Box I - Statement by Stop Killer Robots to the GGE on lethal autonomous weapons systems, 1-5 September

The following statement was delivered on Monday, September 1, 2025, by Elizabeth Minor to delegates participating in the meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), which took place on 1-5 September 2025.

Thank you, Chair.

Stop Killer Robots wishes to thank the Chair, and Friends of the Chair, for their continued efforts to build convergence on the elements of an instrument on autonomous weapons systems, through work on the rolling text.

On Box I, we urge states to maintain a broad characterisation of autonomous weapons systems as the scope for their work on an instrument. To make sure that the problems and dangers of increasing autonomy in weapons systems are addressed effectively, prohibitions and positive obligations, to reject the automation of killing, and keep meaningful human control in the use of force, must be formulated within the discussion of a wide scope of systems.

The characterisation in the current rolling text is sufficient to do this work, and we recommend that it is not restricted further. States should save any further discussion towards a definition of autonomous weapons systems for their negotiations on a legal instrument.

Stop Killer Robots has stated before that we believe the word ‘lethal’ should be removed from ‘lethal autonomous weapons systems’. We welcome paragraph 2 in the revised text for its clarification that this qualifier does not restrict the scope of weapons systems under discussion in states’ current work. When states move to negotiations on a legal instrument, we continue to recommend that the word ‘lethal’ is removed: lethality is an effect rather than a characteristic of a weapons system, as paragraph 2 makes clear.

We believe the progress states have made in their discussions means that the international community can now move to negotiating a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems, taking the work they have done so far as a starting point. States must commit to doing so urgently. We call on states to take the opportunity of this week’s discussions to make this commitment.

We also continue to stress that when states move to negotiations on a legal instrument, they must address issues that are not fully considered in the current rolling text, including the need to prohibit anti-personnel autonomous weapons systems, and the wide range of ethical and human rights concerns raised by autonomy in weapons systems. We will comment on these issues further during discussions this week.

Thank you, Chair.