Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has attended some of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Group of Governmental Experts meetings on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) since 2014.

The Dominican Republic supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. At the first session of the CCW GGE on LAWS in March 2023, the Dominican Republic said that it fully supports having negotiations ‘with the view of concluding a legally binding instrument that contains restrictions on weapons systems with different levels of autonomy.’ ^[1]Statement by the Dominican Republic, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, March 2023, https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1a/k1ativ5rty; please note that this link leads to the full video recording … Continue reading

The Dominican Republic is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which also supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. In March 2023, the NAM statement, delivered on behalf of the group by Venezuela, stated that ‘The NAM States Parties and Other States Parties to the CCW are of the view that given the substantive discussions in the GGE on LAWS, there is an urgent need to pursue a legally binding instrument under the Convention that will contain prohibitions and regulations for addressing the humanitarian and international security challenges posed by emerging technologies in the area of LAWS. The recommendations in relation to the normative and operational framework must lead to such an instrument.^[2]Statement on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Other States Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) by the Delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, CCW … Continue reading

 In July 2021, a working paper on behalf of the NAM and other States Parties to the CCW was submitted to the Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, stated that ‘a strengthened and reinforced multilateral approach, with new legally-binding provisions for addressing the humanitarian and international security challenges posed by emerging technologies in the area of LAWS, is vital. There is an urgent need to pursue a legally-binding instrument on LAWS’.^[3]Working paper submitted by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, June 2021, … Continue reading