Pleasant morning again please stand we now have the national and F of Trinidad and Tobago that thank you you may please SE St algorithm determines who live and die should we tolerate a world in which conscious decisions are made about human life are replaced with machine calculations are we willing to accept the deployment of weapons that fire themselves triggered by artificial intelligence software that writes itself what does this means for the Caribbean ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Caribbean conference the human impacts of autonomous weapons Senator The Honorable Reginal armor senior Council attorney general and minister of legal Affairs Trinidad and Tobago The Honorable FZ Gerald Hines MP minister of National Security Trinidad and Tobago leftenant Colonel Michael Jones executive director CARICOM implementation Agency for crime and security Her Excellency maritan valvet Ambassador permanent mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Sophie a regional director for America's International committee for the Red Cross Haley Ramsey Jones Geneva director SOA gaki International office for human Affairs Senator Nigel defus president of the Senate Trin and Tobago Senator The Honorable renuka sasim suklal minister in the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of legal Affairs Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioners and ambassador present judges and representatives of the judicial and legal fraternity aice Marshall darl Daniel chief of Defense staff Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force mistress ER hello Christopher Chris Commissioner of police trinal and Tobago Police Service Professor Clive Landis Pro Vice Chancellor and principal kaville compus University of the West Indies Dr Joy St John executive director Caribbean public health agency Commander Aron Ricardo shulan executive director of the regional security system all the representatives from The Diplomatic core um members of the media all distinguished guests good good evening and welcome again to this important conference um apologies for saying good evening we have two conferences happening today one in the evening 1 in the morning so um and no sleep yet so apologies for that um to begin this session I will now call on our executive director I I will not make a mistake with this one he's my executive director my boss that means I may never get a promotion if I make a mistake leftenant Colonel Michael Jones to give us some opening remarks sir you are invited to the podium I work on your promotion collect don't worry Senator The Honorable Reginal Amore senior councel and attorney general and minister of legal Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago The Honorable Fitz Gerald Haines MP minister of National Security Trinidad and Tobago Her Excellency moderat s Shan Val Ambassador permanent mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Miss Sophie or Regional Direction director sorry for America's International Committee of the Red Cross who I believe is with us virtually this morning uh Mrs Haley Ramsey Jones namesake Geneva director for soakai international office for un Affairs Senator Nigel def frus president of the Senate Trinidad and Tobago Senator The Honorable renuka san sing sukow minister in in the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of legal Affairs Trinidad and Tobago High Commissioners and ambassadors present judges and representative of the judicial and legal fraternity air Vice Marshal darl Daniel chief of Defense staff of the Republic of Trinidad and Togo Defense Force Miss era hit Christopher Commissioner of police Trinidad and police Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Professor Clive Landers Pro Vice Chancellor and principal kill campus University of the West Indies my sister Dr Joyce and John executive director Caribbean public health agency my brother command Commodore Arington Ricardo sherlin executive director of the regional security system other members of The Diplomatic Corp permanent secretaries representatives of national Regional and international organizations representatives of civil society and Academia specially invited guests members of the media ladies and gentlemen distinguished ladies and gentlemen all good morning good morning it is a pleasure certainly to be here to welcome you to the kcom conference dealing with the impact of the human impacts of autonomous weapon system and at the outset I want to take this opportunity with a heart of gratitude to thank most sincerely the government of Trinidad and Tobago for supporting and collaborating on this effort allow me also to acknowledge the political will leadership and strong commitment shown by Senator The Honorable Regional Amore SC um and I mean that that's not just gracious platitude but I mean that in all sincerity sir and certainly as well The Honorable Fitzgerald haes minister of National Security I'm also generally grateful to stop Killer Robots and sooka gake for partnering with K coming p and for assisting in getting this conference off the ground for all their work resources and support today new and rapidly emerging Technologies such as artificial intelligence will transform the way we live work and play even the way how we think according to research done by Price water house Coopers the economic opportunities of AI provides are immense and can accelerate the achievement of the 2030 sustainable development mment agenda could also contribute in their estimation up to$ 15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 more than the current outa of China and India combine these emerging Technologies would affect the way we police our communities the way we secure our borders and how Wars are fought and will continue to change the nature of armed violence and armed conflict particularly in the case of autonomous weapon systems which is what we're here to discuss over the next two days the prospect of weapons that can identify select and attack targets without human control raises fundamental legal ethical and moral concerns and also questions the Conformity of these weapons with applicable International humanitarian law international human rights criminal law and issues of accountability and responsibility in the event of Civ civilian harm or other unintended consequences so why are we in carom concerned about autonomous weapon systems what is absolutely clear to us is that autonomous weapon systems are revolutionizing and changing the global security and defense landscape and represents an urgent priority given the trajectory of weapon development and use in recent and current armed conflicts you can just look and see what's happening between Russia and Ukraine AWS will impact every country every region and have immense implications for International Peace and security therefore there's an urgent opportunity and necessity for Citizens policy makers and leaders to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable uses of autonomous weapon systems autonomous Weapons Systems will present a great challenge for our disarmament and nonproliferation efforts in the Caribbean and will transform the Dynamics of transnational organized crime armed violence terrorism and armed conflicts the proliferation of AWS would definitely impact our nonproliferation and armed control agenda in CARICOM States and Global Peace and security we know all too well that in globalized world no country is immune and in particular small island development states are disproportionately affected and suffer the most and we can look at examples that include climate change and the devastating impact of elicit firearms and our communities which is taking the lives of many of our young citizens like the ilicit armst in the hands of non-state actors AWS when diverted will have much more significant consequences we therefore have a moral and ethical imperative not to substitute human decisions about life and death with sensors software and machine processes but the decision to take a human life should never be delegated to a machine humans should always have meaningful human control over the use of force specifically in the critical functions of identifying selecting and attacking targets as small countries we cannot simply allow our Fates to be decided by others it is up to all of us to advance and create the kind of world to which we Aspire I believe that everyone in this room room aspires to create a stable peaceful prosperous World therefore effective and active participation in fora on autonomous Weapons Systems is the only way to ensure that our national and Regional priorities and most importantly our interests are factored into the global political agenda our unique and diverse perspective as small and and developing States will add value to the discussions and future normative Frameworks on AWS in negotiating a legal instrument that advances prohibition and regulations on AWS or voice singular can change the Dynamics and lead to different more inclusive and more balanced outcomes than if they were not Incorporated and a good example of this even though that we're small is the arm Trad Trey in which the majority of the Region's positions are reflected in the provisions of the treaty because because we stood up and participated in the negotiation process therefore in the face of these concerns the need for Action is indisputable we need to accelerate our work and engage in multilateral efforts on autonomous Weapons Systems to build a shared understanding of what action is required to advance our security as a region we must respond to the call for urgency from the UN Secretary General the international committee for the Red Cross the internal civil society as well as concerned robotics ethicist military personnel you name it but critically important we must speak with one voice as I said before and partner with other states to advance our interests one of the states we have been working closely with on this important issue is the state of Costa Rica and I'm honored that Her Excellency marit Shan Val Ambassador in Perman to the permanent mission of Costa Rica R the United Nations is here with us today to share her tremendous knowledge on this issue you may recall in February of this year Costa Rica convene the Latin America and Caribbean conference on the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous Weapons Systems and adopted the bin communic which called for states to collaborate we will greatly benefit from Costa Rica's experience thus far and the knowledge and experience of Ambassador theer and within the next few months we will jointly convene at least two capacity building workshops with Costa Rica to further advance and elaborate on the critical knowledge and outcome of this Workshop to engage I soon finish don't worry to engage effectively on the issue at the global level keron member states must be clear about their position on issues relating to autonomous weapon systems and this must have a multis sectorial gathering will assess immensely with with this objective the key Point developing an effective and sustainable common position is to ensure that the input of all who might be affected by it and to engage the broadest possible range of stakeholders and interested Partners to make sure we are taking into consideration all relevant issues and factors with us are officials from civil society industry knowledge institutions Academia other stakeholders possessing the relevant expertise to this end therefore I urge you to agree to a strong CARICOM declaration that advances our regional interest and endorses and support the current urgent pursuit of an internationally legal binding instrument incorporating prohibitions and regulations on AWS uh in closing I also want to mention the icrc has been an invaluable partner as well and I thank them for the immeasurable assistance and advice on this issue I can assure you that ker com in P stands ready to support initiatives aim at effectively addressing concerns raise by autonomous weapon systems in a timely manner and to work constructively with other states to this end as well of other relevant stakeholders and with this I thank you ladies and gentlemen thank you executive director I I have learned never to make any jokes after my executive director he has the pen for my um employment so I won't do that um today so the executive director highlighted that autonomous weapons are no longer an issue for tomorrow it's an urgent priority now and with that I would like to invite The Honorable Senator The Honorable Reginal Amar senior Council attorney general and minister of legal Affairs Trinidad and Tobago agj you are invited thank you colas good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Trinidad and Tobago I have to immediately adopt of course the protocol which has been declared by Mr leftenant Colonel Jones and of course our Master of Ceremonies but I'd like to particularly pay tribute in acknowledging our head table and particularly Her Excellency Marissa Chan valver Ambassador permanent mission of Costa Rica and all other members of the head table I'd like to welcome in particular as well my fellow minister of cabinet Fitzgerald Hines honorable Fitzgerald Hines and Senator Nigel defus president of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago who is with us this morning welcome [ __ ] ambassadors and other high Representatives all other members of the foreign media and all members of the Judiciary who are here with us today when I thought of making these opening remarks I thought that I would spend some time discussing the subjects that we are going to be addressing this morning but I've had the privilege of listening to the opening remarks of Leonel Colonel Michael Jones executive director of impacts and I have to pay tribute to a very incisive and OnPoint opening statement which focuses us immediately and makes my welcoming remarks that less owner us and I was reflecting as I listened to leftenant Colonel Michael Jones that sometimes acronyms do us a disservice we know the organization of which he is executive director by its acronym impacts but when we pause to reflect on what impacts really is named we understand the very critical importance of this very important Regional body which has been given significant status under our CARICOM treaty it is the CARICOM implementation Agency for crime and security the acronym impacts incorporates all of that and I think we are very fortunate to have impacts hosting this seminar today in Trinidad and Tobago because we are on The Cutting Edge of a challenge which we dare not underestimate a few months ago ladies and gentlemen I stood in this very Place advancing a discussion on autonomous Weapons Systems amongst my chacom colleagues peers and representatives of Academia I am honored to join you here again today to continue this very important discussion on a very serious and challenging issue let us reflect on the journey that has brought us here today A few short months ago July 11th and 12th 2023 we gathered on the workshop to discuss the universalization of the convention on certain Conventional Weapons at that time we were sensitized to the benefits and risks posed by artificial intelligence and an autonomous weapon system as well as the pressing need for an international legally binding instrument to prohibit and or regulate the use of autonomous Weapons Systems those discussions birthed an outcome statement calling on our CARICOM Representatives all of whom are with us today and who I welcome to among other things one to promote collaboration among CARICOM member states to develop a common position on lethal autonomous Weapons Systems named by its acronym ironically laws L AWS and two to collaborate with CARICOM impacts to support CARICOM member states to enhance their shared awareness and Technical literacy of artificial intelligence and laws today we are taking a further significant step in advancing those two agenda items with specific focus on the impact of autonomous Weapons Systems as leftenant Colonel Michael Jones has reminded us the rapid advance of technology has given rise to a new era of Global Security challenges one characterized by the deployment of autonomous weapons which make decisions and Carry Out actions without without human intervention while these systems offer the potential for increased precision and deficiency in among other places armed conflicts they also PR pose grave ethical legal and humanitarian concerns this conference is a testament to our Region's commitment to addressing those concerns head on over the next two days we will engage in I hope robust Exchange and discussions we will hear from the experts in the field and we'll share insights on the human impact of autonomous Weapons Systems it is our Collective responsibility to ensure that as these Technologies develop they are used in ways which are consistent with our shared values and principles of human dignity peace security and respect for international humanitarian law at the previous conference in July which I attended separate from our Collective undertakings as Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago I undertook then to advance those discussions with the cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago and I'm very pleased today to say that having approached the cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago and apprising them of the outcome of our July conference and discussions the cabinet of the government of Trinidad of Tobago of which I am proud to be a member fully approves and supports the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of legal Affairs under my leadership adopting a leading role in advancing a the development of a collective car composition on lethal autonomous weapon systems and advancing negotiations on the subsequent development of Andor accession to an internationally binding agreement and the necessary regulations regarding laws The Honorable prime minister Dr Keith Christopher Rowley Member of Parliament has authorize me to welcome you all and to say that he fully endorses our efforts in this regard and I bring his personal greetings the fact that our minister of National Security is here with us today The Honorable Mr Fitzgerald Hines is again testimony to the commitment that the cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago has made to support encouraging and leading this discussion which has been pioneered so effectively by impacts Leal Colonel Jones we thank you and we encourage you to continue in this regard as we move forward over the next two days colleagues ladies and gentlemen I should point out that the purpose of this conference is multifaceted encompassing several critical aspects of the evolving landscape of techn technological Weaponry firstly of course there is increasing autonomy and autonomous weapon systems this is necessary as the rapid advancement of technology has given rise to machines and algorithms capable of independent decision making and execution of actions marking a paradigm shift in the nature of armed conflict secondly our conference aims to respond to the significant challenges that autonomous weapon systems pose to Global Peace security and international law as these systems become more prevalent and we see and again left Colonel Jones reminds us of the current reality which is unfolding in Ukraine Russia today we must W grapple with questions related to their potential abuse and in particular the potential for Criminal Intent misuse the risk of unintended harm to civilans and the erosion of accountability for actions taken in Conflict by convening here today and deepening our collaboration and in being robust and honest in our conversations we seek to chart a course that balances technological progress with ethical considerations adhering to International Norms ultimately to safeguard our peace and Security in our in interconnected world this Gathering seeks to incorporate Regional perspectives on autonomous weapon systems acknowledging that the impact of those Technologies varies across different parts of the world by sharing insights and experiences unique to our region we can develop more comprehensively our Caribbean border security is already challenged we must be proactive in ensuring that we harness our regional cooperation on this issue and encourage International cooperation and a claim in our shared need the need which this conference is about serving as a platform for us to collectively consider taking actions against Weapons Systems that violate International Norms violate human rights and threaten our security together we must explore mechanisms for enforcing existing regulations enhancing transparency and fostering responsible innovation in the development and deployment of these systems I am aware that we have already been robust and fruitful discussions have taken place relative to the zero draft statement which is the intended outcome following our discussions I encourage all of us here today to continue to openly share our concerns honestly and with transparency and to discuss the issues and challenges specific to this region as we move forward in these discussion discussions it is only through this process that we will refine our declaration to reflect our CARICOM values and challenges as we deliberate over the next two days we will outline the next steps for the future and of course it will be remiss of me not to express our deep gratitude to three entities in particular whose support and dedication Have Been instrumental in making this conference a reality I have already extended my heartfelt thanks and I repeat to kcom impacts and I continue to applaud the fact of them being a steadfast advocate for regional security and cooperation and their commitment to addressing the pressing issue of autonomous weapon systems additionally I would like to extend our appreciation on the part of the government of Trinidad and Tobago to stop killer Roberts and SOA gaki International who are here with us today in the of their representatives at our head table your support has allowed us to bring together experts policy makers and legal Minds from across the region and Beyond to engage in meaningful Dialogue on this very important subject I encourage everyone and I can't say that too often or with more emphasis to approach this conference with an open mind and a commitment to finding open ground we may come from different jurisdictions and legal backgrounds but our shared dedication to upholding the principles of humanity and protecting the Weare of our citizens unites us all I applaud once again the efforts of Costa Rica and remain committed to continuing to work with Costa Rica in closing I want to express my gratitude to all the participants experts and organizers who've made this conference possible together we can forge a path towards responsible and ethical governance of autonomous weapon systems safeguarding the future of humanity ladies and gentlemen thank you very much thank you Senator The Honorable Reginal Amo attorney General and minister of legal Affairs The Honorable AG bot highlighted the issue of our principles and our values what are our principles what are our values as a Caribbean people that's very important and what are our principles and values with regard to autonomous weapon system he also stated that we must move forward as a collective a collective meaning not just State actors not just Civil Society not just University not just technocrats but as a collective all of us so this means partnership and an important partner for us today at this conference isuka g gaki a word all of us have challenges PR challenges pronouncing in fact I got a few calls I won't mention names from the head table how do you pronounce it so I just say remember SOA in Trinidad and Tobago and you're good to go so it's SOA gaki but SOA gaki will also represent at the head table stop killer robot I would now like to invite Miss Haley Ramsey Jones the Geneva director of SOA gak International office for un Affairs Miss Jones you invited the podium thank you very much Kix I actually recently found out that I've been pronouncing it wrong uh this whole time it's uh soaka gak as in soccer not soccer the football match so um you're not alone I'd like to uh yes say thank you and hello and welcome uh delegates colleagues and Friends it is my pleasure and my honor to be with you all today in the region that both my parents were born on behalf of my organization soaka gaki International and stock Killer Robots campaign to which we are a member of I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our fellow partners organiz ganizations who we worked with on this the CARICOM conference 2023 the human impact of autonomous weapon systems so uh our gratitude and appreciation goes to Lieutenant colonal Jones also my namesake executive director kakom impact for his leadership and steadfast commitment to advancing this issue and to the attorney general and minister of legal Affairs Senator The Honorable Reginal Amar senior counselor for championing this effort also taking leadership and working in Partnership together with us I'd like to extend our appreciation to my fellow panelists minister of National Security Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador permanent mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations and the regional director for the Americas at the icrc we are excited by your work by your contributions to this urgent issue and we look forward to working together with you here at this conference and in the future so both organizations SGI and stop Killer Robots were deeply encouraged by the announcement in February this year that this region wanted to host a Regional Conference on this urgent issue of autonomous weapon systems the Caribbean is well known as a champion for disarmament you have shown political and moral leadership time and time again so for us a civil society this conference gives us hope that you'll be able to help shift the stagnation that we have all been witnessing in multilateral discussions on autonomous weapons the speed in which AI in weapon systems are developing along with their autonomous functions requires nothing less than urgent action and Leadership and commitment as we will hear over the next couple of days auton e omy in weapons is part of a much larger issue around Ai and the lack of Regulation there has been a forc distinction that has been encouraged between the uses of AI in civil spaces and the uses of AI in the military space it is important that we recognize a failure to address AI in a military context will have widespread repercussions for society as a whole in this conference we will hear more about that and digital dehumanization the process whereby humans are reduced to data which is then used to make decisions and or take actions that negatively affect our lives simply put digital dehumanization in all its forms deprives people of their dignity dehumanizing people to the extent that we allow machines to make Life and Deaf decisions is the most extreme form of digital dehumanization there are so many problems in the world today that are complex and intractable as a species we have been grappling with them for decades and even centuries poverty hunger social injustice climate change gun control nuclear weapons the list goes on and on let us not add autonomous weapon systems onto that list we have an opportunity now to stop the development of these weapon systems before before it becomes too late before we have an Unstoppable arms rate on our hands before we need to spend the next decades centuries trying to roll this back we have the possibility and the responsibility to act now to save numerous lives we should decide how we want to use technology knowledge and the world's resources it has been said just because we can make machines that decide whether or not to kill doesn't mean that we should we we have the opportunity to decide that now but we must make that decision and we must take political action urgently before that decision gets made for us so I'd like to end as I began and that is by thanking you for being here for all of the work that you have already done and to thank you in advance for the work that we hope that you will do and that we need you to do here and moving forward thank you thank you very much Haley the executive director when he first um welcom us he spoke to the issue of the benefits of technology in particularly the benefits of artificial intelligence and he noted in his speech that by 2030 and I I will get it right because my executive director is there I cannot say he said something that he didn't say the world could benefit from $15 trillion doar in terms of AI which is bigger than both um China economy and um India economy combined together now in haly speech she spoke to the issue of dehumanization and this could be encapsulated I think each of you has a folder on your desk and you have this beautiful um card on in on it reads technology should be used to empower all people not to reduce us to stereotypes labels or just a patterns of ones and zeros our Technologies here will definitely understand that language our next speaker will be a video presentation the icrc has provid us provided us with numerous advice regarding the issue of autonomous weapon system I would now like to welcome Sophie a regional director for Americas of the international Committee of the Red Cross Miss o you are invited your excellencies distinguished co-speaker ladies and gentlemen a warm thanks to the cadcom implementation Agency for crime and security impact the Office of the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago Soka gaki International and stock killer robots for convening this ccom conference the human impacts of autonomous weapons the international Committee of the Red Cross the icrc is most encouraged by this Gathering of Caribbean states to tackle one of the most pressing humanitarian concerns for the future of armed conflict through our work related to conflicts around the world we see that Weapons Systems with increasingly autonomous functions are being deployed many of today's remote controlled weapons armed drones in the air weaponized robots on the ground and arm boats or submarines at Sea these could become tomorrow's autonomous weapons and this could occur just with a software update or a simple change in military Doctrine over the course of its history the icrc has played a significant role in the development of many of the international humanitarian law IHL rules limiting or prohibiting the use of weapons of concern by drawing the attention of states and the public to the unacceptable effects of certain weapons on combatants and civilians the ICC has helped to create the conditions for the development of the law in this area to give but a few examples such as when it comes to nuclear chemical and biological weapons weapons blinding laser weapons as well as anti-personnel mines explosive remnants of war and cluster Munitions our work in this area related to the regulation of weapons is always driven by an effects-based approach this means that we observe the actual or in the case of new weapons not yet deployed the foreseeable effects of the use of weapons both on civilians and competant and we raise our concerns when we see particular particular weapons that raise questions of legal compliance or present other humanitarian risks and ethical challenges our assessment is that autonomous weapons have the potential to do just that the unconstrained use of autonomous weapons risks the loss of control over the use of force it threatens serious harm for civilians and those no longer fighting it would also undermine the ability of those fighting to abide by the rules and constraints of international humanitarian law we don't have to delve too deeply in our experience to realize the harm to civilians caused by weapons whose effects cannot be adequately controlled in fact this has been one of the primary humanitarian drivers for prohibitions and restrictions on certain Conventional Weapons the anti-personnel M mind band convention is a good example and that treaty has been universally ratified across CARICOM member states autonomous weapons also pose fundamental challenge to our values and to our shared Humanity ethically should we tolerate a world in which conscious decisions about human life are replaced with machine calculations are we willing to accept the deployment of weapons that fire themselves triggered by artificial intelligence software that writes itself the use of increasingly autonomous weapons weapons in armed conflicts means these questions are no longer academic they represent an urgent humanitarian priority today and states must act now to address them through the negotiation of new legally binding International rules on autonomous weapons in the icrc's view these rules should prohibit unpredictable autonomous weapons where the systems effects cannot be sufficiently understood predicted and explained equally important is a Prohibition of autonomous weapons designed or used to Target humans directly ethically speaking anti-personnel autonomous weapons are unacceptable they simultaneously undermined the human agency of those using force and the human dignity of those it is used against from a legal perspective in our view it is difficult to envisage realistic combat situations where the use of autonomous weapons against persons wouldn't pose a significant risk of violations of international humanitarian law these two prohibitions will need to be accompanied by strict constraints on the design and use of other autonomous weapons for example only using them against clearly defined military objects such as missiles tanks or military aircraft in situations where civilians are not present with constraints on Geographic iCal scope duration and scale of use while ensuring effective human supervision timely intervention and deactivation so what is needed now is principled political leadership to effectively address these concerns at the international level and craft an effective International response and here I believe the Caribbean states have a very important role to play as the icc's regional directors for the Americas I've followed very close the many developments in the America's region this year from the belain commun to the ois general assembly resolution from the Seco communic to the parisan resolution all these efforts demonstrate commitment and Leadership from countries in the region to address the humanitarian legal and ethical concerns posed by autonomous weapons I wish you all the best for this very important conference for your discussions and decisions and I urge you to agree a strong Reg declaration by Caribbean states to negotiate and adopt a new legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons and in line with its recognized expertise and humanitarian mandate the icrc stands ready to support you as a partner in all efforts to this end thank you once again to the organizers of the conference to the CARICOM States and in particular to our hosts the government of Trinidad and Tobago thank you director or and thank you for stressing the urgency for action with regard to autonomous weapon system and thank you for noting The crucial element of leadership which as we not notice on the table especially from Trinidad and Tobago we have the honorable Ag and we also have the honorable minister of National Security here and with that I would now like to invite to the podium The Honorable Fizz Gerald Hines MP minister of national security for Trinidad and Tobago thank you very much Mr Joseph for your kind introduction in Your Capacity as Master of Ceremonies here this morning Senator The Honorable Reginal Amore of senior Council the attorney general and minister of legal Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Senator The Honorable Nigel de frus president of the Senate of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago permanent secretaries of Trinidad and Tobago and the region present here this morning I recognize all of you Regional representatives from across CARICOM gathered here today on this important exercise leftenant Colonel Michael Jones executive director of CARICOM impacts M isumu nakamitsu under Secretary General and high representative for disarmament Affairs at the United Nations Her Excellency Maritza Chan valde Ambassador the permanent mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations m m Mirana SP jarck president of the international Committee of the Red Cross Sophie o Regional director for the Americas of that icr Haley Ramsey Jones director of SOA gai International office for un Affairs all high Commissioners present and I recognize quite easily the UK Canada Spain Australia the European Union France Japan and I know there are more of you and you're particularly welcome welcome to hear what we have to say as we try to broaden our position and cause it to be known around the globe as a region judges and representatives of the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago air Vice Marshal darl Daniel chief of Defense staff of the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force and other Personnel of the Defense Force in particular the two members who rendered our national anthem earlier this morning to get us going Madame era Christopher herwood Commissioner of police of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and all other members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service present here Professor Clyde Clive Landis Pro Vice Chancellor and principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West indes Dr Joy sjon executive director of Caribbean Public Health ageny agency known to us more intimately as kafa Commodore Arington Ricardo shilland executive director of our regional security system members of the media very distinguished ladies and gentlemen like The Honorable Attorney General on behalf of the government of Trinidad and Tobago it is with more than usual pleasure that I welcome you all and particularly our representatives from across kcom a special welcome to all of you as our International partners and friends who are here this morning at this meeting this Gathering to take positions on this business of autonomous weapon systems history has taught us that most advancements in modern technology have emerged in the sphere of security sometimes purportedly so one of the latest progressions in this regard is all that we have been hearing about this morning regarding these aut automous autonomous sorry weapon systems undoubtedly this has the potential to be one of the greatest modern day challenges which we the government of Trinidad and Tobago like States everywhere would have to contend I heard leftenant Colonel Jones say that these weapons are dangerous when they are diverted when there's diversion diversion meaning when they get from lawful hands responsible hands to supposedly irresponsible hands and use the criminally I consider that these weapons are inherently dangerous as we would have heard earlier they are already deployed already in use when I first heard about this a few years ago and so it's impact in a conflict Zone I took note but it has grown in its impact on me as I understand it as we all do even better and is now better able to assess the inherent danger of this weapon system and weapon systems of that ilk now of course it is clearer to us as you would have heard this morning and as you all contemplate it threatens all of us in very serious ways not for the first time we have encountered this and there are a couple examples that easily come to mind the system of slavery was constructed many centuries ago it was a system of production it was constructed for its purpose it had devastating impact on human beings particularly its victims coming out of the continent of Africa and it still Bears its effects to this very day there are many many many scars that slavery though abolished in Trinidad and Tobago in 1838 has left behind then within more recent times as has been alluded to by a previous speaker from this platform the business of nuclear technology and the foolish arms race and that is my opinion that followed it and the way it sucked other countries into its very adverse path and today though the nations of the world seem to have settled down around around it it still looms large in the psyche of those of us who understand that it is inherently dangerous though of course we use that particular technology for good reason as well I am more than pleased that sooka gaki an international organization standing on the high principle of peace is represented here today speaking for all of us speaking for the CARICOM region which as its representative indicated earlier is and is well known as a zone of Peace this region and as has been identified by Madame Haley Jones the carom small and beautiful as we are and continue to be we are proud that this region is a zone of peace and we have had with our little selves to stand up in the world at various fora and assert our aspiration for peace up to quite recently very recently we had to act accordingly not for the first time we understand that despite the novelty and inherent adaptable nature of these systems weapon systems the convention on certain Conventional Weapons is recognized by governmental authorities I and other concerned parties as the treaty which is most appropriately and which most appropriately addresses its consequences even with its five protocols that restrict weapons with nondetectable fragments landmines booby traps incendiary weapons and laser weapons respectively the convention establishes a relatively broad encompassing base and theoretically restricts and prohibits the use of particular types of weapons that are deemed to cause unnecessary suffering to combatants or dis indiscriminate ham to civilians I might just tell you in passing that as we grapple with our domestic crime issues in Trinidad and Tobago we are finding very regularly on crime scenes 7.62 ammunition the shells that is a type of ammunition which the United Nations have spoken to within recent years and have been banned for use particularly in civilian environments and even in Conflict war and just to make the point that once these items these thoughts are born and become real they do not easily go away we are having issues with 7.62 ammunition which even our military in keeping with International best practice no longer makes use of this convention establishes a group of governmental experts to assess the dangers posed by fully autonomous weapons and to consider possible control mechanisms very interesting man we create it create the robots create these systems and then take all kinds of actions including our gathering here today to push them back I welcome this Gathering and on behalf of the government and the people of Trinidad and Tobago like the attorney General speaking on our behalf assure you our International Friends partners and all of our brothers and sisters of the region and the world that we Trinidad and Tobago stand ready to continue to play our part in creating for all of us in this world safer spaces broadening the zones of Peace So that we would remain unperturbed and untroubled by the creation the deployment and the adverse consequences of weapons and systems of the nature that we are gathered here today to discuss good luck and I thank you very warmly thank you honorable FIS Gerald Hines minister of national security of Trinidad and Tobago and the minister spoke to why we are here one of the reasons we are here is to create safe communities as the minister stated safer spaces so whilst we deal with the complexity of autonomous weapon system the reality is is peace saf as spaces Where Your Children my my kids um my executive director GR child could run and play that's one of the main reason why we are here today now with us today we have one of the leading diplomats at the United Nation and not just the leading Diplomat of the United Nation we often refer to you Ambassador as the mere mly of diplomacy in the Caribbean so without further Ado i' would like to introduce for our keynote address Her Excellency marit Zan valvet who is the ambassador on permanent mission of Costa Rica to the United Nation Ambassador you are invited I wish to honor that that compliment good morning everyone and deeply honored and very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this crucial event the carom conference on the humanitarian impact of autonomous weapons I stad my warm greetings to the executive director of Caron impacts to the attorney general and minister of legal Affairs to the Geneva director of sooka gaka international office un Affairs to the regional director for the Americas from the international Committee of the Red Cross who addressed us here virtually and to the minister of National Security of in Tobago and to all the delegations from kicon who are here today and participants who travel from many corners of the world to attend this conference it feels really good to be back in for in Spain just a few months ago in late Fe in February the countries of Latin America and the cariban Gather in Costa Rica and adopted the bang commun which recognizes the social ethical security legal and humanitarian impact posed by autonomous weapon systems the Valen commun reflects our share understanding that allowing uncheck arms race fuel but the transformative power of technology is fra with danger recent events like the war in Ukraine underscore the urgency of addressing this issue for our countries it is evident that the traditional rules of warfare are changing and autonomous Weapons Systems have fundamentally altered the Dynamics of warfare the first regional meeting that my country hosted early this year mark the first step in our journey one that is critically important for our region and the world as a whole Costa Rica thus commends the unwavering support and active participation of member states and caran impacts and the caran region in this endeavor it is not worthy that kicon countries despite having only four state parties to the convention on certain Conventional Weapons known as CCW has shown a profound interest in these vital issues this demonstrates not only a regional commitment but also its Global significance as developing countries with many national realities our Region's perspective is highly valuable in the outgoing Global debate surrounding autonomous weapons systems lethal autonomous weapons can select engage targets without human intervention and they POS serious humanitarian legal and ethical concerns we have already heard that what we not have heard is that such Technologies may have a detrimental implications for the maintenance of International Peace and security and for the protection of civilians and civilian infr infrastructure unlike other Weapons of Mass destructions which were historically the domain of States willing to invest heavily in Military and scientific infrastructure these systems eliminate the prohibitive cost of War and the need for conflict structures and large Investments consequently they have the potential to circulate freely unrestricted and to press more countries into a continuous arms race leading to Greater International instability and rendering the goal of International Peace and security and sustainable and all those resources are the resources that we need to achieve the sdgs to go back climate change and to address the many crisis that we are facing today however the impact of autonomous weapons is not confined to distant lands it threatens our own very citizens an unregulated market for these systems exposes our communities to new threats where nonstate actors including criminal organizations could easily gain access to these weapons creating a new dimension of danger beyond the bond iies of traditional armed country conflict this Sovereign reality underscores the urgency of our debate which is of Paramount relevance to all states big and small especially for the smaller ones in our region our quests to the regulation of autonomous weapons have have involve many stakeholders including Civil Society organizations Academia and no governmental organization their involvement is not just important it's fundamental and I thank you for always asking us for higher levels of ambition and for raising the bar for member states your voices represent the core of our efforts and working collaboratively with you has been invaluable I thank you for that I work with various uh institutions has created opportunities to enhance knowledge and awareness of the implications and impact of autonomous Weapons Systems Costa Rica has shared some of its experiences at the national level supported by these indispensable Partners as a result we have been able to promote National and Regional initiatives at the national level Costa Rica has led the creation and implementation of a national group of experts working alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen our national position and launch our national campaign technology at the service of Peace we have also taken this issue to our Congress fostering parliamentary engagement to establish a national legal framework we firmly believe that every effort at the national level is a step toward a better understanding of this issue at the regional level in line with this Vision a universal regulation of autonomous weapon systems is crucial such regulation would create a common Baseline for prohibiting weapons that violate international law especially International humanitarian law furthermore I wish to emphasize a sign significance in humanitarian disarmament in the new agenda for peace we cannot speak of a new agenda for peace without including humanitarian disarmament as a fundamental pillar given the intricate nature of autonomous weapon systems Provisions alone are insufficient regulations are needed to ensure the retention of significant control of over the entire cycle of these systems this complementarity between provisions and regulation is regulations is Central to our approach additionally we must recognize that autonomous weapons impact extends beyond the context of armed conflict and thus we must remain Vigilant these weapon Technologies are being developed without scrunity or regulation and th without a framework of governance for this reason we must address such concerns now and not in the long run because addressing these threats promly is not only essential it is existential and waiting after implies that is already too late to prevent the D damage and the consequences the far-reaching consequences Beyond conflict zones makes urgent that our regulatory framework must Encompass not only International humanitarian law but also human rights approach elements from the international criminal law and above all the profound respect for human dignity a region la America and the Caribbean has been at the Forefront of our Global efforts to address the challenges posed by autonomous weapon systems we have demonstrated our commitment to International Peace and security when we negotiated together the amre treaty and I was the lead negotiator for Costa Rica with when that happened and without you we couldn't have reached a treaty as strong as the one we had nonetheless the growing unregulated development production sale transfer and use of autonomous weapon system tast a shadow over our achievements the potential impact of these systems is potentially greater and we must act decisively the time my friends is now when must respond the call to protect the well-being of our citizens and Safeguard peace and security the Americas and the Caribbean Costa Rica is committed to continue its join work with K its member states the United Nations Civil Society Academia the rcsc soakai the stop killer robber campaign and and our a I think and and branch in Costa Rica Funda pen who's here today um as a hold to advance or share goals of a legally binding instrument that encompasses provisions and regulations grounded in international humanitarian law human rights and all these all these Frameworks that will protect human dignity in this spirit I salute your efforts to actively engage in these discussions together we can shape a safer and more secure future for our region and the world together we're stronger your commitment and engagement is crucial and I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity you're giving Costa Rica to share its Journey with you and let me finish reading a quot that inspire me every day and I hope it will inspire you too never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world in fact it is the only thing that had ever has I thank you thank you Ambassador and just to reflect on some of the thoughts of the Ambassador one of the critical element she spoke about is that of associative diplomacy whereby we as a region we must extend our hands to other regions in terms of having that greater weight internationally and in many treaty negotiations which Caribbean States or CARICOM have played an important part one of the key reason why they have have been successful is through associative diplomacy in particularly partnering with Costa Rica and other likeminded Latin American countries so I thank you for that I also thank you Ambassador for noting the issue of international human rights law and elements of international criminal law not just International humanitarian law which is mostly spoken to in terms of this issue so thank you for highlighting that ladies and gentlemen I hope you have been tweeting okay sorry X is it Xing um I know you have to do your tweets or your ex so please tweet an xarom AWS okay so Dr St John are you doing are you Tweeting thank you Dr St John Dr St John I just want to recognize Dr St John she is the executive director of kafa and she played a a tremendous role in particularly during coid 19 and is actually playing an important role now so now ladies and gentlemen before we conclude I would like to invite the head table to stand in front of the screen okay so we're going to have a photo of the head table um so we'll have some photos of the head table so I'd now like to invite you to stand in front of the screen you go now exct yeah no where there we have many coordinators that's why um it's not happening um right right now so you know or they say too many cooks in the um there so all right in the meantime please um as stated earlier hash carom impact all also um this conference is being broadcast Live on YouTube um also so thank you for this um ladies and gentlemen um excellencies distinguished delegates I'd like to thank you for this meeting this today in in terms of our opening ceremony all ambassadors present um High Commissioner thank you for your presence um we'll now conclude the opening ceremony so thank you we will [Music] resume this meeting let me check my clock it's 10:25 in 10 more minutes because we are behind time time 10:35 is that okay for everyone okay so so we'll resume it at 10:35 so thank you each and every one of you and have those there are Refreshments at the back so please um you could get your refreshment and you could take your refreshment back to your table because we are a few minutes behind time and we need to make up the time so thank you everyone um I have the unenviable task of getting us back on track um and this morning session um before the lunch break is due to end at U let's see now yes 12:45 so I'm going to do my best to ensure that your lunch is not late but of course you need to work with me okay um so coming up we've got a video animation on autonomous weapon system followed by panel discussions one of which will be online and then we're going to check for um question and answers um so as soon as persons are settled down we can begin and cue the video thank you very much for your cooperation and now at this time we would have a short video animation on what are autonomous Weapons Systems autonomous weapons explained International discussions on autonomy in Weapons Systems are underway but as technology rapidly develops legal safeguards are not in place developments are happening on land at Sea and in the air despite the diversity and complexity of systems it is the functionality of the weapon rather than form that poses the threat using sensors and calculations it is a machine that determines where and when an attack should occur a machine does not perceive the world as people do it relies only on reductionist data in a simple form we have seen this in the landmine where if the sensor detects a certain pressure it detonates with no concept or care for what or who triggers an explosion new more complex weapons might use multiple sensors analyzing heat shape and motion to determine if something is a target but but they cannot understand or evaluate the whole picture in human terms and they cannot take legal or moral responsibility for their actions machines are tools for achieving human goals and people must be held responsible for their use international discussions on autonomous weapons need to address two key problems how do we maintain human control and can we accept machines deciding to kill people human control requires a user to adequately understand how a system will function in the context where it will be used this means understanding the system itself how it works and setting boundaries as to where and when it will operate understanding how the system functions what will trigger the system to apply Force might it attack an ambulance when it was supposed to attack a tank could it attack a fishing boat instead of a frigate although AI can calculate solutions to complex problems it can make it harder for the user to understand how the system works for example if machine Learning Systems can change their own param
2023-09-19