India

India is a state party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. India does not support the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. Though India is one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, which supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems, it has taken a separate stance on this issue.

In December 2025, India voted in favour of UN General Assembly Resolution 80/57 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Mindful of the challenges and concerns autonomous weapons systems raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, Resolution 80/57 stresses the urgent need for the CCW to address the challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems, and calls upon the High Contracting Parties of the CCW to ‘work towards completing the set of elements for an instrument being developed within the mandate of the Group of Governmental Experts, with a view to future negotiation.’

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, India abstained from voting on Draft Resolution L.77 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Draft Resolution L.77 raises concerns about the ‘negative consequences and impact of autonomous weapon systems on global security and regional and international stability’ and stresses ‘the importance of the role of humans in the use of force to ensure responsibility and accountability and for States to comply with international law.’ It also notes ‘the repeated calls by the Secretary-General to urgently conclude negotiations of a legally binding instrument with prohibitions and regulations for autonomous weapons systems, in line with a two-tier approach.’ The Resolution will convene open informal consultations in 2025 over two days in New York, ‘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.’

India made a submission to the UN Secretary-General pursuant to Resolution 78/241 on autonomous weapons systems in May 2024.

In December 2023, India voted against UN General Assembly Resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapons systems. Resolution 78/241 stressed the ‘urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems’, and mandated the UN Secretary-General to prepare a report, reflecting the views of member and observer states on autonomous weapons systems and ways to address the related challenges and concerns they raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force.

India has opposed proposals for a legally binding instrument, stating that ‘India believes that such proposals are premature as we have not sufficiently explored various options for addressing the humanitarian and international security challenges posed by emerging technologies.’^[1]Statement by India, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 05 August 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-05-08-2021-PM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading India has stated that ‘autonomy in critical functions of a weapon system would impart more precision and accuracy and would avoid human errors.’^[2]Statement by India, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 03 August, 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-03-08-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading Further, India has stressed that ‘technology should not be stigmatised and any potential policy measures taken within the context of the CCW should not hamper progress in or access to peaceful users of intelligent autonomous technologies.’^[3]Statement by India, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 04 August 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-04-08-2021-PM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading

India is involved in the development of weapons systems with autonomous functions.^[4]See, for example, SIPRI (2017), Mapping the development of autonomy in weapon systems, … Continue reading