Presentation by Global Youth Security Council Co-Chair Ms Kolfinna Tomasdottir
Your excellencies.
These couple of days we have been hearing urgent calls to strengthen the chances of our survival. But I want to ask a deeper question, a question that often goes unasked: What does peace really mean in a world that is already on fire – militarily, morally, environmentally and politically?
Strategy X, as you will be hearing more about in this session, aims for a world in which everyone can thrive. It is a vision of global peace, based on justice, equity and shared values. But as a young leader, I cannot help but notice the bleak reality that peace and justice today still depend far too much on where you are born, and on who holds the power.
The international system we have in place is in my opinion one of humanity’s most profound achievements – a framework for cooperation, dialogue, and shared progress. It is the reason that I chose to dedicate my studies and career to advancing global cooperation and governance, driven by the belief that well-structured institutions can strengthen connections across borders, mitigate conflict and foster. Yet, as the world evolves, so too must the system that govern it.
The international system in which we live, the system that claims to uphold peace and prosperity, is today riddled with double standards.
The International Criminal Court was established as a court of last resort for the prosecution of the most serious international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In practice, it has faced criticism for selectivity and a lack of real universal jurisdiction. While the majority of the Court’s investigations have taken place in the Global South, we see major powers, including some that have never ratified the Court’s statute, regularly deflect accountability, even while pointing fingers at others. The problem here is not that justice is being pursued in certain regions, but that it is not being pursued equally. Even when it is, we see leaders evade the responsibility, as just last month, an EU country withdrew from the court in order to welcome an accused war criminal onto its territory.
This criticism is not just for the ICC, but for the broader international system. The system that we were told was built to uphold peace after war is struggling to live up to that promise. For instance, we see how the UN Security Council is often paralyzed by power politics, unable to act when the interests of their permanent member states are at stake, just recently regarding the situations in Gaza and Ukraine.
We are living in a time when war crimes are live-streamed via social media, while justice is delayed or even denied. Whereas some victims are visible, others are not. Much of this is based on geopolitics. In this world, the rhetoric of peace too often seems to mask the reality of impunity.
Us young people today are not naive about these dynamics. Rather, we are unwilling to accept them as inevitable. While our institutions are loosing the trust of the public to deliver justice, new technologies are not just quietly preparing the next ones - they are already here.
AI is being integrated into weapons systems, into surveillance, and as it seems, into nuclear decision making.
Let thank sink in.
AI, trained on imperfect data, and vulnerable to manipulation, not to mention fundamentally unaccountable, will be entangled in decisions that could end civilization.
This is happening now, this is not an unclear threat in the distant future. The UK has just introduced StormShroud drones that use AI to protect fighter jets by jamming enemy air defences. The US has the Anduril for autonomous drone systems which uses Lettuce, an AI powered system, and China already has military robotic dogs while further investing in AI driven weapons.
Despite this, there is not yet a binding international treaty that governs AI in warfare. No global oversight. No legal clarity. No system of accountability if something goes wrong. The existential risks of our time is that nuclear conflict, autonomous weapons, and bioengineered threats, can be accelerated by a technology world leaders do not yet seem to be able to fully understand, let alone regulate.
The Plan for Peace we are discussing in this session defines the urgent need for ethical leadership and global cooperation. That is indeed vital for our survival, and we cannot talk about peace without confronting the growing legal vacuum around the aforementioned threats.
As young leaders, we are not just asking for seats at the table. We are redefining what the table looks like. We are calling for:
- A new global architecture to govern AI in military systems: Current frameworks such as the UN Security Council along with law in warfare are ill-suited to handle the complexities of AI-enabled weaponry, which can operate at speeds and scales that outpace human decision-making. We need a new architecture – a treaty and regulatory body dedicated to setting universal standards for the deployment of AI in military contexts, ensuring that these technologies adhere to principles of proportionality, distinction and accountability.
- Binding norms to prevent autonomous warfare: Autonomous weapons systems, including drones and lethal autonomous robots, threaten to redefine warfare by removing human control from critical decision making-processes. The international community must establish binding norms that prevent the deployment of AI driven weaponry without human oversight.
- Stronger accountability mechanisms that apply equally across the world, regardless of a nation’s size, location or power: Too often, international law is disregarded with impunity, undermining the very system designed to maintain global order. This double standard not only erodes trust but can also incentivize violations when enforcement seems to be selective. We are calling for robust, enforceable mechanisms that hold all actors to the same legal standards, including independent investigative bodies and transparent, binding reporting systems for AI-driven military actions.
True peace is not achieved through declarations but through implementing rules that protect the vulnerable, promote justice, and evolve with our changing reality. The Plan for Peace calls on global leaders to move beyond power politics and embrace inclusive multilateralism, transforming peace from a distant ideal into a daily practice grounded in law, equity, and accountability. It sees young people not as passive beneficiaries but as essential actors in shaping a world where AI, pandemics, and rising authoritarianism demand a redefined vision of peace – one we must imagine and implement with your experience and our vision, together.
Thank you.