With World at Delicate Crossroads, Disarmament Committee’s Responsibility ‘Immense’, Says General Assembly President During Robust Debate
The world is at a “delicate crossroads” with crises and conflicts raging in many regions, General Assembly President Philémon Yang told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) during its wide-ranging debate, adding that the challenges before delegations is “immense”.
He urged “concrete measures to prevent a nuclear war or any use of a nuclear weapon”, with nuclear-weapon States taking the lead. They must uphold their commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). As has been said, “a nuclear war cannot be won, and should never be fought”. He urged progress in nuclear disarmament negotiations and called for shared understandings and effective safeguards to “avert disaster”.
The United States’ representative said, “We cannot be complacent. We cannot merely lament dysfunction in, or abuse of, the multilateral system we have”. She urged States to show bravery and a willingness to try new things. She added that her country mourns all those murdered in Israel and taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October 2023, and is also grieving with all those who have suffered since. She highlighted Iran's recent missile attack on Israel, saying it represents a major escalation and requires condemnation from the international community.
Challenges such as the Russian Federation’s "reckless nuclear rhetoric" continue unabated and must be addressed, she said, adding that some UN Member States are “undermining the international security architecture and our collective security — violating or abandoning longstanding arms control obligations and commitments”. She spotlighted the sharing of advanced weapons technology and expertise with irresponsible actors.
Israel’s representative said that since Hamas’ attack last year, her country has been fighting to defend itself in a war it did not start, but one that it must win. She called for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages. The region is suffering from a widespread culture of non-compliance, which has become risky. It is in turmoil, and the common denominator is Iran, which wants an “all-out war in the region”, she said, adding that “the prospect of a nuclear Iran must be unacceptable to all”.
Iran, she continued, intends to destabilize the Middle East by using every possible tool at its disposal, including aiding terrorist organizations with finance, weapons, political support and military training. It proliferates advanced missiles and unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) to terrorists and its weapons have been used extensively by the Houthis, Hizbullah and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. Iranian UAVs have also been used widely in Ukraine. Some actors in the region claim that a comprehensive security architecture can be initiated there without direct engagement with Israel. “This cannot be done without us,” she asserted.
The representative of the European Union emphasized that conflicts are being waged across almost all continents. Undermining longer-term goals is the Russian Federation’s illegal war against Ukraine and its global consequences, the ongoing war and humanitarian disaster in Gaza, the deteriorating situation in the Sahel and other parts of Africa, terrorism and violent extremism, the climate emergency, cyber threats, as well as the erosion of democracy and human rights.
Additionally, she said, the Union deplores the obstructive posture of some States, including the misuse of consensus in multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation and export control forums. She criticized the Russian Federation’s decision to revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which undermines the globally respected norm against nuclear testing.
Germany’s delegate said that the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine has accelerated the erosion of the arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament architecture. The Biological Weapons Convention is under pressure by false allegations from the Russian Federation regarding the alleged development of those weapons. The Chemical Weapons Convention and its norms must be upheld against reports of the Russian Federation using riot control agents and other toxic chemicals in Ukraine.
On China, he sees a massive build-up of its nuclear arsenal with no transparency, which raises many questions as to the plausibility of China’s purported no first-use doctrine and is highly risky. It is important, therefore, for both the Russian Federation and China to positively respond to the repeated offers from the United States for talks on strategic stability and arms control to reduce nuclear risk.
Estonia’s speaker is concerned about the Russian Federation’s announcement of the upcoming revision of its nuclear doctrine. That “is a continuation of the same nuclear sabre rattling and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric”. China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal also worries him, as there is a lack of transparency over its nuclear doctrine and policies. “This does not build confidence or reduce risks.”
The delegate from Kazakhstan noted nuclear-weapon-States' renewed reliance on nuclear arms and the large number of States hosting those weapons. There is a backtracking on the disarmament achievements of past decades, and the disarmament and non-proliferation regime is under stress as power struggles intensify. Increasing belligerent rhetoric complicates the way ahead, and a renewed arms race has dangerous consequences for all nations.
Liechtenstein’s speaker said nuclear threats “have reached an alarming new level,” and illegal missile tests continue despite the international legal framework on disarmament and non-proliferation. The growing divergence among States on most existential threats to humanity is reflected in the lack of support for and implementation of relevant treaties. The NPT’s implementation gap, especially of Article VI, risks a world free of nuclear weapons. “The current times demonstrate even more clearly than ever that as long as nuclear weapons exist, they will never make the world a safer place,” she said, adding that withdrawal from treaties is “a disturbing phenomenon”.
Similarly concerned about the continued deterioration in the global security environment, New Zealand’s representative said, “collectively, we must resist the normalization of nuclear threats”. She added that the Russian Federation President’s recent comments expanding the conditions under which the Russian Federation might use nuclear weapons are troubling and underline the urgency of reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in doctrines, with a view to their total elimination as the only guarantee against the catastrophic consequences of their use.
Noting the challenges facing the global non-proliferation regime, including reports of use by the Russian Federation of a riot-control agent and chemical weapon in Ukraine, she reminded the Russian Federation of its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and called on it to provide answers. She also called on Syria to comply with its obligations under that treaty. Along those lines, she regretted Iran’s continued failure to address outstanding safeguard issues and comply with its legal obligations, as Iran’s uranium enrichment activities have no credible civilian purpose.
She said that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems threaten international security and undermine the global non-proliferation regime. Also concerning is the illegal transfer of military materiel from that country to the Russian Federation. She was disappointed that the Russian Federation took the unprecedented step to de-ratify the Test-Ban Treaty, which takes the world in the wrong direction. She urged all States, especially the nuclear-armed countries, to sign and ratify the Treaty without delay.
“The world is standing at a critical juncture,” the representative of Mexico said, drawing attention to increasing military expenditures, the modernization of arsenals, and the threats of deliberate or accidental use of nuclear weapons. Even more unacceptable are the voices calling for the maintenance and use of those weapons. “We cannot continue on our current path,” where nuclear weapons play such a core part of security strategies of countries. “Their existence is not a part of the solution.”
He urged progress on nuclear disarmament, fewer nuclear warheads, less discourse that threatens the use of nuclear weapons, and fewer excuses to rid the world of them. He said Mexico will promote all international legal instruments in the field of disarmament. He also underscored the danger of other weapons of mass destruction, for example, chemical and biological weapons, which are a grave threat to international security.
Following the debate in which several delegations were singled out, rights of reply were exercised by representatives of the State of Palestine, China, Iran, Mauritania, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Israel, Syria, and the Republic of Korea.