Signal UN Autonomous Weapons Treaty Deadline 2026 — 164 States Support, CCW GGE Mandate Concludes

Summary

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an international treaty regulating autonomous weapons by 2026, and the CCW group of governmental experts mandate concluded without agreement. Guterres and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger jointly described such weapons as politically unacceptable and morally repugnant. A UN meeting held May 12-13, 2025 in New York drew representatives from 96 countries plus UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and NGOs, where Human Rights Watch released its report titled A Hazard to Human Rights. A General Assembly resolution passed December 2, 2024 with 166 votes in favor, 3 opposed (Belarus, North Korea, Russia), and 15 abstentions. India, Israel, Russia, and the United States have blocked progress at Convention on Conventional Weapons meetings since 2014. Human Rights Watch's Mary Wareham said dozens of states expressed grave concerns about removing human control from weapons systems.