Spain

Spain has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) meetings on autonomous weapons systems.

Spain supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. 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.'^[1]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.'^[2]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.’^[3]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 At the 2021 UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, Spain said that states must ‘reach an agreement to establish a regulatory framework’ on the deployment and use of autonomous weapon systems, ‘satisfying the requirements of human control and other principles of International Humanitarian Law.’^[4]Statement by Spain, UN General Assembly First Committee, 07 October 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com21/statements/7Oct_Spain.pdf