Delegation from Taiwan
Position Paper for the First General Assembly

The issues before the GA1 are: 1) Addressing the Use of Lethal Autonomous Weapons and 2) Biological Weapon Nonproliferation. Taiwan recognizes the significance and relevance of these two topics and intends to cooperate with the Member States of the United Nations to implement change for the better.

I. Addressing the Use and Development of Legal Autonomous Weapons Systems

Since the late 1950s, governments and organizations have been continuously developing and implementing AI into aspects of economy and lifestyle. Most concerning to Taiwan is the recent surge in military implementation. In 2016, the United States invested more than $7 billion in artificial intelligence and supercomputing; China currently invests a yearly sum of $5 billion into autonomous weapons; and in 2017, President Vladimir Putin of Russia stated: "Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia but for all humankind... Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.” This firmly supports the dilemma facing Member States today: AI's rapid development suggests an inevitable military application, raising critical questions about its consequences.

The discussion of legal autonomous weapons (LAWs) was formally introduced at the 2013 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, leading to the 2017 decision to permit UNIDIR to study the impact of AI on international security. However, the committee primarily focuses on AI for sustainable development and disease control. Taiwan asserts that UNIDIR must allocate more time and resources to researching military AI and LAWs. Taiwan acknowledges AI’s value for non-warfare applications but emphasizes that this should not overshadow the urgent need for regulations regarding military AI.

Taiwan, as a non-nuclearized state surrounded by dominant nuclear forces, values the security offered by asymmetrical defense strategies. Military AI allows smaller states to build formidable defenses against more militarized nations. Taiwan has invested in national AI-powered weapons research, including the 2017 INDSR initiative for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Given these national interests, Taiwan opposes legislation that would limit or ban LAWs but instead proposes an international surveillance body to monitor legal autonomous weapons systems.

If left unchecked, the rapid development of LAWs could lead to a quasi-apocalyptic warfare scenario, which no state should desire. Taiwan affirms that while each Member State has the right to develop AI for national defense, unchecked proliferation must be prevented. To this end, Taiwan proposes a UNIDIR-led international monitoring group responsible for tracking LAW developments, conducting annual analyses, and promoting international accountability. This group would be funded by reallocating 35-40% of UNIDIR’s AI research budget to LAW surveillance. Non-compliant Member States should face sanctions and public disapproval to ensure global accountability and prevent the dominance of military AI by a handful of powerful nations. Taiwan’s foremost goal is to allow smaller and developing Member States to remain competitive in military technology and avoid disproportionate AI militarization among global superpowers.

II. Biological Weapon Nonproliferation

Biological warfare has existed since the 11th century, from Mongols catapulting plague-ridden bodies over city walls to Imperial Japan’s biological attacks in China and the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. These examples underscore the ease of biological weapon use and its devastating effects, making global regulation essential.

The 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was a landmark treaty prohibiting the production, acquisition, and stockpiling of biological weapons. However, the treaty lacks enforcement mechanisms, rendering it ineffective in preventing secret bioweapon programs. The 1979 Soviet Biopreparat program revealed that the USSR had secretly weaponized new biological agents, demonstrating the BWC’s shortcomings.

Taiwan has consistently opposed biological weapons development and promotes biomedical research for disease prevention and non-military applications. Taiwan strongly supports biological weapon nonproliferation and urges stronger enforcement mechanisms. To this end, Taiwan proposes the establishment of a UN-led annual surveillance initiative to monitor bioweapon activities in all Member States.

This initiative would include physical inspections of military labs and oral examinations with government representatives, ensuring transparency in military research. The UNODA would reallocate funds from research into bioweapons to instead finance nonproliferation enforcement measures. Member States refusing to participate in annual surveillance or found in violation of nonproliferation agreements should face sanctions and forced destruction of bioweapon stockpiles.

To ensure global security, Taiwan believes in proactive enforcement against biological warfare. Without strict regulation, bioweapons could become the “poor man’s nuclear bomb,” leading to mass casualties and destabilization. Taiwan stands with the global community in ensuring that biological destruction is no longer a tool of war and urges immediate, enforceable action.