‘Amid the Paucity of Hope, We Need the Audacity of Peace,’ First Committee Speakers Hear Today as They Conclude Annual General Debate
Blind Eye Turned to Attacks against People Occupied for More Than 70 Years, Says Arab League
A third world war fought piecemeal and the return of nuclear threats require a collective response that brings a durable peace built on fraternity, not on the precarious balance of deterrence, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it concluded its general debate.
Amid this paucity of hope, “we need the audacity of peace”, said the Permanent Observer for the Holy See. The situation must move beyond a cold realism, partisan considerations and narrow, strategic approaches, which have failed to make peace a reality. The international community must reject war as a means of “State-craft”.
An observer for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stressed that nuclear weapons — capable of spreading radiation across borders and down generations, causing horrific injuries and untreatable illness, and poisoning the environment for decades or centuries — are fundamentally incompatible with international humanitarian law. Any use, or threat of use of those weapons is abhorrent to the principles of humanity and the dictates of public conscience.
The Permanent Observer for the League of Arab States said that a blind eye has been turned to the attacks against people who have been occupied for more than 70 years. He warned that the ability of the United Nations’ global framework to maintain international peace and security has eroded. The Committee must use its deliberations to lessen military tensions around the world and help achieve the complete disarmament of nuclear and other mass-destruction weapons.
An observer for the State of Palestine agreed with the need to establish zones free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, especially in the Middle East. Israel, however, has insisted on not attending the conference to establish this zone and has continued its systematic breach of relevant international resolutions and norms. It also has unequivocally refused to subject its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, he said.
Bahrain’s delegate said the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is the bedrock of international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and allow the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology in such areas as health, education, the environment and clean energy. His Government supports a zone free of nuclear and other mass-destruction weapons in the Middle East, he said.
Kuwait’s speaker said geopolitical shifts are jeopardizing international peace and security. Nobody is sheltered from the “alarming” arms race with its global ramifications. He reiterated his country’s commitment to multilateral efforts, which are the best way to counter disarmament and non-proliferation challenges. The way to prevent use of nuclear weapons is their elimination.
The First Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 12 October, to discuss working methods and programme planning.
Statements
SOPHIA TESFAMARIAM (Eritrea) said that, eight decades after the establishment of the United Nations, efforts towards global security have not guaranteed enduring peace based on legality, justice and sustainable equilibrium. Peace and development remain equally elusive. The conundrum is how to move out of such a looming predicament. There is no single panacea for such complex and interlocking challenges. Easing global tensions is critical. The UN Charter and multilateralism remain crucial, and dialogue must be restored. She rejects the unipolar global order of the past 30 years and warns against attempts to revive defunct alliances and military blocs, which are pushing the global community to catastrophe. She also rejects unilateral sanctions, unwarranted interventions, and calls for a new world order, including reform of the global security architecture. Negative security assurances, nuclear-weapon-free zones, the universalization of Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) are all crucial steps to denuclearization. “The gravity of interlocking problems that humankind is grappling with is immense and warrants comprehensive and immediate measures,” she said.
ANATOLIO NDONG MBA (Equatorial Guinea) noted the lack of honesty and will of countries that manufacture conventional weapons, which fuel conflict in Africa. The current rivalry between blocs of Powers is increasing the weapons trade in the continent, whether through weapons sales and donations to legitimate Governments, or trade with rebel groups that operate in unstable areas and endanger Governments. His country has adhered to most international instruments regarding these weapons and seeks to implement them in good faith. Africa has become a battlefield for terrorists, with many groups in Central and West Africa focused on asymmetric attacks against regional Government forces and the weakest civilian targets, alongside drug trafficking and abductions for profit. Also, maritime piracy and insecurity around the Gulf of Guinea is compromising regional economic prospects.
JAMAL FARES ALROWAIEI (Bahrain) said the Committee’s work is very important as it tackles issues of disarmament and international security. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is the cornerstone of international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and allow the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology in such areas as health, education, the environment and clean energy. He reiterates his Government’s support of a zone free of nuclear and other mass destruction weapons in the Middle East and looks forward to the fourth UN Conference for its establishment. He also supports cooperation on the use of modern technology, such as drones, to prevent their acquisition by terrorists. On the national level, his Government has adopted a comprehensive strategy to strengthen its cybersecurity and created the National Center for Cybersecurity.
MEDER UTEBAEV (Kyrgyzstan) said the United Nations is once again being tested on its its strength and viability. Member States need to confirm their commitment to multilateralism as an effective mechanism for overcoming global challenges. His country remains committed to strengthening the existing international regime for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It supports the Central Asian Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone and its Protocol. Noting the influential powers of artificial intelligence (AI) on humanity’s future, he stated that its regulation should be a shared responsibility of Governments and other stakeholders. On mitigating the environmental consequences of uranium mining, Kyrgyzstan will keep advocating for the establishment of an international association of cities and towns with uranium legacy sites.
DOMINGOS FERNANDES (Mozambique) expressed concern about the rapid deterioration of international security and highlighted the need to take a closer look at the danger posed to all humanity by weapons of mass destruction. It is symptomatic that the world continues to witness the abandonment of the path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The past two NPT Review Conferences failed, he noted, expressing hope that the next one will be a success. States possessing nuclear weapons are expected to commit themselves to eliminating their entire arsenals, thereby contributing to the attainment of the aspiration of a world free of those weapons. As party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), Mozambique defends the need for the vigorous observance of marking, registration and traceability standards in order to reduce the threat small arms and light weapons pose to civilians.
EDWIGE KOUMBY MISSAMBO (Gabon), noting today’s bleak global security context, urged each UN member to embrace shared goals for disarmament. She regretted certain States’ lack of will towards nuclear disarmament as they continue to modernize stockpiles in violation of the NPT. Gabon continues to support the movement to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones, for which Africa is a good example since the adoption, in 1996, of the Pelindaba Treaty. Recent events in the Middle East are a reminder of the “extreme fragility and volatility of our collective security”. Military spending urgently needs to be reduced to provide necessary resources to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address climate, health and humanitarian challenges. Every member of the international community must shoulder its responsibility and step up commitments to peace by embracing cooperation and rejecting confrontation.
JOSÉ ALFONSO BLANCO (Dominican Republic) condemned the recent attack against Israel by Hamas. His delegation supports all efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East. Escalating threats around the world make the achievement of international peace more elusive than ever. Yet, for some countries, the only response is to make violence more permanent, with greater spending on arms. He rejected these trends. The NPT is the cornerstone of preventing the escalation of nuclear violence. He stressed the need for nuclear-armed States to provide guarantees to not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against countries without them. Turning to the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons and ammunition, he said their excess stockpiling undermines stability and perpetuates violence. His delegation is committed to international instruments to combat this scourge. Member States, especially the members of this Committee, have the duty to strive to create a more secure world for future generations.
FAHAD MOHAMMAD F M F ALAJMI (Kuwait) said geopolitical shifts are jeopardizing international peace and security. Nobody is sheltered from the “alarming” arms race with its global ramifications. He reiterated his country’s commitment to multilateral efforts, which are the best way to counter disarmament and non-proliferation challenges. Kuwait welcomes the progress achieved, but is concerned with the disregard for calls to achieve universal accession to various treaties and conventions. His country believes the best way to prevent further use of nuclear weapons is their elimination. Deploring the failure of the last NPT Review Conference, he called on Member States to pool efforts and not politicize this process. Instead, they should seek common ground to address the shared challenges.
FRANCISCO JOSÉ DA CRUZ (Angola) advocates the principle of complete nuclear disarmament as a precondition for maintaining international peace and security. “We strongly believe that nuclear disarmament and the total elimination of nuclear weapons remain the only absolute guarantee against those weapons use or threat. Angola has ratified the Treaty of Pelindaba, which reaffirms the status of Africa as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. It also ratified the NPT, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. He recognizes that the use of small arms and light weapons is a sovereign right of States to ensure their self-defence and national security. Yet, their illicit trade and diversion to non-State actors, their excessive accumulation and uncontrolled dissemination in many regions of the world, especially in Africa, have profound destabilizing effects — they fuel conflicts, violent crimes and terrorism.
TANIA ROMOALDO (Cabo Verde) said that disarmament is essential to guarantee international peace and security, but it will always depend on the few countries that have 90 per cent of the world’s nuclear weapons. Her country is a party to the main disarmament treaties, including the NPT, Pelindaba Treaty, CTBT and the TPNW. In conducting its foreign policy, Cabo Verde has excelled in fulfilling the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, especially those that aim to guarantee international peace and security. Additionally, it has supported global treaties which seek to avoid the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons. For Cabo Verde, abolishing those weapons is the best way to guarantee that they will not be used and to achieve effective disarmament that secures international peace and security. She condemns Hamas’ attacks on Israel and regrets the conflict’s escalation, resulting in a high number of deaths, including of civilians. She hopes that true diplomatic negotiations and peace and security can soon be restored in the region.
JOSÉ PEREIRA (Paraguay) stressed that the world’s current security situation demands more work towards complete and general disarmament. It is unacceptable that military expenditures continue to increase, given so many needs and humanitarian crises in the developing world. A security model based on deterrence and nuclear weapons is extremely worrying, providing security for some, but the opposite for the rest. The peaceful use of nuclear energy should be perfected and complemented with the TPNW and CTBT. He urged Annex II States to ratify the Test-Ban Treaty as soon as possible. Moreover, the illicit trade of small arms, light weapons and their munitions cannot be seen in isolation, as their multiplier effect undermines society’s foundations. This scourge does not discriminate, causing instability and impacting development. He echoed the Global South’s need for assistance, technology transfer and capacity-building to address this problem.
GABRIELE CACCIA, Permanent Observer of the Holy See, said that the world is experiencing “a third world war fought piecemeal”. The threat of nuclear war has returned, causing fear and anguish. Pope Francis said that amid this paucity of hope, “we need the audacity of peace”. The situation must move beyond a cold realism, partisan considerations, and narrow, strategic approaches, which have failed to make peace a reality. The international community must reject war as a means of “State-craft” and achieve peace “built, not on the precarious balance of deterrence, but on the fraternity that unites us”. Rejecting deterrence means eliminating nuclear weapons, which offer “only an illusion of peace”. Their widespread use with their catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences can only bring humanity the “dreadful peace of death”. The TPNW offers a path forward for building a new security framework that places the dignity of the human person at its centre and upholds the principle of sovereign equality among States.
QAIS KASABRI, observer for the State of Palestine, said that the possession of weapons of mass destruction is a gross violation of the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter. He stressed the need to establish zones free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, especially in the Middle East. Israel, he said, has insisted on not attending the conference to establish this zone. It has continued its systematic breach of relevant international resolutions and norms, while unequivocally refusing to subject its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards despite UN resolutions and decisions. He also called for greater efforts to enhance monitoring and tracking mechanisms for conventional weapons to prevent their export, especially when used to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity — as Israel, an occupying Power, is doing right now.
LAURENT GISEL, Head of the Arms and Conduct of Hostilities Unit of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in his capacity as observer, said that nuclear weapons challenge the basic premises of international humanitarian law. Weapons capable of spreading radiation across borders and down generations, causing horrific injuries and untreatable illness, and poisoning the environment for decades or centuries are fundamentally incompatible with the principles of distinction, proportionality and humanity. Any use, or threat of use of those weapons is abhorrent to the principles of humanity and the dictates of public conscience. Current armed conflicts have demonstrated the growing significance of cyber and other digital threats. He urged focused exchanges among States on the limits that international humanitarian law imposes on such operations. Next week, ICRC will release four guiding principles and 25 recommendations to protect civilians against digital threats during armed conflicts.
MAGED ABDELFATTAH ABDELAZIZ, Permanent Observer for the League of Arab States, said the Committee is meeting against the backdrop of major challenges and escalating geopolitical polarization. The abject failure to implement all nuclear disarmament commitments threatens the credibility of the NPT and limits its viability. The ability of the United Nations’ international framework to maintain international peace and security has been hampered. He rejects the double standards in which a blind eye has been turned to the attacks against people who have been occupied for more than 70 years. He called on the First Committee to use its deliberations and mechanisms to lessen military tensions around the world and to help reach the complete disarmament of nuclear and other mass destruction weapons. The League of Arab States will submit to the Committee its annual resolutions on "Establishment of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East" and on "The Risk of Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East".
FLÁVIO DAMICO (Brazil), speaking on behalf of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) said States parties of treaties that established nuclear-weapon-free zones, like the Treaty of Tlatelolco, have been faithful, not only to the UN Charter, but to the norm prohibiting nuclear weapons, which is clearly reflected in each such zone. Members of these zones have undertaken efforts in codifying international law through multilateral diplomacy “based on conviction that this is the only way to resolve dispute”. On 26 September, during the International Day for the Complete Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, OPANAL’s 33 member States issued a joint declaration that nuclear weapons should never again be used under any circumstance, by any actor. This can only be ensured through full prohibition and elimination, which is transparent, verifiable and irreversible.
Right of Reply
The representative of Iran, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that delegations addressing issues related to his country threw a heavily politicized lens into the Committee while avoiding a reference to the actual regional proliferator. He urged delegations making statements in multilateral forums to adhere to professionalism. They should practise the principle of good neighbourliness and respect the sovereign right of a State to make decisions about its own security.
The representative of Israel, in right of reply, questioned what the treaties mean when signed by nations for whom these words mean absolutely nothing. These nations aim to stockpile chemical weapons, while vigorously promoting the treaty to establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction. She noted that, earlier today, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal called on all who teach and learn jihad to go out this Friday to apply its theories. “This is a clear call to murder,” she said, “as recent events in Israel show us all”.
She said that when various delegates cannot fathom condemning Hamas for taking close to 200 hostages to use as human shields, those representatives cannot bring themselves to show any sympathy for the victims of unthinkable atrocities that claimed 1,200 lives. “What meaning can your signatures possibly have when you cannot bring yourselves to condemn the inexcusable, the unthinkable, the unforgivable?” she asked. In the terrible darkness of these last days, she called on representatives in the room to condemn the horrific terrorist acts and crimes against humanity.