The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, today called for the establishment of restrictions on the use of autonomous weapons (such as some types of drones), in a new round of negotiations to modify international arms control agreements that opens today in Geneva.
In his message to the conference, which reviews the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (in force since 1983), the Portuguese diplomat asked “to reach a consensus on the ambitious plan to restrict the use of certain types of autonomous weapons”, which did not exist. when the international agreement was created.
The convention “has served for 40 years as an essential weapon control instrument to protect civilians,” Guterres stressed, but now faces other challenges due to the arrival of “new risks that challenge traditional forms of conflict prevention and resolution. ”.
The control of this autonomous weaponry has been debated within the UN for the last eight years, while new technologies, such as artificial intelligence or facial recognition systems, have perfected this type of weapon.
Some of the 125 signatory countries to the convention call for a total ban on this autonomous weaponry, but powers such as the United States have shown reluctance to a complete withdrawal of weapons that they often consider more accurate than those operated by human beings.
Movements like Stop Killer Robots have launched campaigns in recent years to limit the use of lethal drones and similar weapons, and they see these five-day talks as a unique opportunity to advance their control.
.
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
