Comment by António Guterres

I send greetings to everyone attending these important consultations on a defining issue of our time — the threat posed by lethal autonomous weapons systems. Machines that have the power and discretion to take human lives without human control are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be banned by international law. I reiterate my call for the conclusion of a legally binding instrument by 2026. The work being done by you and others around the world — including within the context of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons — is moving us in the right direction.