Holy See

The Holy See has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons meetings on autonomous weapons systems. The Holy See has said that autonomous weapons systems ‘could never be a morally responsible subject’,^[1]Statement by the Holy See, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 04 August 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/ccw/2021/gge/statements/4Aug_HolySee.pdf that autonomous weapon systems present challenges which ‘are not limited to the realm of international humanitarian law’, and that they ‘also raise potential serious implications for peace and stability.’^[2]Statement by the Holy See, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 03 August 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/ccw/2021/gge/statements/3Aug_HolySee.pdf Further, in a written document submitted to the Sixth Review Conference of the CCW in December 2021, the Holy See stated that the development of autonomous weapons systems ‘will provide the capacity of altering the nature of warfare, raising legal and ethical implications.’^[3]Position paper of the Holy See submitted to the Sixth Review Conference of the CCW, ‘Translating ethical concerns into a normative and operational framework for lethal autonomous weapons … Continue reading

The Holy See supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. At the2023 CCW GGE on LAWS, the Holy See reiterated ‘the urgency to begin negotiations of a legally binding instrument to address the ethical and legal challenges’ raised by autonomous weapons systems, noting that ‘such challenges are not limited only to the relevant international humanitarian law’, and that autonomous weapons also raise ‘potential and serious implications for human rights, ethics, and peace and stability more broadly.'^[4]Statement by the Holy See, CCW GGE on LAWS, 6 March 2023, … Continue reading

77th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2022, the Holy See said that ‘By separating the unique human capacity for moral judgement from actions that could result in bodily harm or even death, LAWS cannot maintain compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In light of this, the Holy See urges for the consideration of a moratorium on the development and use of LAWS pending the negotiation of a legal instrument that prohibits such systems from targeting humans and ensures that all weapons systems remain under meaningful, human control.'^[5]Statement of the Holy See, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 12 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/12Oct_HolySee.pdf

In December 2021, the Holy See stated that it ‘deems it urgent that the CCW adopts an ambitious forward-looking approach through the commencement of negotiations of a legally binding instrument to address the issues raised by LAWS.’^[6]Position paper of the Holy See submitted to the Sixth Review Conference of the CCW, ‘Translating ethical concerns into a normative and operational framework for lethal autonomous weapons … Continue reading