163 states support UNGA resolution on autonomous weapons

On 29 October 2026, the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution on autonomous weapons systems for the fourth year in a row, concerned by the “negative consequences and impact of autonomous weapon systems on international peace and security, including the risk of an emerging arms race, of exacerbating conflicts and humanitarian crises, miscalculations, lowering the threshold for and escalation of conflicts and proliferation, including to unauthorized recipients and non‑State actors.”

The voting result on Resolution L.37 was 163 states in favour and 5 against, with 9 abstentions.

Tabled by Austria and a group of 34 co-sponsoring states*, the resolution’s preambular paragraphs draw attention to the “serious challenges and concerns that new and emerging technological applications in the military domain, including those related to artificial intelligence and autonomy in weapons systems, also raise from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives,” 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 “calls by the Secretary-General to commence negotiations of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems, in line with a two-tier approach of prohibitions and regulations, and […] stressed the urgency to advance with the regulation of autonomous weapons systems.”

In the operative paragraphs, the resolution calls upon High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) to advance to negotiations on an instrument on autonomous weapons systems, building upon the set of elements and other possible measures of an instrument developed by its Group of Governmental Experts (GGE on LAWS). It additionally underlines “that a comprehensive and inclusive multilateral approach is required to address the full range of challenges and concerns posed by autonomous weapons systems, including consideration of legal, technological, ethical, humanitarian and security perspectives, in order to safeguard international peace and security[…].”

Ahead of the voting on resolutions, last week at the First Committee, Ireland delivered a joint statement on behalf of 52 states from across regions, calling the GGE’s consensus elements “a solid and sufficient basis” for a mandate to negotiate an instrument, and stating that the endorsing countries stood ready to agree to an “ambitious negotiating mandate” in November. The statement called on CCW High Contracting Parties to take this logical next step, “given the urgency of the issue”. 

For a more detailed summary of the discussions at the First Committee, see the weekly editions of Reaching Critical Will’s First Committee Monitor.

States continue to raise multifaceted concerns and calls to action on autonomous weapons at the UNGA’s First Committee, underscoring the extensive interest in addressing this crucial issue through a multilateral approach. In just over two weeks, states at the CCW’s Review Conference will decide their next steps in how to address autonomous weapons – for Stop Killer Robots, nothing less than strictly time-limited negotiations on new international law to constrain these systems is acceptable at this point.

The international community must seize the opportunity of the Review Conference to reject the automation of killing, and ensure meaningful human control over the use of force, through specific prohibitions and regulations. Stop Killer Robots is urging all states to support, at the Review Conference, a mandate for negotiations on an additional Protocol to the CCW on autonomous weapons systems, which must be negotiated within one year – by the end of 2027. States must act with courage and conviction to address digital dehumanisation and ensure meaningful human control over the use of force.

*L.37 co-sponsoring states: Armenia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Guatemala, Honduras, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu.