Topic: Autonomous Weapon Systems
Country: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Jacqueline Spiegel
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Saudi Arabia position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a founding member of the United Nations, is committed to the work to achieve world security and peace.
Lethal and fully autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) without meaningful human control cannot be tolerated in the interest of peace. Without human control to distinguish a target, and act on that target, war is transformed to indiscriminate and potentially out of human control destruction. International humanitarian law (IHC) clearly recognizes the principle of distinction as primary. With the potential for actions with questionable legal responsibility, criminal cyber control, LAWS potentially do not comply with existing international human rights and law. State discussion to carefully determine the legality of such systems is our duty according to Article 36.
Two esteemed organizations deliberately consider how we might prudently discuss the matter of LAWS. The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) conducts research on disarmament and security. This esteemed institute has offered one framework to further this discussion, which is to thoughtfully define what it means to consider Meaningful Human Control (MHC). Another important matter might be to define clearly autonomy as our world includes more and more autonomous capability in our everyday lives.
The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) has responded to the challenge to consider LAWS as an emerging issue and has held meetings of experts to consider the legality of these potential weapons systems.
It seems the great number of political and expert bodies persuaded to see these weapons and potential arms race stopped, might make the Marten’s Clause an aspect to “consider the dictates of public conscience” in the matter of LAWS.
We must be prepared to respond to these emerging technologies and their ethical implications.
We are in accord with the statement made by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, 30 May 2013, to the special rapporteur on LARS and their deployment, “States should establish national moratoria on lethal autonomous robotics and states should take action on this issue.”
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Works Cited
https://www.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750065
https://www.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750065
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B8954/(httpAssets)/684AB3F3935B5C42C1257CC200429C7C/$file/Report+of+the+Special+Rapporteur+on+extrajudicial,.pdf
https://www.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Comment.xsp?viewComments=LookUpCOMART&articleUNID=FEB84E9C01DDC926C12563CD0051DAF7
http://www.unidir.org/files/publications/pdfs/considering-how-meaningful-human-control-might-move-the-discussion-forward-en-615.pdf
http://www.unidir.org/files/publications/pdfs/framing-discussions-on-the-weaponization-of-increasingly-autonomous-technologies-en-606.pd https://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jnhy.htm
http://www.stopkillerrobots.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/KRC_CountryStatus_14Mar2014.pdf
