Venezuela

Venezuela has participated in all Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) meetings on autonomous weapons systems. At the United Nations General Assembly First Committee meeting in 2020, Venezuela stated that ‘taking into account the palpable challenges to international law, including international law humanitarian and human rights, as well as the maintenance of peace and international security, we also express our concern about the increasing use and refinement of lethal autonomous weapons systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles.’^[1]Statement by Venezuela, UN General Assembly First Committee, 15 October 2020, https://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com20/statements/15Oct_Venezuela.pdf

Venezuela supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. Venezuela is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which also supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument. In a statement delivered by Venezuela on behalf of the NAM at the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) in September 2021, the NAM said that ‘there is an urgent need to pursue a legally binding instrument under the Convention that will contain prohibitions and regulations for addressing the humanitarian and international security challenges posed by emerging technologies in the area of LAWS.’^[2]Statement by the Non-Aligned Movement, CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS, 28 September 2021, http://149.202.215.129:8080/s2t/UNOG/LAWS-28-09-2021-AM_mp3_en.html; please note that this link … Continue reading In an individual statement at the same meeting of the GGE on LAWS, Venezuela stated that ‘weapons reviews are not sufficient to meet the concerns of States parties on satisfying IHL and certain aspects of this section, it would require rather that we move towards a negotiation for a legally binding instrument.’^[3]Statement by Venezuela, 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 the full … Continue reading