5. Article 36 of [API] requires States to determine whether new weapons, means or methods of warfare may be employed lawfully under International Law. The United Kingdom takes this very seriously, and has published its weapons review procedures online in a document that sets out how the UK fulfils its Article 36 obligations. We hope that sharing our approach may encourage full universalisation of Article 36 weapons reviews, and may assist other states in developing and sharing their review procedures and protocols.
6. Legal Weapons Reviews ensure that the effects of new and novel weapons are assessed and understood in detail. We believe that Article 36 Weapons Reviews are already the correct means to assess any lethal capability and its use, as required by [API]..
7. … The UK therefore strongly encourages all States to share their national policies and approaches on autonomy, the human-element in the use of force, Article 36 Weapons Reviews and LAWS, in order to inform and progress the debate in the valuable forum of the CCW this week.
Statement by the United Kingdom under agenda item 5: general debate (9 April 2018)
