States and key stakeholders met at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in October 2024. For the second time, SafeGround was present at the UN in New York. Representing SafeGround as part of the Stop Killer Robots campaign delegation, SafeGround National Committee Member Jeanne Wills attended the First Committee of the UN General Assembly. SafeGround sought to support Pacific Island engagement on the issue of autonomous weapons during the UN General Assembly and specifically the First Committee which addresses issues of security and disarmament. We worked to elevate the concerns surrounding autonomous weapon systems that impact the Pacific region. Pacific countries are increasingly engaging with the international effort to create international legal instruments on autonomous weapons.
Shifting Focus: From Geneva to New York
When SafeGround began outreach to Pacific nations in September 2021, our goal was to encourage their engagement with the issue of autonomous weapons and the progress towards establishing a new legally binding treaty with prohibitions and other regulations. However, the major diplomatic talks on autonomous weapons are meetings of the ‘Group of Governmental Experts’ convened under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva. Of the Pacific states, only Nauru is a state member to the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Several Pacific nations have permanent missions in Geneva, and they also have a permanent Pacific Island Forum mission. However, this area of international politics is not a priority area for most of the Pacific states, as their permanent missions focus mostly on trade.
On advice from ICAN Australia who had spent years working with Pacific states on the nuclear treaty we shifted focus from Geneva to New York. That strategy has proven fruitful, and it has significantly amplified Pacific voices and facilitated their growing participation in discussions about autonomous weapons at the UN.
UNGA – a multilateral forum open and accessible to all
As states convened at the UN General Assembly in New York in October 2024, many Pacific states attended and participated. Kiribati and Fiji had also made submissions to the Report of the Secretary-General on autonomous weapons. This report was mandated by the resolution on autonomous weapons from the 2023 UN General Assembly, which was the first UN resolution passed on autonomous weapons, marking an important milestone. The report received a record number of 91 submissions, clearly demonstrating that this issue is a priority for the international community. It highlighted that existing international law is insufficient to deal with the challenges raised by autonomous weapons systems. Bringing the discussions to the UN General Assembly, means states and stakeholders can expand the areas of concern beyond the topics of armed conflict and international humanitarian law covered at the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
In New York, Jeanne conducted outreach to Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. They are all member states of the UN and members of the regional Pacific Small Island Development States group. Jeanne engaged on the issue through briefings, materials and meetings; holding discussions with representatives from Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. “Pacific countries are rarely represented in the room at First Committee sessions as they have limited capacity and usually representatives are busy juggling multiple roles across committees that are also high on the Pacific agenda,” says Jeanne Wills as she reflects on her work for SafeGround on the Stop Killer Robots delegation at the UN General Assembly. “However, we found that Pacific Island nations were keen to understand their fellow representatives’ perspectives on autonomous weapon systems. On no occasion have any Pacific representatives disputed the need for a new legal instrument to address the issues raised by autonomous weapons.”
A Collective Stand for Action
Kiribati co-sponsored the resolution on autonomous weapons at the 2024 First Committee and expressed their concerns on autonomous weapon systems in their national capacity to the general assembly. Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu voted in favour of the resolution. Nauru recorded a no vote. Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Samoa formally supported the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapon systems.
The UN General Assembly adopted this resolution on 5 November 2024, when 161 states voted in favour. The resolution mandates consultations to be held at the UN New York in 2025. This will allow for Pacific nations and others, better represented at New York than in the Convention on Conventional Weapons in Geneva, to continue their engagement with the issue of autonomous weapons. These talks will also give an opportunity to examine issues that are not the main focus of current Group of Governmental Experts discussions– such as ethics and human rights – which states can and must use to build strong foundations for treaty negotiations that respond comprehensively to the problem of autonomous weapons.
As we reflect on our presence in New York, it’s clear that the engagement of Pacific nations in these critical conversations is more important than ever. SafeGround remains committed to disarmament and advocating for a world where human rights and ethical considerations are safeguarded. Together, we can ensure that the voices of the Pacific are heard loud and clear on the global stage.
Lethal Autonomous Weapons Dehumanise People
At the farthest edge of the growing automation spectrum lie autonomous weapons, often referred to as “killer robots.” The rapid development of these technologies demands urgent regulation, as governments and companies around the globe—including Australia—are creating weapons that can make life-or-death decisions without human intervention. Alarmingly, this development is occurring with minimal oversight and without any established international regulations.
Weapon development and war has not fared well with the Pacific. WW2 caused huge harm to the Pacific. Explosive remnants from eighty years ago are still killing civilians and hindering economic development. The Pacific became the epicenter of nuclear weapon testing up until 1963, and the Pacific is still living with its consequences. We worry how autonomous weapon systems may cause similar or even worse damage to the world and the Pacific.
Artificial intelligence is progressing at a frenzied pace. In addition to the concern about marginally controlled AI development and its incorporation into weaponry that would make kill decisions without human supervision, AI is now being used in military command and control systems. Research and experience have demonstrated the vulnerability of these systems to hacking and manipulation. Given AI’s known shortcomings, it is crucial that the nuclear command and control system remain firmly in the hands of human decision makers.
The Bulletin Board of the Atomic Scientists
The threat posed by autonomous weapons looms larger than ever, especially as the world grapples with increasing uncertainty. A stark signal of this urgency was sent when the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the doomsday clock one second closer to midnight in January of this year. It now stands at 89 seconds to midnight, representing the closest humanity has ever been to existential peril in the Doomsday clock’s 78-year history. The 2025 Clock time signals that the world is on a course of unprecedented risk. Disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence are listed as a key risk factor that might destroy our world.
Given these alarming trends, we urgently call on all states and individuals to take action now to maintain human control over life-and-death decisions. Autonomous weapons dehumanise us, reducing individuals to mere data points—stereotypes that can be processed by algorithms. Meaningful human oversight must be central to our relationship with technology, guiding its role in our lives. We must cherish the depth and complexity of our humanity, making the cessation of killer robots an essential imperative. Machines should never be granted the power to kill. It is imperative that humans remain in command.
