EU Statement – UN Disarmament Commission: Working Group II

Mme. Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The following countries align themselves with this statement: North Macedonia*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, Georgia, Norway and San Marino.

Allow me first to congratulate you with your appointment as Chair of WGII and to assure you of the support and cooperation of the EU.

As already stated at the beginning of our deliberations of the Disarmament Commission, the EU will engage actively and constructively in the discussions of both Working Groups I and II, contributing in the context of the present WGII towards developing recommendations on common understandings related to emerging technologies in the context of international security.

As this is the first opportunity to speak on this very timely and important matter, I would like to begin by outlining a number of more general lines that will frame the EU’s contribution to the discussions and recommendations of Working Group II. We may come back later with more specific positions on issues that come up during our deliberations.

Firstly, the EU would want the work of Working Group II to feature compliance with international law. Emerging technologies, and in particular Artificial Intelligence (AI), provide both opportunities and challenges for international security. Whilst we should profit from the use of emerging technologies and not hamper the development of new technologies, this must be done by ensuring compliance with international law, in particular International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law, taking into account relevant ethical considerations. In the EU’s view, our discussions in Working Group II, as well as our recommendations, must build on this fundamental understanding. This is consistent with the so called “two-tier” approach in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems that the EU supports whereby a distinction should be made between – on the one hand - those weapons systems that cannot be used in accordance with international law, in particular IHL, which States should commit not to develop, produce or use, and – on the other hand - systems that include autonomous features, that would require regulation to ensure compliance with IHL and other applicable international law.

Consequently, another essential principle for our work should be an insistence on human control. Furthermore, human accountability must be preserved at all times and across the entire life cycle of the use of a weapons system. We would be wise to insist on ensuring human control and accountability and reflect this in the recommendations by this working group.

Thirdly, we would like to see the recommendations reflect the need for ensuring that emerging technologies should be developed and used in a way that allows to prevent or in any event mitigate risks, accidents and misuse. Safe, secure, human-rights based, ethical and trustworthy development and use of technologies should be our objective.

Finally, let me recall that duplication of existing discussions in other fora should be avoided and that any recommendations are of added value and in accordance with applicable international law, standards and norms agree upon. In our view, this includes the Group of Governmental Experts related to emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, the Working Group of the Biological Weapons Convention that develops a mechanism to review and assess scientific and technological developments, the OEWG on security of and in the use of ICTs 2021–2025 and the multilateral efforts to address security threats in outer space.

Having outlined some overall principles that, in our view and inter alia, could guide the work of Working Group II, the EU is looking forward to the discussions.

Thank you, Mme. Chair.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.