Holy See

The Holy See has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons meetings on autonomous weapons systems. The Holy See supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems.

During the 80th Session of the UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International Security in October 2025, the Holy See stated ‘Decisions over life and death must not be surrendered to machines. The Holy See therefore strongly supports the Secretary-General’s call for a legally binding instrument prohibiting lethal autonomous weapons systems by next year’.^[1]Statement by the Holy See, UN General Assembly First Committee, 24 October 2025, https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1g/k1ghih5kuv

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly First Committee in 2023, the Holy See said that ‘Building a new framework for global peace also calls the international community to address new and emerging technologies. First, this means ensuring that deadly weapons remain only in the hands of humans, who—endowed with individual conscience—alone can ensure that the use of such instruments remains in line with international humanitarian law. Providing machines with the capacity to maim and kill autonomously is not only legally questionable, but also morally abhorrent.’^[2]Statement by the Holy See, UNGA First Committee, 11 October 2023. https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/11Oct_HolySee.pdf

The Holy See further stated that ‘my delegation supports the Secretary-General’s call for negotiations to conclude, by 2026, of a legally binding instrument to prohibit lethal autonomous weapons systems that function without human control or oversight. In the interim, the Holy See urges all states to refrain from developing such weapons, which can never be morally responsible subjects, and violate the dictates of public conscience.’^[3]Statement by the Holy See, UNGA First Committee, 24 October 2023. https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1j/k1jlx62a05

At the 2023 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

At the 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

The Holy See has said that autonomous weapons systems ‘could never be a morally responsible subject’,^[7]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.’^[8]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.’^[9]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