The seventy-ninth session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee on Disarmament and International Security took place in New York from 7 October to 8 November 2024, chaired by Ambassador Maritza Chan, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations. Ambassador Chan is known by SGI for her active and positive participation at the 2023 CARICOM Conference on Autonomous Weapons, co-organized by SGI, CARICOM IMPACS, Office of the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago and Stop Killer Robots (SKR).

Staff members from the SGI Office for UN Affairs in Geneva and New York, as well as the Office of Global Issues in Tokyo, virtually monitored the First Committee and took part in the Stop Killer Robots #VoteAgainstTheMachine global action in London and Tokyo. The purpose of that grassroots action, which spanned from Buenos Aires to Soweto to New York, was to show states that it is time for regulation to catch up to the pace of technological innovation.

Campaigners around the world took to the streets to highlight the humanitarian, ethical and legal concerns that autonomous weapons pose. Equipped with Stop Killer Robots T-shirts, a human-shaped, data infused cardboard cut out, and a petition, campaigners around the world engaged in dialogue with the general public about killer robots and shared their experiences on social media.

During the First Committee meetings, SGI monitored and engaged in both nuclear weapons and autonomous weapons systems discussions. In keeping with previous years, SGI also joined other civil society groups in endorsing joint statements on related disarmament themes, such as disability and disarmament, gender, intersectionality and disarmament, humanitarian disarmament, protection of the environment and youth and disarmament education. In doing so, these interrelated issues that are often overlooked become areas for civil society to unite over and help spread the word.

Also, during this year's UNGA on 2 December 2024, states adopted the second resolution on autonomous weapons systems. Following last year's first-ever United Nations resolution on autonomous weapons, the new resolution saw a positive increase in support, garnering 166 states voting in favor, three against, with 15 abstentions. The resolution was again tabled by Austria and co-sponsored by a regionally diverse group of states. Though the resolution fell short of explicitly calling for negotiations to start a treaty to prohibit autonomous weapons, it did state, “Any weapon, including autonomous weapons systems, that cannot be used in compliance with international humanitarian law must not be used.”

Furthermore, the resolution mandates inclusive, open and informal discussions to be held in New York for a period of two days in 2025. These talks will give an opportunity to examine issues such as ethics and human rights, which states can use to build strong foundations for treaty negotiations. The consultations will be open to all, including Member and observer States, international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, civil society, the scientific community and industry. SKR supported this positive step, stating, “It is so critical that autonomous weapons systems are discussed in a forum that is accessible to all and blockable by none.”

In terms of nuclear disarmament, there were 24 resolutions that passed during this year’s UNGA First Committee meeting, ranging from “Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East;” “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;” and “Addressing the legacy of nuclear weapons: providing victim assistance and environmental remediation to Member States affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons.”

SGI continues to engage in these urgent topics at the UN and stands ready to support states and civil society in achieving our shared and urgent disarmament goals.