Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a state party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Sri Lanka supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. Sri Lanka is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which supports 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), Sri Lanka stated ‘the rolling text contains fundamental elements to serve as the basis for future negotiation of a legally binding instrument to prohibit lethal autonomous weapons systems with necessary improvements through further discussions at this forum. Therefore, my delegation wishes to comment on the rolling text in a constructive spirit with a view to making the rolling text a clear starting point for future negotiations.’ ^[1]Statement by Sri Lanka, CCW GGE on LAWS, 2 March 2026, … Continue reading

In December 2025, Sri Lanka 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.’

At the 79th UN General Assembly First Committee in October 2024, Sri Lanka[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, Sri Lanka reiterated its agreement that ‘there is an urgent need to pursue a legally binding instrument’ on autonomous weapons systems.^[2]Statement by Sri Lanka, 79th UNGA First Committee, 24 October 2024, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com24/statements/24Oct_SriLanka.pdf

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

In 2024, Sri Lanka endorsed the Chair’s Summary of the 2024 Vienna conference ‘Humanity at the Crossroads: Autonomous Weapons Systems and the Challenge of Regulation’ . The Chair’s Summary affirms the ‘strong commitment’ of the endorsing states to ‘work with urgency and with all interested stakeholders for an international legal instrument to regulate autonomous weapons systems.’

In December 2023, Sri Lanka 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.

At the 78th UN General Assembly First Committee in 2023, it said that it ‘wishes to underscore the urgent need to adapt our international frameworks to address the challenges posed by these emerging technologies.^[3]Statement by Sri Lanka, 23 October 2023, 78th UN General Assembly First Committee, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com23/statements/23Oct_SriLanka.pdf

At the 2023 CCW GGE on LAWS, Sri Lanka emphasised the importance of ensuring ‘meaningful human control in weapons systems through the development of an international legally binding instrument.'^[4]Statement by Sri Lanka, CCW GGE on LAWS, 6 March 2023, … Continue reading

At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in October 2022, Sri Lanka said that ‘With ongoing instabilities in international security and mounting evidence of autonomous weapons systems being used in contemporary conflicts, an agreed international legal framework is urgently needed to safeguard against the serious ethical, legal, humanitarian and security risks posed by autonomous weapons systems.’ Sri Lanka further continued that ‘it is bad enough that we are compelled to discuss ways to prevent humans from killing each other but automation of the process would amount to an abdication of the little humanity that remains in the laws of war and surely repugnant to the principles of the UN Charter that discourages war, promotes peace and preserves human rights.'^[5]Statement by Sri Lanka, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 07 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/7Oct_SriLanka.pdf

At the GGE on LAWS in August 2021, Sri Lanka stated that ‘a legally binding instrument stipulating clear limitations both prohibitive and permissive based on the centrality of human control on weapon systems would be our only hope.’^[6]Statement by Sri Lanka, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 03 August 2021,http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-03-08-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading Sri Lanka further said that it is ‘not convinced that autonomous weapons are better equipped to ensure compliance with International Humanitarian Law; context specific and complicated judgments in the battlefield cannot be taken by a machine.’^[7]Statement by Sri Lanka, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 03 August 2021,http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-03-08-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading

Further, on the applicability of International Humanitarian Law to autonomous weapon systems, Sri Lanka stated that ‘at present no rule of international law specifically prohibits or restricts the use of autonomy in weapon systems, nor does the existing International Humanitarian Law principles specifically require maintenance of human control in weapon systems. These are the very reasons why we argue that existing legal principles are insufficient and further clarity is needed.’^[8]Statement by Sri Lanka, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 29 September 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-29-09-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading

At the UN General Assembly First Committee meeting in 2019, Sri Lanka stated that ‘legal clarity on exact parameters of prohibitive and permissive limitations through the adoption of a new legally binding instrument is the only way forward which would provide clear legal limitations on autonomous weapons systems while complementing and strengthening the existing International Humanitarian Law norms.’^[9]Statement by Sri Lanka, UN General Assembly First Committee, 14 October 2019,https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com20/statements/14Oct_SriLanka.pdf