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🇵🇰 Pakistan /Conflict & Security

UN countries agree on text addressing lethal autonomous weapons

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Representatives of 128 countries agreed on a text defining lethal autonomous weapons systems, although the text has not been made public.
  • The agreement could lead to talks on an international treaty, but campaign groups criticised leading countries for delaying action.
  • The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that the unrestricted development and use of autonomous weapons pose serious legal, ethical and humanitarian challenges.

After years of concern over weapons that can select targets and use force without human intervention, 128 countries have agreed on a text defining lethal autonomous weapons systems. The agreement marks a first step toward talks on a possible international treaty.

The Netherlands oversaw the negotiations, and Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen announced the agreement on Saturday. The text itself has not yet been made public, leaving campaign groups to judge the development through the broader direction of the talks.

Their response was sharply critical. Campaign groups following the negotiations accused leading countries of dragging their feet on an issue that has moved from science fiction into military development and use.

The International Committee of the Red Cross also urged caution. In a statement, it warned that “the unconstrained development and use of autonomous weapon systems pose serious legal, ethical and humanitarian challenges”. The ICRC and several campaign groups have called for binding international rules to restrict and regulate the weapons.

The unconstrained development and use of autonomous weapon systems pose serious legal, ethical and humanitarian challenges.

· International Committee of the Red CrossThe ICRC warned about the risks of developing and using autonomous weapons without binding international restrictions.
About this summary

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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