The world faces a grim future of automated killing that will place civilians in grave danger by UN News, ICRC, HRW, Stop Killer Robots Coalition   26 Aug. 26, 2024   Killer Robots: New UN Report urges Treaty by 2026. (Human Rights Watch, agencies)   Governments should heed United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call to open negotiations on a new international treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems Human Rights Watch said today.   These “killer robots” select and attack targets based on sensor processing rather than human inputs, a dangerous development for humanity.   In a report released on August 6, 2024, the secretary-general reiterated his call for states to conclude by 2026 a new international treaty “to prohibit weapons systems that function without human control or oversight and that cannot be used in compliance with international humanitarian law.” This treaty should regulate all other types of autonomous weapons systems, the secretary-general said.   “The UN secretary-general emphasizes the enormous detrimental effects removing human control over weapons systems would have on humanity,” said Mary Wareham, deputy crisis, conflict and arms director at Human Rights Watch. “The already broad international support for tackling this concern should spur governments to start negotiations without delay.”   Autonomy has been incorporated into weapons systems for years, but the duration of operation, geographical scope, and environment in which autonomous weapons systems operate have been limited. Technological advances are driving the development of weapons systems that operate without meaningful human control, delegating life-and-death decisions to machines. The machine rather than the human operator would determine where, when, or against what force is applied.   The UN report was mandated by a December 2023 UN resolution that asked the secretary-general to seek the views of countries and other stakeholders on ways to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems “from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives,” and reflect those views in a report.   General Assembly Resolution 78/241 also added an agenda item on lethal autonomous weapons systems to the provisional agenda of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, which opens on September 10.   The new UN report reflects 58 submissions from more than 73 countries, and another 33 submissions from the International Committee of the Red Cross and civil society groups including Human Rights Watch. A review by the Automated Decision Research project of the Stop Killer Robots campaign found that 47 of the 58 submissions expressed support for some form of prohibitions or regulations on autonomous weapons systems.   Many submissions for the UN report express concern and regret at the inability of talks at the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) held since 2014 to make progress and adopt new international law on this issue. States should move their discussions to another international forum to begin negotiations.   In his report, the secretary-general called the UN General Assembly “a venue for inclusive discussions” on autonomous weapons systems given its “near universal membership and wide substantive scope,” as well as its ability to consider “international peace and security” concerns.   Tackling the killer robots challenge under the auspices of the General Assembly would allow greater consideration of concerns that have been overlooked in previous discussions, Human Rights Watch said. These include ethical perspectives, international human rights law, proliferation, and impacts on global security and regional and international stability.   In the report, the secretary-general reiterates that “time is running out for the international community to take preventative action on this issue,” and reaffirms “the need to act urgently to preserve human control over the use of force.”   Interest in negotiating an international treaty on autonomous weapons systems continues to grow. In April, more than 1,000 representatives from 144 countries attended a high-level international conference in Vienna on the problems raised by autonomous weapons systems. The conference followed a series of regional meetings on autonomous weapons systems concerns held over 14 months in Costa Rica, Luxembourg, Trinidad and Tobago, Philippines, and Sierra Leone. Most issued regional communiques calling for the urgent negotiation of a legally binding instrument containing prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapons systems.   At the secretary-general’s initiative, world leaders will convene at UN headquarters on September 22-23 for a Summit of the Future. They are expected to endorse a “Pact for the Future” covering a wide array of initiatives, including killer robots. The current draft of the Pact recommends that countries act “with urgency” to develop an instrument to address the risks posed by autonomous weapons systems.   “The Summit of the Future provides an important opportunity for states to express high-level support for opening negotiations to ban and restrict autonomous weapons systems,” Wareham said. “Without explicit legal rules, the world faces a grim future of automated killing that will place civilians everywhere in grave danger.”   * Human Rights Watch is a cofounder of Stop Killer Robots, the coalition of more than 260 nongovernmental organizations across 70 countries that is working for new international law on autonomy in weapons systems.   http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/killer-robots-new-un-report-urges-treaty-2026 http://docs-library.unoda.org/General_Assembly_First_Committee_-Seventy-Ninth_session_(2024)/A-79-88-LAWS.pdf http://www.stopkillerrobots.org/news/next-steps-un-secretary-general-report/ http://www.stopkillerrobots.org/news/new-publication-summarises-state-submissions-to-unsg-report-on-autonomous-weapons/ http://www.icrc.org/en/document/autonomous-weapons-icrc-submits-recommendations-un-secretary-general http://www.stopkillerrobots.org/news/vienna-conference-affirms-commitment-to-new-international-law/ http://www.icrc.org/en/document/statement-icrc-president-mirjana-spoljaric-vienna-conference-autonomous-weapon-systems-2024   Oct. 2023   In a joint appeal, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, are calling on political leaders to urgently establish new international rules on autonomous weapon systems, to protect humanity:   Today we are joining our voices to address an urgent humanitarian priority. The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) call on States to establish specific prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapon systems, to shield present and future generations from the consequences of their use. In the current security landscape, setting clear international red lines will benefit all States.   Autonomous weapon systems – generally understood as weapon systems that select targets and apply force without human intervention – pose serious humanitarian, legal, ethical and security concerns.   Their development and proliferation have the potential to significantly change the way wars are fought and contribute to global instability and heightened international tensions. By creating a perception of reduced risk to military forces and to civilians, they may lower the threshold for engaging in conflicts, inadvertently escalating violence.   We must act now to preserve human control over the use of force. Human control must be retained in life and death decisions. The autonomous targeting of humans by machines is a moral line that we must not cross. Machines with the power and discretion to take lives without human involvement should be prohibited by international law.   Our concerns have only been heightened by the increasing availability and accessibility of sophisticated new and emerging technologies, such as in robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies, that could be integrated into autonomous weapons.   The very scientists and industry leaders responsible for such technological advances have also been sounding the alarm. If we are to harness new technologies for the good of humanity, we must first address the most urgent risks and avoid irreparable consequences.   This means prohibiting autonomous weapon systems which function in such a way that their effects cannot be predicted. For example, allowing autonomous weapons to be controlled by machine learning algorithms – fundamentally unpredictable software which writes itself – is an unacceptably dangerous proposition.   In addition, clear restrictions are needed for all other types of autonomous weapons, to ensure compliance with international law and ethical acceptability. These include limiting where, when and for how long they are used, the types of targets they strike and the scale of force used, as well as ensuring the ability for effective human supervision, and timely intervention and deactivation.   Despite the increasing reports of testing and use of various types of autonomous weapon systems, it is not too late to take action. After more than a decade of discussions within the United Nations, including in the Human Rights Council, under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and at the General Assembly, the foundation has been laid for the adoption of explicit prohibitions and restrictions. Now, States must build on this groundwork, and come together constructively to negotiate new rules that address the tangible threats posed by these weapon technologies.   International law, particularly international humanitarian law, prohibits certain weapons and sets general restrictions on the use of all others, and States and individuals remain accountable for any violations. However, without a specific international agreement governing autonomous weapon systems, States can hold different views about how these general rules apply. New international rules on autonomous weapons are therefore needed to clarify and strengthen existing law. They will be a preventive measure, an opportunity to protect those that may be affected by such weapons and essential to avoiding terrible consequences for humanity.   We call on world leaders to launch negotiations of a new legally binding instrument to set clear prohibitions and restrictions on autonomous weapon systems and to conclude such negotiations by 2026. We urge Members States to take decisive action now to protect humanity.   http://www.icrc.org/en/document/joint-call-un-and-icrc-establish-prohibitions-and-restrictions-autonomous-weapons-systems http://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/autonomous-weapons http://www.stopkillerrobots.org/news/landmark-joint-call/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/06/protect-humanity-killer-robots http://www.hrw.org/topic/arms/killer-robots   Apr. 2024   UN: Autonomous weapons systems in law enforcement: submission to the United Nations Secretary-General. (Amnesty International)   In response to Resolution 78/241 “Lethal autonomous weapon systems”, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 22 December 2023, Amnesty International would like to submit its views for consideration by the UN Secretary-General. The Resolution requests the Secretary-General to seek views on “ways to address the related challenges and concerns [that autonomous weapon systems] raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force”.   While recognizing that much of this debate has focused on the use of AWS by the military in conflict settings, primarily using the international humanitarian law framework, this submission will highlight the intractable challenges related to the use of AWS in law enforcement contexts in relation to compliance with international human rights law and standards on the use of force. http://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ior40/7981/2024/en/
	Protect civilians and aid workers: A global call on World Humanitarian Day by OCHA, IASC, 413 humanitarian organizations   19 Aug. 2024   Protect civilians and aid workers: A global call on World Humanitarian Day   Open Letter to all States of the UN General Assembly, on behalf of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Principals and signed by 413 humanitarian organizations around the world who are calling for the protection of civilians, including their staff:   This World Humanitarian Day, our staff and volunteers around the world will stand in solidarity to spotlight the horrifying toll of armed conflicts on their colleagues and on all civilians, particularly children.   The brutal hostilities we are seeing in multiple conflicts around the world have exposed a terrible truth: We are living in an era of impunity. Attacks that kill or injure civilians, including humanitarian and health-care personnel, are devastatingly common. Yet despite widespread condemnation, serious violations of the rules of war too often go unpunished. This status quo is shameful and cannot continue.   In 2023, tens of thousands of civilians were killed or injured in armed conflict, with fatalities among humanitarian workers doubling compared to the previous year.   The toll in 2024 – the number of deaths, injuries, detentions and kidnappings – is already staggering. The overwhelming majority of recorded attacks on aid workers are inflicted on national staff.   Women-led organizations and female humanitarian staff face unique and often increased risks, just because they are women. The impact on the mental health of civilians and humanitarian workers has reached unprecedented levels.   And yet parties to conflict continue to flout laws meant to protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, and civilian objects.   This year, on World Humanitarian Day, we appeal to all States, parties to armed conflict, and the wider international community to:   End attacks on civilians and take active steps to protect them – and the critical civilian infrastructure they rely on.   Protect all aid workers, including local and national actors, and their premises and assets and facilitate their work, as called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2730 adopted this May.   Hold perpetrators to account. Those who commit violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) cannot go unpunished.   We should not have to wait for an annual moment such as World Humanitarian Day to remind all parties to armed conflict, and all States, of their obligations under IHL. Adherence to IHL must happen every day irrespective of occasion. It is non-negotiable and is not subject to exceptions.   It is vital that all parties to armed conflict and all States adhere to their obligations and leverage their influence to ensure respect for the rules of war and minimize human suffering.   Fulfilling these obligations requires more than mere declarations – it demands immediate and decisive actions.Turning a blind eye when humanitarian workers are targeted only emboldens those who seek to hinder their work.   This only serves to increase food insecurity, childhood malnutrition, involuntary displacement and the spread of infectious diseases and other threats. The immediate effects of these will not only be limited to areas of conflict but often spread far beyond.   We will continue to stay and deliver in humanitarian crises around the world – but the situation requires us to take a united stand to call for the protection of our staff, volunteers and the civilians we serve.   http://interagencystandingcommittee.org/open-letter-member-states-un-general-assembly-behalf-iasc-principals http://www.unocha.org/news/protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-global-call-world-humanitarian-day http://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/ http://www.un.org/en/observances/humanitarian-day/messages   http://reliefweb.int/report/world/2024-statement-members-ngo-working-group-protection-civilians http://www.unocha.org/news/un-deputy-relief-chief-appeals-security-council-full-protection-civilians http://www.undocs.org/S/2024/385 http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/geneva-conventions-75th-anniversary-foundational-treaties-save-lives-and-dignity http://www.icrc.org/en/document/75th-anniversary-geneva-conventions http://www.icrc.org/en/document/icrc-president-spoljaric-destruction-despair-should-not-let-us-forget-wars-have-limits http://www.icrc.org/en/document/global-and-collective-failure-to-protect-civilians-in-armed-conflict http://www.ifrc.org/get-involved/campaign-us/stand-us-protect-humanity   http://www.care-international.org/news/impunity-must-end-attacks-aid-workers-rise-record-high http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2024/08/un-women-statement-for-world-humanitarian-day http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153326 http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/meaningful-action-prevent-use-explosive-weapons-populated-areas-could-almost-halve http://www.hi-us.org/en/campaign/stop-bombing-civilians http://www.inew.org/news/ http://www.unicef.org/topics/humanitarian-action-and-emergencies http://data.stopwaronchildren.org http://www.stopwaronchildren.org/   http://www.unfpa.org/news/health-and-humanitarian-workers-face-record-violence-here-are-5-reasons-world-must-take-action http://insecurityinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-Effects-on-Health-Care-of-the-Use-of-Explosive-Weapons-July-2024.pdf http://www.msf.org/ http://www.globalr2p.org/resources/resolution-2286-protection-of-civilians-s-res-2286/ http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/remarks-unrwa-chief-staff-mr-ben-majekodunmi-world-humanitarian-day-2024-un-commemoration http://unocha.exposure.co/act-for-humanity http://odi.org/en/insights/world-humanitarian-day-2024-act-for-humanity/ http://www.interaction.org/blog/world-humanitarian-day-2024/ http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases/mercy-corps-world-humanitarian-day-2024 http://www.helpage.org/news/world-humanitarian-day-2024-a-call-to-protect-those-who-serve http://www.concern.net/news/world-failing-humanitarian-workers-and-people-they-support   7 Aug. 2024   Yemen: Humanitarian organisations call for immediate access and release of detained colleagues   After two months of no contact, CARE International, Oxfam and Save the Children are repeating their calls for immediate access to staff detained by authorities in northern Yemen and call for their immediate and unconditional release.   At least 18 staff members of UN entities and International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and many others associated with civil society organisations, national and international NGOs, and other entities supporting humanitarian activities, were taken into detention two months ago.   The whereabouts of the detained staff remain unknown, and neither their families nor the organisations have been able to speak to them or see them. Some of those detained have pre-existing medical conditions.   These kinds of detentions are unprecedented and directly impede the organisations’ ability to reach 18.2 million people in Yemen who need humanitarian aid and protection, which is about half the population and includes 14 million women and children.   All detained staff members were working as part of the agencies’ life-saving responses to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises which continues to deteriorate after almost a decade of conflict. An uptick in violence and severe weather events have seen further displacement of 75,600 people since the beginning of 2024.   Yemen continues to have one of the world’s highest numbers of internally displaced people - at least 4.5 million people - many of whom have been displaced multiple times.   The three INGOs said in a joint statement:   "We are extremely concerned for the wellbeing of our colleagues who have now been held in detention for almost two months. We have had no contact with them and we still do not know where they are held despite repeated calls to authorities. Their families have also been kept in the dark. We call for access to our colleagues and their immediate release.   “Every day the situation for millions of Yemenis gets worse due to the collision of conflict and displacement, protection concerns, climate change, and economic deterioration. It is vital that our teams have unhindered access and the ability to carry out their duties without the threat of arbitrary arrest and intimidation so that they can make a positive impact on the lives of the people of Yemen.   As humanitarian agencies, we have been supporting communities in Yemen for many decades preceding the latest conflict that began in 2015. Our commitment and engagement have been longstanding and we remain determined to address the humanitarian needs of Yemenis.   Increasing restrictions and threats against the safety of humanitarian aid workers will impact the community members who have suffered the brunt of this conflict. We remind authorities in northern Yemen that humanitarian organisations and aid workers operate in line with the humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality, impartiality and humanity.   "International Humanitarian Law requires all parties to armed conflict to respect and protect humanitarian personnel, including against harassment, mistreatment, and unlawful arrest or detention. More broadly, the targeting of humanitarian, human rights, and development workers in Yemen must stop. All those detained must be immediately released."   CARE International has been present in Yemen since 1992 and operates across 14 governorates. Last year, CARE reached approximately 2.8 million people with food security and livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), reproductive health, women’s economic empowerment, and education programmes.   Oxfam has been working in Yemen for more than 40 years and maintains an impartial approach to ensure delivery of humanitarian assistance to those most in need including in hard-to-reach areas of the country. Since July 2015, Oxfam has helped more than three million people in nine governorates of Yemen with clean water and sanitation, cash assistance and food vouchers.   Save the Children, an independent and impartial child rights organisation, has been working Yemen since 1963 and is currently active in 11 governorates, focusing on food security, health, nutrition, child protection, education, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives. Last year Save the Children reached about 2.3. million people in Yemen.   http://www.savethechildren.net/news/yemen-two-months-humanitarian-organisations-call-immediate-access-and-release-detained http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153221 http://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1151916 http://www.who.int/news/item/13-06-2024-detention-of-united-nations-and-non-governmental-organization-personnel-in-yemen Visit the related web page
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