On 22 December 2023, 152 states voted in support of the first-ever United Nations resolution on autonomous weapons. In total, 156 states participated in the vote, with 141 supporting it, four voting against, and 11 abstentions. The original draft resolution was introduced by the government of Austria and passed at the UN First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, which Tomohiko Aishima, Hayley Ramsay-Jones and Anna Ikeda of SGI attended.

The resolution marks a historic milestone toward the creation of new international law to regulate autonomy in weapons systems. It stresses the “urgent need for the international community to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems.” It also asks UN Secretary-General António Guterres to seek the views of countries and other stakeholders on ways to address the challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems “from humanitarian, legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives,” and reflect those views in a report to the General Assembly by September 2024.

After 10 years of international discussions, and in the face of rapid technological developments, the resolution’s adoption by an overwhelming majority of states “has provided a much needed infusion of energy and purpose into ongoing international discussions on autonomous weapons,” according to Stop Killer Robots.

The resolution came after a series of key events in 2023, namely a joint appeal issued on October 5 by Secretary-General Guterres and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, which called for UN member states to negotiate a new international treaty by 2026 that would ban and regulate autonomous weapons systems.

Other notable events preceding the UN resolution included the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Conference — The Human Impacts of Autonomous Weapons, which was co-organized by CARICOM-IMPACS, the Office of the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, Stop Killer Robots and SGI and held from 5–6 September 2023. At the conference, 15 states endorsed the CARICOM Declaration on Autonomous Weapons Systems. Earlier, from 23–24 February 2023, more than 30 countries endorsed the Belén Communiqué at the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on the Social and Humanitarian Impact of Autonomous Weapons. Referencing the effect these events had on the UN resolution’s adoption, Stop Killer Robots noted, “This step forward in our mission to stop killer robots is the result of the hard work of campaigners from around the world who called on states to support the resolution, both at the [United Nations General Assembly] and in capitals around the world.”

Momentum for a new legally binding instrument on autonomy in weapons is growing rapidly, and while the resolution itself does not explicitly call for negotiations, it continues to build international confidence and signals that urgent political action must be taken to safeguard against the serious risks posed by autonomous weapons systems. According to Human Rights Watch, “The resolution’s wide support shows that governments are prepared to take action, and they should move forward on a new international treaty without delay.”