Italy

Italy is a state party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) meetings on autonomous weapons systems since 2014. Italy supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems.

In December 2025, Italy 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.”

During the 80th Session of the UNGA First Committee on Disarmament and International Security in October 2025, Italy reaffirmed its commitment ‘to developing a future instrument on lethal autonomous weapons systems, ideally a new protocol to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.’^[1]Statement by Italy, UN General Assembly First Committee , 27 October 2025, https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1c/k1cyyrd7l4?kalturaSeekFrom=2174&kalturaClipTo=2184&kalturaStartTime=0 please note … Continue reading

At the CCW GGE on LAWS in September 2025, Italy joined a group of 42 states delivering a joint statement calling for the group to begin negotiations of an instrument on the basis of its ‘rolling text,’ and stating that they were ready to do this.

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, Italy voted in favour of 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.’

At the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS in August 2024, Italy said that it ‘is fully committed to advancing the discussion on the development of elements for a future instrument, that according to the two tier approach should set clear prohibitions and regulations.’ It also said that it ‘believes that such an instrument should eventually be an additional protocol to the CCW.'^[2]Statement by Italy, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 26 August 2024, https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k14/k14dl9yd4z

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

In December 2023, Italy voted in support of 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.

Speaking at First Committee in 2023, Italy stated that, ‘One of the key issues outlined in the “New Agenda for Peace” is the military use of emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is likely to become a top priority over the next few years as we struggle to keep pace with a fast-developing technology. We have welcomed the works of the GGE on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and believe that a two-tier, ban-or-regulate approach is the best way forward.’^[3]Statement by Italy, 4 October 2023, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/4Oct_Italy.pdf

At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, Italy stated that given ‘the importance of applying international humanitarian law to all weapon systems, we believe it is crucial to reach consensus on the possible elements of a normative and operational framework.'^[4]Statement by Italy, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, 04 October 2022, https://media.un.org/en/asset/k11/k11cb8lhld; please note that this link leads to the full recording & … Continue reading In a subsequent statement at the same forum, Italy said that ‘In our view, it is the human being who must make decisions concerning the use of force, and remain accountable for those decisions.'^[5]Statement by Italy, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, 20 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/20Oct_Italy.pdf

In a joint statement to the Sixth Review Conference, Italy stated that ‘we must ensure that the human element in the use of force remains central’.^[6]Statement by Switzerland on behalf of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, and … Continue reading It has also said that it is ‘necessary for the decisions to use lethal force and to produce lethal effects to remain in the hands of human beings.’^[7]Comments by Italy on the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS Eleven Guiding Principles, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/ccw/2020/gge/documents/Italy_2020.pdf