Speakers in First Committee Call for Legal Framework to Address Nuclear Weapons Possession, Proliferation, Even If It Means Negotiating outside United Nations
Several speakers today in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) called for a legally binding framework to ban nuclear weapons, with the aim of addressing the deep-seated problems of possession and proliferation.
Among them was Kenya’s representative, who stressed that the international community’s priority should be the conclusion of a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention. He recognized the role of the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, but also the growing calls by people around the world to take the nuclear disarmament discourse outside the established frameworks in a process that was “open to all and blockable by none”.
The seventieth anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, speakers said, was a reminder of the “humanitarian imperative” to eliminate nuclear weapons. The representative of Ireland welcomed the renewed focus on the humanitarian consequences of a nuclear detonation, while asserting that women were a “powerful force for change” in the disarmament sphere. Only by empowering women and making them visible in all aspects of disarmament and non-proliferation would the world reach the long-held goals to which it aspired.
The representative of Egypt called the First Committee a “golden opportunity” to review the implementation of disarmament commitments, but nevertheless regretted that efforts had not yet led to implementation of article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Indefinitely extending it in 1995 did not mean the indefinite possession of those weapons or the development and modernization of new ones.
He joined the other speakers in calling for the creation of a zone in the Middle East free from nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction. Instead of furthering that aim, efforts had been blocked, he said, urging the concerned parties to develop new ideas in order to break that impasse.
Further to that point, Syria’s representative said it was a “scandal” that the NPT Review Conference in May had been unable to achieve consensus. Specifically, he said, Israel was the only State in the region that had not subjected its facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) without preconditions and on the same footing as all other Member States. Certain permanent members in the Security Council continued to protect the “Israeli nuclear exception”, thereby undermining regional and international security.
As for the situation in Syria, he said it was “spiralling into chaos” and the country had “fallen pretty to a ferocious war”, owing to the actions of terrorist groups. He emphatically condemned the criminal use of chemical weapons, calling it “unacceptable, unethical and reprehensible”.
The representative of the United Arab Emirates also expressed disappointment at the failure to take steps towards a Middle East zone free from mass destruction weapons. She remained concerned about Iran’s nuclear activities and stressed the significance of full cooperation with the IAEA. She hoped the new agreement on its nuclear programme would provide an incentive to open a new chapter and enhance confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.
Also speaking were the representatives of Argentina, Malaysia, Portugal, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Paraguay, Armenia, Singapore, Estonia, Bahrain, Viet Nam, Guatemala, Benin, Hungary and Maldives.
The Committee will meet again tomorrow at 3 p.m. tomorrow, 15 October, to continue its general debate.
Background
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met today to continue its general debate. For more information see Press Release GA/DIS/3522.
Statements
HELENA NOLAN (Ireland), associating with the New Agenda Coalition (Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Africa) and the European Union, said that the seventieth anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a reminder of the “humanitarian imperative which formed the impetus for the great common effort”, which led to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). He welcomed the renewed focus on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear detonation.
Recent conferences, she noted, had focused on the gender impact of nuclear explosions, a topic expanded upon at a side event organized by Ireland and other States at the NPT Review Conference in May. Ireland recognized that women were a “powerful force for change” in relation to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. Only by fully empowering them and making them visible, in all aspects of disarmament and non-proliferation work, could the international community reach its long-aspired goals. Twenty years since the Beijing Platform for Action, 15 years since the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), it was time for a genuinely equal contribution by men and women to the goal of global peace and security.
GABRIELA MARTINIC (Argentina) said that 15 years into the twenty-first century, the world had not yet rid itself of nuclear weapons. The horrors of the use of chemical weapons, the threat of biological weapons, and the use of conventional weapons made the race against time even more dramatic. For that reason, her delegation stressed the need to achieve the universality of the instruments of disarmament and non-proliferation. There was a major crisis of confidence in the disarmament regime, making it evermore important to faithfully comply with the NPT and its three pillars. Lack of agreement at the recent Review Conference did not exempt any State party from its obligations. On the Arms Trade Treaty, although it had not risen to the expectation of some delegations, its entry into force in record time clearly spoke to the urgent need for better control of the arms trade and protection from the consequence of those weapons’ diversion. States’ right to legitimate defence had also been safeguarded, she said, highlighting also the Treaty’s respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. There were more than 650 million small arms and light weapons that were being illegally trafficked, and 1400 people died daily, owing to the violence those weapons sowed.
ANDREW KIHURANI (Kenya) said that prioritizing some issues, such as a fissile material ban, essentially meant diminished focus on other important items. The conclusion of a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention should be the international community’s priority. While his Government continued to emphasize the role of the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, it recognized the growing calls to involve civil society to bring in fresh perspectives. In that regard, he noted the positive efforts made by convening the first-ever Informal Civil Society Forum on the Conference on Disarmament. People around the world were trying to persuade Governments to initiate negotiations for a nuclear weapon treaty and take the nuclear disarmament discourse outside the established frameworks, in a process that was open to all and blockable by none. A gradual process to fill the legal gap for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons could be undertaken through other efforts mandated by the First Committee.
He said Kenya had been a victim of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. The United Nations Programme of Action on those weapons, along with the Arms Trade Treaty and Sustainable Development Goal 16, were complementary and could advance the cause of eliminating illicit transfers. He also supported the call for developing an international code of conduct on the use of outer space, as a precursor to negotiation of a treaty banning the placement of weapons there.
RAMLAN IBRAHIM (Malaysia), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said that while the agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme represented positive momentum in the field of disarmament and international security, Malaysia deeply regretted that the Conference on Disarmament had been “deadlocked” for almost two decades. It was also disconcerting that the NPT Review Conference had failed to agree on a final document. However, he welcomed the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty, and hoped for its continued broad support, particularly in Southeast Asia, in order to stem illegal trafficking of small arms and light weapons there. As part of its continuing commitment to the Biological Weapons Convention, Malaysia would co-organize a series of technical cooperation programmes. It would also, on behalf of ASEAN, introduce the biennial resolution on the agenda item on general and complete disarmament, as well as on the Southeast Asia nuclear weapon-free zone treaty on the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the treaty.
OSAMA ABDELKHALEK MAHMOUD (Egypt), associating with the Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab Group and the African Group, said the meeting of the First Committee was a golden opportunity to review the implementation of disarmament commitments. Regrettably, efforts had not led to the implementation of article VI of the NPT, which was why the world would continue to celebrate 26 September as the international day to eliminate nuclear weapons. Egypt had many times reiterated the importance of the 13 steps towards nuclear disarmament, agreed in 2000. Extension of the NPT did not mean that nuclear-weapon States could have that privilege forever. That was especially worrying given the development of new kinds of nuclear weapons and ways to modernize them.
Additionally, nuclear-armed States did not seem very interested in furthering the inalienable right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Imposing restrictions on nuclear energy equipment was unjust. Egypt was taking decisive steps to build its first nuclear power station in order to generate electricity and meet the needs of its people for agriculture, the health sector and other services. Despite positive efforts, the resolution on a Middle East zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction had not yet been implemented. Rather, those efforts had been blocked. Everyone needed to come up with new ideas in order to break the impasse.
BASHAR JA’AFARI (Syria), associating with the Non-Aligned Movement, renewed his country’s call for a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. That initiative would only be successful if Israel subjected its facilities to the IAEA without any preconditions and on the same footing as all other Member States. Certain permanent Members of the Security Council continued to protect the “Israeli nuclear exception”, and consequently, that country was able to produce nuclear weapons and their delivery means, which undermined the security of the Middle East and the world.
The inability to achieve final consensus at the NPT review was a “scandal”, and was “solely to protect Israel so it could keep its nuclear weapons”, he said, adding that action was a flagrant violation of the NPT. The same scenario had taken place at the Security Council, where the United States and the United Kingdom, two major NPT States parties, had used their veto to “shelter Israel’s violations” from any international resolution. He reiterated the importance of holding a conference on creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, which had not taken place because of the negative positions of Israel and countries protecting it at the Review Conference this year. His Government emphatically condemned the criminal use of chemical weapons as “unacceptable, unethical and reprehensible”, he said, adding that Syria had honoured its commitments within the framework of the Convention on Chemical Weapons.
Turning to the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, he expressed concern at the lack of clear language in the Arms Trade Treaty prohibiting States to provide such weapons to terrorist groups, which was an action that undermined peace and security in his entire region. The situation in Syria bolstered his argument, and because of those terrorist groups, his country was “spiralling into chaos”. For over four years, Syria had “fallen prey to a ferocious war”, and the groups involved had chemical weapons and lethal ammunition supplied by certain countries, including Security Council members, he said. Syria, its army, people and kindred States were facing terrorism, and should coordinate their efforts.
ALVARO MENDONCA E MOURA (Portugal), associating with the European Union, said that advancing human security should be the international community’s first and foremost objective. He shared specific humanitarian, moral and legal concerns related to the ongoing development of a set of so-called “new-era warfare tools”, including the proliferation of armed drones, lethal autonomous weapons systems, the aggressive use of cyberspace, and the risks of the militarization of outer space. He, thus, encouraged, as a matter of urgency, the continuation of international discussions and initiatives on those subjects in a way that promoted transparency and applicable international law.
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation remained at the core of the agenda, he said, welcoming the well-grounded international debate on the catastrophic humanitarian impact of nuclear weapon detonations. It was crystal clear that there was an urgent need to take forward effective disarmament negotiations, but that endeavor required inclusiveness and true multilateralism. The fact remained that beyond the Conference on Disarmament, beyond its expanded membership, remained an agonizing stalemate, requiring a joint commitment and collective constructive work to overcome it. The adoption and subsequent implementation of new disarmament treaties and agreements were critical tasks, for which it was vital to preserve existing disarmament and arms control instruments.
LANA NUSSEIBEH (United Arab Emirates), associating with the Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative, attached particular importance to the NPT, based on that treaty’s robustness and commitment to ensure global security. Her country pursued a fixed national policy and took clear stands towards disarmament and non-proliferation issues, while affirming the peaceful use of nuclear energy in a transparent approach. Accession to, and full implementation of the international conventions in both disarmament and non-proliferation were of paramount importance.
She said the United Arab Emirates remained concerned about the Iranian nuclear activities, and stressed the significance of that country’s full cooperation with the IAEA in order to dispel those concerns. Thus, her country hoped that the agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme would provide the country with an incentive to open a new chapter and enhance confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme. Her delegation was disappointed that the 2015 NPT Review Conference had failed to adopt future steps towards declaring the Middle East a zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. Achieving progress in that area would significantly support stability and security in the Middle East. Major challenges required the international community to work hard to achieve the long-awaited goal of freeing the Middle East of nuclear weapons.
MARIAME FOFANA (Burkina Faso), associating with the African Group and the Non-Aligned Movement, was deeply concerned by the “persistence and scope” of small arms and light weapons, which remained by far the biggest threat to peace and security in Africa, particularly West Africa. The country was committed to the fight against the illicit trade in such weapons, and welcomed the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty, which was an appropriate collective response towards regulating the import and transfer of weapons. It would strengthen existing instruments in her subregion. Turning to nuclear disarmament, she said that 40 years after the NPT’s entry into force, the failure of the ninth Review Conference raised questions about the real desire of States to “spare our planet from nuclear detonation”. Agenda 2030 offered an opportunity, and she urged the international community to free up financial resources for development, in line with the 1987 action programme on the relationship between disarmament and development.
RUBEN IGNACIO ZAMORA RIVAS (El Salvador), associating with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), called for continued negotiations towards a nuclear weapons ban. He expressed concern at the increasing arms race in outer space, which should not be used for any war-like purposes. Nuclear weapons, illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, and the deployment of any weapons in space, were global threats because of the danger they posed to humanity’s very survival. In that vein, he looked with concern at the lack of concrete action to respond to those phenomenons. Nuclear-weapon-free zones were an important contribution to the global disarmament agenda and would help prevent a nuclear arms race in space, and El Salvador would support efforts to create them. He reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the Arms Trade Treaty, and would contribute to its implementation. He urged the world community to continue taking all relevant measures to comply with United Nations disarmament resolutions.
FEDERICO ALBERTO GONZALEZ FRANCO (Paraguay), associating with CELAC, stated that the complete elimination of nuclear stockpiles was the “only way to ensure the survival of the human race”. He called on all States that had not yet done so, to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), to which Paraguay was a State party. Also, the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons was related to terrorism and other crimes, and States should redouble efforts to achieve tangible productive results. Paraguay had demonstrated its commitment by signing the Arms Trade Treaty, and had actively participated in the first conference of States parties, in Mexico, which had set out the necessary guidelines to regulate the arms trade.
ZOHRAB MNATSAKANYAN (Armenia) said that upholding and universalizing the NPT was more critical than ever. Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) was the primary international tool for combatting the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. The entry into force of the CTBT was long-overdue. There was also merit in implementing the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which had been playing a key role in reducing military equipment to a remarkably low level. As a strong advocate for strengthening international humanitarian law, her delegation considered the Mine-Ban Convention to be an important international instrument; it was unequivocal that the human and social costs of the use of anti-personnel mines, booby traps and other explosive devices far outweighed their military significance.
JOHN KHOO (Singapore) expressed his disappointment at the failure to adopt a consensus on the final outcome document at the 2015 NPT Review Conference. The nuclear- weapon States had yet to make concrete progress on nuclear disarmament while the issue of convening a conference on establishing a Middle East zone free from nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction remained in limbo. The plan to convene such a meeting, while agreed in 2010, had not been further at the last Review Conference. Twenty years ago, the ASEAN leaders signed their nuclear-weapon-free zone Treaty, and after a series of lengthy negotiations, the nuclear- weapon States were scheduled to sign the Protocol to it in July 2012. Unfortunately, the signing was scuppered as a result of last-minute submission of reservations. Nonetheless, his Government reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with those States. On outer space, several Singapore-made microsatellites, nanosatellites and picosatellites had been launched in recent years. With space increasingly crowded, the risk of collision must be addressed.
SVEN JÜRGENSON(Estonia) said that the Arms Trade Treaty was an extremely important instrument for curbing illicit transfers of conventional arms to conflict zones. The Treaty’s rules of procedures, financial and management regulations were in place now, and the first interim head of its secretariat had been appointed. However, now was not the time to sit back and relax. Already by year-end, the States parties had to submit their initial reports on the Treaty’s national implementation, and they must pay their first membership fees. Another crucial task was to work towards universalizing it by getting the world’s largest exporters of conventional arms on board. The three pillars of the NPT, namely disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear technology, stood for peace, security and trust. Aggressive actions by the Russian Federation against Ukraine had jeopardized all of those virtues in the Euro-Atlantic region. The Russian Federation clearly violated the Budapest Memorandum on security assurances. Estonia was an active observer State to the Conference on Disarmament, the speaker said, reiterating its request for a full membership.
JAMAL ALROWIEI (Bahrain), associating with the Arab Group and the Non-Aligned Movement, called on the international community to start negotiating a comprehensive treaty banning the production, stockpiling and transfer of nuclear weapons, and reiterated the importance of ensuring that the Middle East, including the Gulf region, was free of weapons of mass destruction. Israel had to sign the NPT under the regime established by IAEA, and Bahrain regretted that the ninth Review Conference had not managed to show tangible progress in that regard or in eradicating nuclear weapons overall. He hoped that the agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme would bring about regional stability and peace, but “real problems” in the region persisted. States needed to be able to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, as that was a natural right of all States, provided it was in line with international norms and transparency standards.
NGUYEN PHUONG NGA (Viet Nam), associating with the Non-Aligned Movement and ASEAN, said that his country had endorsed the humanitarian pledge in Vienna; a testimony of the international community’s strong desire to end the threat of destruction by nuclear weapons. It had also fulfilled its responsibility as Chair and member of the IAEA Board of Governors for the 2013-2015 term, and had been working with the Agency on capacity building, important to the responsible development of nuclear energy. She also underlined the importance of the ASEAN nuclear-weapon-free zone Treaty. As one of a few countries heavily affected by cluster munitions and other unexploded ordnance, Viet Nam supported the goals of the Convention on Cluster Munitions as well as the Mine-Ban Convention, and had adopted a comprehensive national action plan for the 2010-2025 period to address the post-war consequences of bombs and mines.
GYORGY MOLNAR (Hungary) said that the essential building block missing from the legal architecture of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation was a comprehensive ban on nuclear tests. His Government was committed to promoting the CTBT’s entry into force. Another concrete step towards a world free of nuclear weapons would be the start of negotiations on a fissile material ban. Hungary was a member of the Group of Governmental Experts set up by the General Assembly to make recommendations on future negotiations of such a treaty. He noted that the nuclear security summit process had produced high-level political commitments in merely five years, and greatly facilitated national efforts to mitigate the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism. The next such summit, to be held in Washington, DC next year, would be an important milestone in strengthening the control of mass destruction weapons and improving nuclear security. The number of States parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, now at 96, had grown fast. However, it was important to reach a critical mass towards its universalization.
ANA CRISTINA RODRIGUEZ PINEDA (Guatemala), associating with CELAC and the Non-Aligned Movement, said that deploring lack of progress on nuclear disarmament had become “practically ritual”. She cited the failure of the NPT, the stalemate of the Conference on Disarmament, the lack of recommendations from the Disarmament Commission for over 15 years, and the non-entry into force of the CTBT. However, the Humanitarian Pledge had been endorsed by all CELAC members, and the region remained at the forefront of the fight against nuclear weapons. She was proud that her region had been the first nuclear-weapon-free zone in a densely populated area.
Nuclear disarmament, she said, was everyone’s responsibility, not only of a small group of nuclear-weapon States. However, the non-nuclear-armed States had complied with their part of the NPT, but continued to wait for the nuclear-weapon States to do the same. Turning to small arms and light weapons, she said those fed violence and insecurity in her country, and impacted its development. Guatemala had signed the Arms Trade Treaty and hoped to complete its internal process for ratification shortly.
JEAN-FRANCIS ZINSOU (Benin), associating with the Non-Aligned Movement and the African Group, observed that Goal 16 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development concerned peace and security. That created a historic opportunity to create conditions conducive to disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and strive towards the total eradication of illicit small arms and light weapons flows. He welcomed the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in various parts of the world, including in Africa, and did not understand the postponement of the conference to establish such a zone in the Middle East. At a time when extremist groups were hoping to use nuclear weapons and perpetrate mass atrocities, it was even more important to strengthen the non-proliferation regime.
JEFFREY SALIM WAHEED (Maldives) said his country was not produce any type of armaments or weaponry, and had no ambition to do so. The presence of weapons of mass destruction within the global community represented as much of a threat to the Maldives as to every other country. Should a nuclear strike occur, its effects would be felt throughout the world. As a community of nations, each one had a moral imperative to do its part to preserve and ensure global peace and security. Since the 1970s, significant progress had been made on the “so-called” three pillars of the NPT, and the recent Iran agreement was encouraging because it brought the world one step closer to being safer and more peaceful. Conventional weapons posed an equal threat to humanity, and access to small arms and light weapons in the wrong hands constituted an even greater threat to further destabilizing already fragile nations.