Prospect of autonomous weapons is of deep concern globally & for #NewZealand. Machines making life & death decisions challenge fundamental values. #AWSDialogueNZ#KeepCtrl#TeamHuman
#NewZealand Govt has conducted a survey to collect views from the public. There’s limited public awareness but it found 72% opposed use of lethal autonomous weapons systems. Oppose machines being used to kill. #AWSDialogueNZ#KeepCtrl
#NewZealand government would prefer legally-binding rules on autonomous weapons systems. See the most effective control in a forum that works & delivers. #CCwUN must rise to the challenge before it. Time is off the essence! @PhilTwyford#AWSDialogueNZ
The @NZRedCross is very concerned by loss of human judgement & control as autonomous weapons are developed. Raises challenges for compliance with international law, fundamental ethical concerns for humanity - @Sakhr_M@NZRedCross@ICRC
Societal impacts of digital technologies is @andrewtychen’s field. NZ companies have pledged not to develop lethal autonomous weapons systems. Decision to end life cannot be given to lines of code. A legally-binding instrument would go a long way. #AWSDialogueNZ#KeepCtrl
#NewZealand can prohibit autonomous weapons systems now via domestic legislation - @KillerRobotsNZ It should not hesitate to work with other states keen to launch negotiations on a new international treaty. Principle & sound government policy is urgently needed. #AWSDialogueNZ
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Disappointment in The Hague as states fail to reach consensus on the final report & political declaration of the Chemical Weapons Convention’s milestone 5th Review Conference.
Consensus agreement was not possible “due to the limited time available & context of current global affairs.” The Chemical Weapons Convention #RevCon5 will formally conclude on Friday afternoon.
Lack of formal agreement at the Chemical Weapons Convention Review Conference shows current fragile state of multilateral disarmament diplomacy & pitfalls of consensus decision-making which a handful of countries—sometimes just 1 military power—exploit
Director-General of the @OPCW, which services the #ChemicalWeapons Convention, provides an implementation overview. All chemical weapons stocks held by states parties have now been destroyed except in US, which hopes to complete this task in September. #RevCon5#CWCrevcon
Over the past decade chemical weapons have been used in Iraq, Malaysia, Russia, Syria & UK - @OPCW director-general. Last use was in Russia in 2020.
@OPCW Sorry to miss the rest of this important statement as civil society were kicked upstairs
Governments should protect the integrity of the international treaty banning #ChemicalWeapons by fully implementing it & by ensuring accountability for any violations - @hrw on the Review Conference, which opens in the Hague today hrw.org/news/2023/05/1…#CWCRevcon #RevCon5
I'm attending the 5th Review Conference of the #ChemicalWeapons Convention this week. It's @hrw's first participation in a CWC meeting after years of being denied entry. Yet inexplicably other civil society groups are still blocked hrw.org/news/2023/05/1…#CWCRevCon#RevCon5
"Unlawful & appalling" - Russia's April 2022 cluster munition strike on Kramatorsk train station remains one of the deadliest single incidents for civilians since its invasion of Ukraine a year ago - @hrw@situ_research urge accountability hrw.org/news/2023/02/2…@banclusterbombs
Over 1,000 people fleeing the Ukraine conflict were crowded on Kramatorsk's train platform on 6 April 2022 when the cluster munition hit, releasing dozens of submunitions containing thousands of fragments - @hrw & @situ_researchhrw.org/video-photos/i…
The photo that changed the world: 50 years ago @nickut captured Kim Phuc & other children fleeing an incendiary weapons attack in #Vietnamwashingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/… The United States air force had dropped 4 napalm bombs on a village where civilians were sheltering @hrw#CCWUN
Public outrage at civilian suffering from US napalm use in Vietnam led to stronger rules protecting civilians in warfare. In 1981 governments adopted new international law prohibiting aerial incendiary weapons attacks in civilian areas hrw.org/topic/arms/inc…#CCWUN Protocol III
Fundamental challenges raised by removing human control from the use of force are only rising the longer it takes to regulate. As retired Maj. Gen. Mike Smith notes accountability cannot be transferred to machines. #AWSDialogueNZ#KillerRobots#CCWUN