Statement by India under Agenda Item 5: Interactive Dialogue with the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee at the 60th Session of Human Rights Council (8 September-8 October 2025), delivered by Mr. Mohammed Hussain K.S., Counsellor & Legal Adviser, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 25 September 2025
Mr. President,
1. We thank the Advisory Committee for its valuable work. Since its inception as the Council’s expert body, the Committee has provided research-based advice to the Council and enabled it to consider innovative views and perspectives about important human rights issues, including emerging topical themes.
Mr. President,
2. We take note of the report on Human rights implications of new and emerging technologies in the military domain.
3. We have expressed our concerns on this topic during the previous sessions of the Advisory Committee. We believe that the scope of this topic and key aspects, including human control, require careful deliberation in the appropriate forum—namely, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). While we acknowledge the importance of addressing the humanitarian impact of these technologies, it is international humanitarian law—not human rights law—that governs their use in the military domain. International humanitarian law strikes a critical balance between humanitarian imperatives and military necessity, making specialized fora like the CCW better suited to address these issues comprehensively. This subject is already being discussed within the CCW framework through the Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems. While legitimate concerns about regulation exist, this issue is being addressed through multiple processes involving diverse stakeholders in both civilian and military domains across plurilateral and multilateral fora.
Mr. President,
4. India would like to once again express its sincere thanks and appreciation to the esteemed members of the Advisory Committee for their continued dedication. We reiterate our support to the Committee, and look forward to our continued engagement and collaboration with its esteemed members.
Thank you.
