GGE on LAWS

The Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS) is a state-driven expert body operating under the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in Geneva. It was formally established by the CCW's Fifth Review Conference in December 2016, succeeding informal Meetings of Experts that had taken place from 2014 to 2016. The GGE meets at the UN Office at Geneva, chaired by a designated state representative, and reports to the annual CCW Meeting of High Contracting Parties.

Its mandate is to examine emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems and to consider possible normative and operational frameworks. Discussions cover the application of international humanitarian law (IHL) to autonomous weapons, the role and forms of human-machine interaction, characterizations of the systems under consideration, and risk-mitigation measures during the weapon review process under Article 36 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.

In 2019, the GGE adopted 11 Guiding Principles, affirming that IHL applies fully to all weapons systems, including LAWS, and that human responsibility for decisions on the use of force must be retained. These principles were endorsed by the CCW Meeting of High Contracting Parties later that year.

The GGE operates by consensus, which has slowed progress toward a legally binding instrument. A coalition of states, supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, advocates for a treaty combining prohibitions and regulations. Others, including several major military powers developing autonomous capabilities, prefer non-binding measures, codes of conduct, or reliance on existing IHL. This divide has kept the GGE's output declaratory rather than treaty-based, though parallel processes — including UN General Assembly First Committee resolutions and the UN Secretary-General's call for a legal instrument by 2026 — have increased pressure on the forum.