By The South Asia Times

NEW YORK - Pakistan has called for an inclusive international regulatory framework under the United Nations to address the security risks posed by emerging technologies, artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons in the maritime domain.

Speaking at a high-level UN Security Council debate on emerging technologies and maritime security, Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, warned that advances in artificial intelligence, drone systems and digital navigation were creating new vulnerabilities for commercial shipping and critical maritime infrastructure.

Jadoon said the maritime domain had become an increasingly important arena of geopolitical competition, with technological advances and changing patterns of conflict at sea carrying significant implications for international peace, global trade and economic development.

He told the council on Thursday that technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain and unmanned autonomous vehicles were transforming the maritime industry but also increasing the risks of miscalculation and attacks.

The growing availability of relatively inexpensive technologies, particularly loitering munitions and drone swarms, had expanded the ability of hostile actors to threaten merchant vessels, maritime traffic and critical infrastructure, he said.

Jadoon also warned that the digitalisation of navigation systems, port operations and remote offshore installations had made maritime facilities increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks.

- Pakistan calls for UN-led regulatory framework

The Pakistani envoy said emerging technologies should be used to strengthen maritime security while measures were developed to prevent their misuse.

He called for an affordable and responsible approach to the use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, backed by an inclusive regulatory framework developed under UN auspices.

Such a framework, he said, should be accompanied by capacity-building programmes to help developing countries, particularly those in the Global South, address new maritime security challenges.

Jadoon also stressed the importance of preserving the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), describing it as the cornerstone of the international maritime order.

He said the legal framework established by UNCLOS and the broader body of international law governing the seas should be protected and universally promoted.

He further emphasised that emerging technologies should be made available for humanitarian purposes, including providing assistance to seafarers threatened by piracy and other maritime dangers.

- Pakistan condemns attacks in key maritime routes

Referring to security challenges in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Jadoon said disruptions to maritime traffic and attacks on commercial vessels had demonstrated how quickly instability in strategic waterways could threaten energy supplies, food security and economic stability.

He reiterated Pakistan’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries affected by instability around these important maritime chokepoints.

Jadoon specifically condemned attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement on merchant shipping and seafarers navigating the Bab al-Mandab Strait, saying such actions threatened maritime security and the peace and development of countries in the region.

He expressed particular solidarity with Saudi Arabia, which he said had faced Houthi aggression, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

- Indian Ocean security

Highlighting Pakistan’s position as an Indian Ocean littoral state with substantial dependence on maritime trade, Jadoon said the safety and security of international shipping remained a key national priority.

“Global shipping should not become a casualty of conflict and strife,” he said, adding that maritime routes should remain drivers of international trade and economic growth.

He said Pakistan would continue working with the United Nations and other countries to promote peaceful cooperation at sea and prevent oceans from becoming arenas of military confrontation and competition.

The Security Council debate, organised by Greece on October 29, focused on the implications of emerging technologies for maritime security and international peace.

Pakistan’s intervention comes amid growing international concern over the security of major shipping routes, the vulnerability of maritime infrastructure to cyberattacks and the potential use of autonomous systems and drones in conflicts at sea.