Spain

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

In December 2025, Spain 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 CCW GGE on LAWS in September 2025, Spain 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, Spain 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, Spain noted the ‘fundamental objective’ of having a legally binding instrument to regulate the use of autonomous weapons.^[1]Statement by Spain, 79th UNGA First Committee, 15 October 2024.

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

In December 2023, Spain 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, Spain stated that ‘New technologies open new possibilities, but also new challenges, for the non-proliferation and disarmament regime. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence brings benefits, but also implies potential risks to the safety and health of users. individuals if it does not have an appropriate regulatory framework. Pending the evolution of Autonomous Lethal Weapon Systems, Spain joins the support for proposals aimed at banning those who operate uncontrolled systems and the regulation of the rest, ensuring compliance with International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. ^[2]Statement by Spain UNGA First Committee, 10 October 2023.https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/10Oct_Spain.pdf 

At the 2023 Ibero-American Summit, Spain endorsed the Summit’s Communiqué on the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapons, which states that ‘the delegates of the Ibero-American States recognise the need for new actions to: Collaborate to promote the negotiation of a legally binding international instrument, with prohibitions and regulations regarding autonomy in weapons systems, in order to ensure compliance with International Law, including International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, ethical perspectives, as well as the prevention of the social and humanitarian impact that autonomy entails in weapons systems.’

At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, Spain said that ‘The expeditious development of artificial intelligence brings with it possibilities, but also brings with it risks for the health and safety of individuals, if AI is not underpinned by an appropriate regulatory framework. In view of the development of lethal autonomous weapons systems, Spain supports proposals designed to regulate those systems which include technology in accordance with IHL and IHRL.'^[3]Statement by Spain, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 11 October 2022, https://media.un.org/en/asset/k11/k114kbe31x; please note that this link leads to the full recording of the relevant … Continue reading In a subsequent statement at the same forum, Spain stated that ‘Regarding Autonomous Lethal Weapons Systems, Spain joins in supporting proposals aimed ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law and international law of Human Rights and prohibit those others that operate outside of human control, understanding that the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons is the appropriate forum for responding to the new challenges that technological developments in the field of weapons bring with them.'^[4]Statement by Spain, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 21 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/21Oct_Spain.pdf

At the Sixth Review Conference of the CCW in December 2021, Spain stated that autonomous weapons are ‘not a future threat or concern; they are present here and now’, adding that ‘these are one of the most important challenges looming over international security and the international community, and so we need urgently to take measures to respond thereto.’^[5]Statement by Spain, Sixth Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, 13 December 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/RCHCP6-13-12-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note … Continue reading