Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 98ss Lethal autonomous weapons systems, published in 2024.

What other versions does this mandate have?

3 versions · 2023–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/57

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/57	Lethal autonomous weapons systems	750	41%Compare
2024	A/RES/79/62	Lethal autonomous weapons systems	1,248	30%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/241	Lethal autonomous weapons systems	604	–

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report · 2024

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2024	A/79/88	Lethal autonomous weapons systems report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/78/241

What subjects does this mandate have?

2 subjects

Consultations Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

What’s in this document?

12 operative paragraphs

Notes with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General,³ submitted pursuant to resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons systems, which reflects a wide range of views of Member and observer States and international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, civil society, the scientific community and industry on ways to address the challenges and concerns lethal autonomous weapons systems raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force;

³A/79/88.

Welcomes the high number of submissions to the report of the Secretary-General, and notes the broadly shared view expressed therein on the need for the international community to address the aforementioned challenges and concerns with utmost urgency, in particular through the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems;

Highlights the importance of addressing the challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems in the context of the objectives and purpose of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, and encourages all Member States to actively take part in the work of the Group of Governmental Experts, including to consider taking part in the work of the Group of Governmental Experts as observers and adhering to the Convention;

Calls upon the Group of Governmental Experts to fulfil its mandate as agreed to by the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects in 2023 as soon as possible, preferably by the end of 2025, and also calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Convention to spare no effort in this regard;

Invites the High Contracting Parties to the Convention to take into account the report of the Secretary-General in their work within the Group of Governmental Experts;

Underlines that a comprehensive and inclusive approach will be required to address the full range of challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems, including consideration of legal, technological, ethical, humanitarian and security perspectives, in order to safeguard international peace and security;

Decides to convene open informal consultations in 2025 to consider the report of the Secretary-General in full complementarity with and in a manner that supports the fulfilment of the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts in order to further the international community’s understanding of the issues involved by discussing the full range of views received, including proposals and relevant aspects raised in the report that may thus far not have been discussed in detail in the Group of Governmental Experts;

Invites the Chair of the Group of Governmental Experts to participate in the open informal consultations for the purpose of briefing the Member States of the work within the Group of Governmental Experts, its progress, and how it relates to the work of the General Assembly;

Decides that the open informal consultations should be convened in New York for a duration of two days in 2025 and that these consultations shall be open to the full participation of all Member States and observer States and international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and civil society, including the scientific community and industry;

Requests the Secretary-General to facilitate the informal consultations and to provide the support necessary to convene them;

Requests that the open informal consultations be conducted, if possible, after a meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts for the purpose of complementarity and enriching its discussions;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its eightieth session the item entitled “Lethal autonomous weapons systems”.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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