ECOWAS member states call for a legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons

19 April 2024

The government of Sierra Leone hosted the Regional Conference on the Peace and Security Aspect of Autonomous Weapons Systems: An ECOWAS Perspective in Freetown, Sierra Leone on 17–18 April 2024. At the conference, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted a communiqué calling for "urgent negotiation of a legally binding instrument to regulate autonomous weapons systems, with specific prohibitions and regulations, in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and ethical perspectives."

The full communiqué is available in English, French, and Portuguese.