Peace Requires Rules: Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger Calls for Binding Rules on Autonomous Weapons Systems at UN General Assembly

Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger at the 81st United Nations General Assemby in New York. Photo: BMEIA/Gruber

In her address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24, 2026, Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger issued a strong warning about the looming loss of human control over new AI-enabled weapons systems and reaffirmed Austria’s commitment to a rules-based international order and the protection of civilians in armed conflicts. Her central message was clear: machines must never be allowed to decide autonomously over life and death.

“Every rule and every reform we advocate ultimately serves one goal: peace. One of the most urgent dangers of our time is the loss of human control over weapons. This is why these systems require clear, legally binding international rules. As a reliable partner on the Security Council, Austria will ensure that responsibility remains where it belongs – with us humans, not with the loudest voice in the room or the fastest algorithm,” the Foreign Minister said, referring to Austria’s forthcoming membership of the Security Council for the 2027–2028 term.

During her participation in the UN General Assembly from September 21 to 25, Meinl-Reisinger also met with Secretary-General António Guterres and invited the incoming non-permanent members Portugal, Kyrgyzstan, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe to a coordination meeting. She also held talks with the current elected members of the Security Council.

The situation in the Middle East was a key topic in the Foreign Minister’s bilateral talks with her counterparts from Iran, Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with the Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council. With regard to the crises affecting Africa, Meinl-Reisinger met with the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Foreign Minister of Sudan, to whom she reaffirmed Austria’s clear support for a ceasefire in the civil war that has been ongoing since 2023.

Meinl-Reisinger also attended a Security Council briefing on the situation in Ukraine and discussions on global food and supply security. Together with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, she also called for an internationally legally binding framework to regulate autonomous weapons systems.

“Whether in the conflict involving Iran, in Sudan or around the Black Sea – there can be no military solution to any of these conflicts. Austria stands for de-escalation rather than escalation, for the strength of the law rather than the law of the strongest. With our seat on the Security Council from 2027, we will work with all our strength to promote dialogue, multilateralism and a rules-based international order,” the Foreign Minister said.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, Meinl-Reisinger also signed a migration agreement with Uganda aimed at facilitating returns while at the same time creating legal pathways to access the labor market.

Photo: BMEIA/Gruber