Key facts
- 128 states party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons agreed on a non-binding document.
- The agreement could pave the way for international rules on autonomous weapons.
- Opposition from the US and Russia has cast doubt on the outcome.
- The US and Russia favor national guidelines over legally binding international rules.
- A rights group criticized the text for watering down definitions and civilian harm measures.
States party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) have reached an agreement on a document that could lead to international rules on autonomous weapons, following over a decade of discussions. The non-binding text, agreed upon overnight in Geneva, marks a significant step, but opposition from the United States and Russia has cast doubt on its ultimate impact.