New Zealand

Aotearoa New Zealand has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) meetings since 2016, and participated in the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting on autonomous weapons systems in May 2013.^[1]Stop Killer Robots, Report on outreach on the UN report on ‘lethal autonomous robotics’, July 2013. https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/KRC_ReportHeynsUN_Jul2013.pdf

Aotearoa New Zealand supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, Aotearoa New Zealand said that ‘The rapid development of autonomous weapons systems (AWS) pose serious legal, ethical and security challenges. Addressing these concerns through new, legally binding rules and limits is one of the most pressing items on the disarmament agenda. A majority of states want to see real progress made on AWS through new prohibitions, rules, and limits.'^[2]Statement by Aotearoa New Zealand, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 21 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/21Oct_NZ.pdf

On 14 October 2021, during the UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, Aotearoa New Zealand stated that ‘The CCW must also keep pace and be responsive to technological developments. Addressing the serious ethical, legal and strategic concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems is one of the most pressing disarmament issues of our time, and achieving the necessary prohibitions, limits and controls is a key priority for New Zealand’.^[3]Statement by Aotearoa New Zealand, UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, 14 October 2021, … Continue reading

In November 2021, Aotearoa New Zealand adopted a policy position on autonomous weapons systems, which states that ‘Aotearoa New Zealand will advocate for a legally-binding instrument to articulate these rules or limits, and will also support interim steps and measures such as non-legally binding guidelines, declarations or norms, without prejudice to the future adoption of legally binding measures. Aotearoa New Zealand will engage actively in efforts to identify appropriately nuanced prohibitions, controls and restrictions, recognising that a range of controls may be required for autonomous weapons systems that occupy different points along the spectrum of autonomy.’^[4]Autonomous Weapons Systems: New Zealand Policy Position and Approach for International Engagement, November 2021. … Continue reading

At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, Aotearoa New Zealand expressed its concern at the ‘inadequate progress made in efforts to agree meaningful progress on autonomous weapons systems within the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons’, and stressed that ‘that forum must meaningfully translate the development of substantive understandings over prohibitions, rules and limits into formal, agreed progress. We regret that some states are frustrating the efforts of a growing majority of the international community in this regard—on limits needed urgently to ensure that any development and deployment of such weapons is consistent with international humanitarian law and relevant ethical principles.’ ^[5]Statement by Aotearoa New Zealand, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 06 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/6Oct_NZ.pdf