CSTO PA Executive Secretary spoke at an online discussion Can Robots Comply with the Rules of Warfare?

CSTO PA Executive Secretary took part in an online discussion with the International Committee of the Red Cross titled Can Robots Comply with the Rules of Warfare?
In his speech, Sergei Pospelov, CSTO PA Executive Secretary, recalled that the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and the International Committee of the Red Cross have a long-standing partnership in international humanitarian law and that the Red Cross’s mission to protect victims of war is still in great demand today, amidst the growing conflict potential and threats, including near the CSTO borders.
“The CSTO parliamentary community pays special attention to the transformation of armed conflicts, influenced by information technologies, international terrorism and extremism,” noted Sergei Pospelov. “The emergence of new methods of warfare and the transfer of battlefields into digital space further erases the boundaries between a national and international conflict.”
At the same time, according to the Executive Secretary, “cyberattacks and combat drones are increasingly being used against critical business and civil-infrastructure facilities” in local conflicts, which, in turn, dramatically increases the danger of artificially induced man-made or natural disasters, such as energy lockouts or large-scale flooding, capable of causing a humanitarian crisis of a local or regional scale.
In addition, the impending issue of the military use of the AI, robots, space and laser weapons, as well as the negative consequences of their indiscriminate and disproportionate use, should be taken into account.
We must develop a common position on AI-controlled lethal weapons already now.
In this regard, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly constantly pays close attention to the harmonization of national legislation and the protection of humanitarian rights during military and peacekeeping operations, as well as during man-made or natural crises.
Since 2010, the parliamentarians of the CSTO Member States have developed and adopted more than 10 model legal acts, including:
– model law On Humanitarian Aid;
– Recommendations on the Harmonization of the CSTO Member States’ Legislation on the Issues of Refugees;
– Recommendations on Training and Retraining on Safety in Emergency Situations;
– Recommendations on Collective Humanitarian Aid Provision in Crisis Situations.
CSTO PA Executive Secretary expressed hope for the renewal and development of constructive dialogue between the CSTO and the ICRC regarding the legal resolution of humanitarian problems in the zones of armed conflict through model laws. He also noted that further implementation of international humanitarian law into the national legislation of the Organization’s Member States through the development of relevant CSTO model acts can be carried out within the framework of the 2021–2025 Action Plan on Approximation and Harmonization of National Legislation, which will guide the development of future draft model legislative acts.
The online discussion with experts and practitioners in the field of international humanitarian law was co-organized by the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in the Russian Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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