Autonomous Weapons Systems Mini-Symposium: Remarks by Ambassador Kmentt at the ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

[Ambassador Alexander Kmentt is an Austrian career diplomat, currently serving as Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations Office and to the Specialized Institutions in Geneva. He has worked extensively on disarmament and non-proliferation issues and is one of the architects of the initiative on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).]

Editorial Note: This post forms the second of three posts of the Opinio Juris mini-symposium on the upcoming meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems within the auspices of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The pieces in this symposium draw from remarks delivered at the 17th ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament hosted by the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand that took place from 13 to 14 April 2026.

This post features remarks by H.E. Alexander Kmentt, as delivered.

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

It is an honour for me to be able to speak to you all at the Inter-Sessional Meeting on Non-Proliferation and Disarmament of the ASEAN Regional Forum. Austria as a host country to the OSCE fully understands the importance of regional cooperation on security questions. Therefore, I can only underline the great value of these kind of exchanges on key topics of non-proliferation and disarmament.

It is also highly commendable that the topic of Autonomous Weapons Systems was added to the agenda of this meeting. 2026 is a decisive year for this topic for several reasons: First, due to the key decisions that have to be taken on the discussions within the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Second, as it is the year to which the call of the Secretary General of the United Nations together with the ICRC President to address this issue applies and third because of the rapid technological developments and their application we all are able to witness.

I was invited to talk to you about Austria’s engagement in the LAWS discussion and in particular our initiatives within the General Assembly. Here let me state already at the outset that we believe that one single forum is not enough to address the full scope of issues we are facing. In particular when we take a broader lens on military AI and its use cases in general. This is why Austria is very active on this issue in the CCW, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. Austria is currently also a candidate for the Security Council and if elected our engagement on key disarmament questions will shape our work in this forum as well.

At the outset, let me explain what is at stake. We are facing a major shift within the means and methods of warfare with repercussions on the implementation of international law. AWS and the use of AI in military decision-making are no science-fiction but they are a reality. It comes with several risks and challenges that need to be addressed. They relate to the integrity of international law, the consequences of unintended engagement and escalation but also a maybe unprecedent risk of proliferation to non-state actors. Above all we need to avoid an arms race and the related dynamics, which could ignore conventional safeguards and existing norms. The biggest threat is a race to the bottom in an area in which the application of existing international law is undermined and the ethical considerations that have always underpinned IHL are ignored.

The CCW Group of Governmental Experts on LAWS currently has a product on its desk that addresses many of these issues. It can be seen as a translation of the key principles of IHL, which were written for humans, into the realities of autonomous warfare. Above all it safeguards accountability and responsibility and links the effects of the use of force to human agency. It is our clear hope that this text will be the basis for future negotiations and the CCW Review Conference will be the moment to take a common decision on the future path.

Having said this the GGE LAWS process does not address all the possible consequences of the appearance of LAWS. Through the strong focus in IHL application several other topics are missing in this discussion, in particular the impact on peace and security, proliferation issues and the consequences for other bodies of law such as human rights and international criminal law. The CCW also still is lacking in universality, in particular in your region, while the issue at hand and its broader impact has consequences for all of us and in all parts of the world.

This is why in 2023 Austria together with a cross-regional group of countries consisting of Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Switzerland tabled the first resolution on LAWS during the 78^th General Assembly. This was preceded by a joint statement in 2022 which gathered the support of 70 States.

The 2023 resolution stressed the urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems and requested the Secretary General to seek the views of Member States on this issue. The follow-up resolution in 2024 mandated informal consultations to discuss the key elements of this report. This also allowed the chair of the GGE LAWS to absorb a more diverse and comprehensive view on this topic.

Last year’s resolution reconfirmed key elements and called upon the GGE to complete a set of elements for an instrument under their current mandate. The support of the international community for these resolutions has been consistently very strong.

These initiatives at the General Assembly serve multiple purposes as they “democratize” the discussion on LAWS through the participation of all Member States of the United Nations not just those who are High Contracting Parties to the CCW and have the capacity to participate in the discussions in Geneva. As explained before, while only a few countries are actively developing these technologies, all of us will be faced with the consequences. These are not WMD, autonomous weapons systems are and will be marketed and sold at relatively low prices and will proliferate easily.

In consequence the challenges and risks those weapons as well as possible solutions need to be considered by all of us, reflecting the diversity and contexts of all regions. Given the timeliness and the large implications this is an issue that deserves the continued attention of the General Assembly.

Another important aspect is the necessity to discuss the broader implications for peace and security and on other bodies of law, in particular international human rights law. AWS will be used in different contexts that do not only relate to military operations. At the same time many of their components are dual use. The risks of escalations and misunderstandings clearly fall into the mandate of the First Committee of the General Assembly.

The GA resolutions also formulated clear expectations towards the GGE LAWS as well as a need for results by the wider international community and to some extend also the broader public. This is all the more important as after ten years of discussions the GGE in geneva is close to the finishing line. While the concerns and the hesitation of a few remaining countries need to be addressed of course, a strong and united call towards the next phase can provide the impetus needed. The critical moment will be the Review Conference of the CCW in November this year and I invite all States to participate actively or as an observer in this meeting.

I hope my deliberations were helpful. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or your respective Austrian colleagues for further information.

With this I thank you for your attention and send my best regards to Manila.