Digital Rights Alliance Protecting Human Rights from Military Technologies, 30 November 2023 1 Introduction 1. This submission has been jointly prepared by the national human rights institution (NHRI) staff members responsible for technology and digital rights within the NHRI Digital Rights Alliance (Alliance). 2. Established in March 2022, the Alliance is a global network of NHRIs from 24 countries,1 which aim to consolidate the role of NHRIs in the digital age to better protect and promote digital rights and freedoms. 3. The Alliance is committed to addressing the challenges of digitalisation on human rights.2 4. The Alliance welcomes the opportunity to make this submission to the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee (Committee) in response to its Call for Input and to contribute to the discussion of new and emerging technologies in the military domain (NTMD) from a broader international human rights and international law perspective. 5. This submission was principally prepared by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), with input and consultation from all other members. 1.1 Summary 6. This submission focuses on lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS). The Alliance calls for a full ban of LAWS where the technology is incompatible with international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international law, because LAWS: • may be used in civilian contexts (outside of conflict zones) such as policing and border control • create a responsibility gap that would deprive the victims of mass human rights violations any remedy and reparation. 2 Definitions 2.1 LAWS 1. LAWS can be understood as weapons that independently select and attack targets.3 LAWS include unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, unmanned underwater vessels and unmanned ground vehicles (amongst others).4 3