Advancing international and regional security through law.

Get to know us

About us

The Asia-Pacific Institute for Law and Security seeks to advance national and international law as a means for achieving sustainable regional and international security, including human security. It also seeks to advance and promote the responsible development and use of technology for military and security purposes. APILS strives, across all its activities, to strengthen adherence to international law and to increase respect for the values inherent in the international legal order.

Based in Australia, we are a specialist, independent not-for-profit organisation, with a team of focused, internationally recognised experts with an in-depth understanding of legal issues related to conflict, peace and security. Much of our work focuses on the law of armed conflict, arms control law, and the governance of emerging and disruptive military technologies. We combine academic rigour with practical insight to help States and other stakeholders understand how contemporary security challenges can be addressed through policy and law.

Get in touch

Our work

Law and the Future of War Podcast

Through conversation with experts in technology, law and military affairs, our podcast explores how new military technology and international law interact.

Listen

Good Practices in the Legal Review of Weapons

We have drafted a set of good practices on carrying out legal reviews of weapons, especially autonomous weapon systems. We are developing these practices to better support States designing or refining their legal review processes with autonomy in mind.

More details

Information Portal on the Legal Review of Weapons

We are developing an online portal on the legal review of new weapons, means and methods of warfare. The portal seeks to provide transparency of national policies and strategies, and share information of existing practice and lessons learned with a focus on new and emerging technologies.

Interim resource

Training

We offer training on the conduct of legal reviews of new weapons, means and methods of warfare for legal advisors and policymakers.

Learn more

CCW Commentary

We are facilitating the drafting of a comprehensive article-by-article commentary of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and its protocols.

More information