States and some organisations have expressed their views about the utility, purpose, scope and process of the legal review of weapons in various different contexts. Some of these views have been recorded domestic documents, such as military manuals on the law of armed conflict. Increasingly, however, States and organisations have articulated their positions in a range of international fora, either through written submissions or oral interventions.
This database compiles and organises publicly expressed views in relation to legal reviews, without prejudice to their relative significance or effect (for example, in terms of the development of customary international law). The database aims to comprehensively reflect the views of states but only covers the positions of a small number of selected organisations.
This database currently contains 379 positions and is continuously updated. Any corrections, or suggestions to add material, are welcome.
2023
Draft articles on autonomous weapon systems
Article 1. Preventing Autonomous Weapon Systems That, By Their Nature, Are Incapable of Use in Accordance With IHL IHL prohibits the use of an autonomous weapon system if it is of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering, if it is inherently indiscriminate, …
Statement by the United Kingdom under agenda item 5, topic 6
The UK would strongly support further work in the GGE that focussed on sharing and collating good practice relating to the various activities throughout the life cycle of a weapon system which would impact upon compliance with IHL. This includes but is not limited to …
Statement by the United Kingdom (1st intervention)
It is the United Kingdom’s strong belief that the requirement for an anticipatory ban or restrictions on [LAWS] is mitigated by the legal obligation on States to determine whether the employment of such a weapon system would, in some or all circumstances, be prohibited by …
Statement by the United Kingdom (2nd intervention)
Rather than trying to prevent you asked him some more challenging questions, actually I want to remind us of the homework you presented this week last night. And I want to perhaps now take the opportunity to answer or provide a UK response to one …
Draft articles on autonomous weapon systems
Article 1: Preventing Autonomous Weapon Systems That, By Their Nature, Are Incapable of Use in Accordance With IHL IHL prohibits the use of an autonomous weapon system if it is of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering, if it is inherently indiscriminate, …
Statement by the United Kingdom
We must also articulate the characteristics of these systems which may have positive or negative implications for compliance with IHL, and their impact upon activities throughout the life cycle of a weapon system, such as those elements that you mentioned in your introduction Mr Chair …