In conflicts all over the world, drones have become an essential military tool for state militaries and armed groups. States are using large military drones for targeted killings on and outside the battlefield, or provide one-way explosive drones to armed groups that use them for long-range strikes. And at the other end of the drone spectrum, we see armed groups and militaries using small weaponized commercial drones to blow up tanks or terrorize civilians. Billions of dollars are pumped into rapidly emerging drone industries, yet there is little to no serious debate on the short and long-term consequences of this massive proliferation of all types of drones.
We strongly believe that emerging weapon technologies need to be carefully analyzed and debated among states. With insights from affected communities, NGOs, experts, and industry, states can move forward to see what policies should be designed and implemented to prevent weapons and related technologies from ending up in the wrong hands, what legal and political instruments are needed to ensure that the use of those weapons is in line with international humanitarian and human rights law, and how to build transparency and accountability.
The increase of drone’ use in all aspects of modern warfare so far has not been an intrinsic part of the UN General Assembly’s work on disarmament. There have been a range of suggestions put forward by UN agencies such as UNIDIR and UNODA on how the UN can address these issues. Groups of states have also made various public statements on the issue, including the United States-led effort in 2016 to develop international standards on the export and subsequent use of armed drones,but this has not led to any concrete results. More recently, Portugal in 2024 led a group of States and issued Joint Statement on increasing multilateral exchanges of views regarding armed Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles, with the aim to submit a resolution to the UNGA, though this initiative has been postponed for the time being. The need to address a myriad of challenges around the rapid rise of drones in wars and armed conflicts remains more urgent than ever. Therefore, PAX has provided a brief analysis of these challenges and put forward policy recommendations for states on how to move forward in addressing this in an inclusive and multilateral way. The full paper is being disseminated in New York during the UNGA First Committee’s meeting.
