Switzerland

Switzerland has participated in all Convention on Certain Weapons meetings on autonomous weapons systems.

Switzerland supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. At the 77th UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, Switzerland stated that ‘we also have to address the challenges posed by certain new weapon systems and the importance of the work the CCW should undertake on autonomous weapons systems. In this regard, we consider the approach particularly promising that autonomous weapons systems that cannot comply with IHL should not be developed or used, and that other autonomous weapon systems should be subject to oversight to ensure that their use and effects comply with IHL at all times, and we hope that it will be possible to capitalise on this quickly.'^[1]Statement by Switzerland, 77th UN General Assembly First Committee, 21 October 2022, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com22/statements/21Oct_Switzerland.pdf

At the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) meeting in July 2022, Switzerland said that there is a ‘growing feeling that certain kinds of autonomous weapon systems are de facto unlawful and unacceptable and should be prohibited, and that autonomous weapons systems which do not fall into that category should be regulated.’ ^[2]Statement by Switzerland, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 25 July 2022, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-25-07-2022-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading Further, Switzerland said that ‘it is clearly recognised that these key concepts require and imply a certain number of concrete measures, also with strong support for human control and judgment and specific risk mitigation measures all through the life cycles of these kinds of weapon systems.'^[3]Statement by Switzerland, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 25 July 2022, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-25-07-2022-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link leads to the full … Continue reading

At the August 2021 meeting of the GGE on LAWS, Switzerland said that autonomous weapons systems that ‘are not capable of providing sufficient guarantees in respect of IHL because of the degree of their autonomy or their design should be prohibited’ and that other types of such systems ‘should be regulated.’^[4]Statement by Switzerland, 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 full … Continue reading 

At the 2021 UN General Assembly First Committee meeting, Switzerland said that it believes that ‘new rules and measures should be elaborated to prevent systems that would be unable to comply with International Humanitarian Law’, and that other autonomous weapons systems ‘that may in principle be used in conformity with IHL should for their part be regulated, notably through setting the required type and degree of human control, noting that the latter is context-dependent.’ Switzerland further expressed its hope that the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) would ‘develop a robust comprehensive normative and operational framework to ensure compliance with international law, taking into account ethical considerations.’^[5]Statement by Switzerland, UN General Assembly First Committee, 14 October 2021, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com21/statements/18Oct_Switzerland.pdf