States agree to a formal process on autonomous weapons as Fifth CCW Review Conference ends

After a frustrating week in Geneva, in which states participating in the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) debated whether or not to take action to prevent humanitarian harm from some of the most injurious weapons humankind has created, they did in the end decide to begin a formal process next year to discuss lethal autonomous weapon systems. They also decided to undertake discussions on incendiary weapons, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and mines other than anti-personnel mines—though only as agenda items at the 2017 annual meeting of CCW states parties. Overall, despite the best efforts of a few states parties who seem committed to advancing the principles and objectives of the treaty, states parties took the most minimal steps possible on each of the issues before them.

Read more with the final edition of the CCW Report.