call from UN Secretary-General and ICRC President, accessed 2026-09-27
- UN Digital Library, A/RES/80/57 Lethal autonomous weapons systems, accessed 2026-09-27
- UNODA Meetings Place, CCW GGE on LAWS (2026), accessed 2026-09-27
Change log
- 2026-09-27: Entry created (draft).