Building off the momentum of the Latin American and the Caribbean regional conference held in February 2023 in San José, Costa Rica, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) decided to host its own regional conference to explore the human impacts of autonomous weapons.
SGI worked together with the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the Stop Killer Robots coalition, with the support of the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, to organize the conference. The two-day regional conference titled “CARICOM Conference 2023 - The Human Impacts of Autonomous Weapons” was held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from 5–6 September 2023. Attendees included government officials from CARICOM member states, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UN agencies, academics, technical experts and civil society.
Participants of the CARICOM Conference 2023
The conference began by acknowledging the region's long-standing role in championing disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation. Over the two days, it explored the dangers posed by military and non-military uses of autonomous weapons systems (AWS), including human rights implications, proliferation, threat of exacerbating crime in the region, AI biases, climate concerns, global power dynamics and moral and ethical perspectives.
During a segment on regional concerns, H.E. Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States, commented that “Caribbean states would be extremely vulnerable... Our inter-island connectivity, while being our strength, also accentuates our vulnerabilities. Our borders are vast stretches of open sea, posing substantial challenges. Policing these expanses for inter-island trafficking, especially for high-tech, compact autonomous weaponry, is a daunting task. Moreover, our states would be burdened with increased costs.”
During the high level opening remarks, Hayley Ramsay-Jones of SGI highlighted the possibility and the responsibility that decision makers must act now to save numerous lives. While speaking on a panel regarding intersectional perspective, Ramsay-Jones highlighted the dynamics between power, violence and weapons and explored the different ways weapons are used to yield and maintain power over people and groups, noting the broader impacts this has on marginalized communities.
Fundamentally, the issue of autonomy in weapons systems poses the question of what it means to be human—a question that requires moral, ethical and spiritual examination.
On behalf of SGI, Hayato Yamashita delivered a statement to the conference that called attention to the concerns of interfaith communities: “Fundamentally, the issue of autonomy in weapons systems poses the question of what it means to be human—a question that requires moral, ethical and spiritual examination.”
On 6 September 2023, the conference concluded by adopting the CARICOM Declaration on Autonomous Weapons Systems. This historic declaration outlined the commitment of states to “collaborate on endeavors aimed at negotiating an international legally binding instrument that prohibits unpredictable or uncontrollable AWS capable of using force without meaningful human control, and prohibit those designed or employed to apply force against persons, while implementing regulations for other forms of AWS.”
The conference concluded by adopting the CARICOM Declaration on Autonomous Weapons Systems.
The declaration itself makes significant, substantive contributions to the policy landscape on autonomous weapons, identifying key concerns in a regional context that require greater examination in international discussions and across multilateral fora. Ambassador Chan of Costa Rica to the United Nations Headquarters described it as another exciting step forward—advancing from the Belén Communiqué adopted at the Latin America and the Caribbean conference—toward negotiations of a legally binding instrument. The Stop Killer Robots campaign described the declaration as a “historic milestone that will significantly contribute to the international political and policy landscape on autonomous weapons.”
For further details on the CARICOM Conference 2023, including participants, program, speaker presentations and the declaration, visit the conference website: www.caricom-aws2023.com.
