Philippines

The Philippines is a state party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), and has participated in all CCW meetings on autonomous weapons systems since 2016. The Philippines supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. The Philippines is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), both of which support the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems.

During the March 2026 session of the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on lethal autonomous weapons systems (GGE on LAWS), the Philippines stated ‘We hope that convergence can be achieved in this group and fulfil its mandate, so we can proceed with what is only the next stage left for this group, which is to move to the negotiations of a protocol within the CCW to govern LAWS.’ ^[1]Statement by the Philippines, CCW GGE on LAWS, 2 March 2026, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/ccw/2026/gge/statements/2March_Philippines_I.pdf

In December 2025, Philippines co-sponsored and 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, ASEAN, of which Philippines is a member, delivered a joint statement expressing concern ‘about the possible negative consequences and impacts of autonomous weapon systems on global security, as well as regional and international stability, including the risk of an emerging arms race, lowering the threshold for conflict and proliferation, including to non-state actors.’ The statement went on to underscore ‘the importance of continued inclusive dialogue to address these challenges, including the development of a robust, future-proof, and legally-binding instrument to address these challenges.’ ^[2]Statement by ASEAN, delivered by Cambodia, UNGA First Committee, 23 October 2025, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com25/statements/23Oct_ASEAN.pdf

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, Philippines co-sponsored and 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.’

Speaking at the UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, Philippines reiterated that it ‘supports the enhancement of international legal and normative frameworks with the view to increase their moderating influence upon the behavior of states that have the capability to use emerging and advanced technologies in the development of autonomous weapons systems, as well as the retention of meaningful human control in the development and use of autonomous weapons systems.'^[3]Statement by Philippines, 79th UNGA First Committee, 23 October 2024

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

In December 2023, Philippines 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, the Philippines stated that they ‘acknowledge emerging technologies as an equalizing factor that help countries achieve economic development. However, the use of emerging technologies in the development and deployment of weapons pose challenges, especially in the humanitarian dimension of war. With this, we reiterate the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to develop governance structures to prevent the weaponization of emerging technologies. The Philippines supports the enhancement of international legal and normative frameworks with the view to increase their moderating influence upon the behavior of states that have the capability to use emerging and advanced technologies in the development of autonomous weapons systems, as well as the retention of meaningful human control in the development and use of autonomous weapons systems.’^[4]Statement by the Philippines, UNGA First Committee, 23 October 2023, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/23Oct_Philippines.pdf The Philippines also stated ‘the importance of UN partnerships to ensure that new technologies are not weaponized or misused. These technologies should not undermine democracy, violate international humanitarian law, exploit vulnerabilities, or infringe on human rights and dignity.’^[5]Statement by the Philippines, UNGA First Committee, 2 October 2023, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/3Oct_Philippines.pdf

At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, the Philippines noted that ‘The development of advanced technologies is rapidly transforming human life and experience. We still barely understand how these transformations are unfolding and where they are leading. This behooves us to update our global governance structures, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence. This technology could solve many of our old problems while also presenting us with new humanitarian, moral, and ethical dilemmas. We therefore echo the urgent call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for the international community to form legal rules that will prevent the weaponization of artificial intelligence.'^[6]Statement by the Philippines, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 20 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/20Oct_Philippines.pdf

At the 2021 United Nations General Assembly First Committee meeting, the Philippines said that the CCW ‘must address the risks posed by autonomous weapons systems. We join calls for a legally binding instrument in this regard.’^[7]Statement by the Philippines, UN General Assembly First Committee, 27 October 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com21/statements/1Nov_Philippines.pdf

The Philippines has said that ethical concerns are ‘infinitely more pronounced in autonomous weapons systems’; that autonomous weapons systems risk transforming ‘the nature of warfare itself’, as well as having ‘implications on human agency and human dignity’; and that autonomous weapon systems threaten ‘to reduce humans into mere data sets.’^[8]Statement by the Philippines, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 30 September 2021: http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-30-09-2021-PM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to … Continue reading

In July 2021, the Philippines called for a legally-binding instrument ‘to address the threat of lethal autonomous weapons systems.’^[9]Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva (2021), ‘Philippines calls for treaty on autonomous weapon systems’, 19 … Continue reading At the August 2021 meeting of the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, the Philippines called for ‘positive obligations that will ensure the perpetual retention of meaningful human control over the use of force’,^[10]Statement by the Philippines, 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 … Continue reading and stated that ‘we need a normative and operational framework where unpredictable autonomous weapons systems, or weapons systems that subject human life to the prerogatives of machines, should be prohibited, and those that are below that threshold should be examined and regulated through positive obligations’.^[11]Statement by the Philippines, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 05 August 2021: http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-05-08-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the … Continue reading

The Philippines has aligned itself with NAM statements calling for a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems.^[12]See, for example, Statement on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Other States Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons by the Delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of … Continue reading It has also aligned itself with a number of GGE small group statements calling for a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems.^[13]See, for example: Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Sierra Leone, State of Palestine, Uruguay, ‘Proposal: Roadmap Towards New Protocol on Autonomous … Continue reading