Resolution adopted by the General Assembly  on 22 December 2023          [on the report of the First Committee (A/78/409, para. 89)]       78/241. Lethal autonomous weapons systems        The General Assembly,    Affirming that international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations,  international humanitarian law and international human rights law, applies to  autonomous weapons systems,    Recognizing the rapid development of new and emerging technologies, and  recognizing further that they hold great promise for the advancement of human  welfare and could, inter alia, help to better protect civilians in conflict in certain  circumstances,    Mindful of the serious challenges and concerns that new technological  applications in the military domain, including those related to artificial intelligence  and autonomy in weapons systems, also raise from humanitarian, legal, security,  technological and ethical perspectives,    Concerned about the possible negative consequences and impact of autonomous  weapon systems on global security and regional and international stability, including  the risk of an emerging arms race, lowering the threshold for conflict and  proliferation, including to non-State actors,     Welcoming the interest and sustained efforts on these issues, in particular  through the ongoing and valuable work of the Group of Governmental Experts on  Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems,  established under the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of  Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious  or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, 1  and in this regard underlining the significant  progress made in these discussions as well as the various proposals presented,   __________________    1  United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1342, No. 22495.   A/RES/78/241  Lethal autonomous weapons systems   23-26252 2/2      Noting the adoption by consensus of Human Rights Council resolution 51/22 of  7 October 2022 on human rights implications of new and emerging technologies in  the military domain,2     Acknowledging the important contribution of international and regional  conferences and initiatives such as the summit hosted by the Kingdom of the  Netherlands and co-organized by the Republic of Korea on 15 and 16 February 2023,  the regional conference hosted by Costa Rica on 23 and 24 February 2023, the  conference hosted by Luxembourg on 25 and 26 April 2023, as well as the regional  conference hosted by Trinidad and Tobago on 5 and 6 September 2023,    Recognizing the valuable contributions made by United Nations entities and  international and regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red  Cross, civil society organizations, academia, industry and other stakeholders in  enriching international discussions on autonomous weapons systems, encompassing  legal, ethical, human rights, societal and technological dimensions,     Recognizing the efforts of the Secretary-General within the new agenda for  peace initiative to address the issue of autonomous weapons systems,    1.  Stresses the urgent need for the international community to address the  challenges and concerns raised by autonomous weapons systems, in particular  through the Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area  of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, and to continue to further its understanding  of the issues involved;    2.  Requests the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States and  observer States on lethal autonomous weapons systems, inter alia, on ways to address  the related challenges and concerns they raise from humanitarian, legal, security,  technological and ethical perspectives and on the role of humans in the use of force,  and to submit a substantive report reflecting the full range of views received with an  annex containing these views, to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session  for further discussion by Member States;     3.  Also requests the Secretary-General to invite the views of international and  regional organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, civil society,  the scientific community and industry to include these views in the original language  received in the annex of the aforementioned report;    4.  Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-ninth session  the item entitled “Lethal autonomous weapons systems”.    50th (resumed) plenary meeting  22 December 2023    __________________    2  See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53A  (A/77/53/Add.1), chap. III, sect. A.