(401)The question of addressing the regulation of Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS) in conflict with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI)”
Topic Intro
Implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into military technology has led to the development of Autonomous Weapon Systems (AWS), which can function without any human assistance. This has led to significant problems ranging from legality to security, which require strong frameworks to be set upon further usage.
Historically, the deployment of new military technologies has gathered international efforts to establish regulatory measures, as seen with nuclear weapons and landmines. However, in the case of AWS, it has introduced some complexities due to its AI features. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has advocated for new, legally binding international rules to prohibit unpredictable autonomous weapons. The committee also asks for the regulation of a human operator to uphold international humanitarian law.
The rise of more advanced AI systems threatens the range of existing regulations governing traditional warfare instruments including the Geneva Protocol. Without a full understanding of the capabilities of newly developed AWS, it's easy for them to be weaponized when escaping thresholds of international law. Moreover, determining the actions and the party accountable for the actions of AWS produces new challenges in addition to the already complex ideas of machines being able to carry out life-or-death decisions. The UN has drawn attention to the negative impacts of AWS's on international security from the UN, which has raised concerns about issues including the possibility of an arms race and a decrease of conflict barriers.
Thus the security concerns of states and non-state parties must be considered. To establish a framework for the future in considerations to comply with humanitarian law and protection of human rights.
(402)The question of addressing the Illicit Trade of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Across Borders With the Role of International Cooperation
With the rise of geopolitical tension and instability in fragmented regions, the arms that amplify such tensions and create casualties become a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. With this said, the illicit flow of arms historically has been linked to the leading cause of violent death globally with one distinct category of arms carrying the weight: Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). As SALWs are weaponized by non-state actors, and consistently found in possession of civilians in conflict torn regions, member states are reminded of the catastrophic violence SALWs propels.
A number of international instruments govern the distribution and exchange of SALW including the UN Programme of Action, the International Tracing Instrument effective since 2005, and the Fire Arms Protocol. While such regulations do improve on border controls and established trade protocols, illicit trading of SALW are still ever so on the rise. For instance, although the 2001 UNPoA action plan does entail a framework for states to become more transparent in weaponry storage and International Tracing System, it fails to address the existence of current state-level operating arms trafficking systems. Arms trafficking conduits in the Horn of Africa and Southern Sudan represent cases of problematic arms transparency as well as how much the regulations within the international instruments as aforementioned can extend to. Moreover, current instruments may be inefficient to address new technological advancements that redefine SALWs. The international community thus should collaboratively take into account region-level SALWs trade operations while tackling emerging forms of such arms.