There Are ‘Alarming Signs Multilateralism Has Run Out of Steam’, First Committee Hears as General Debate Enters Second Week
Multilateralism is “currently in decline and is unable to respond effectively to security crises or the pressing challenges facing humanity”, the representative of Senegal told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today as its wide-ranging debate continues.
During a meeting that heard many speakers register worry over the current international security environment, Senegal’s delegate said the paralysis in the Security Council and deliberations of disarmament bodies, as well as persistent geopolitical rivalries, are “alarming signs of a multilateralism that has run out of steam”. Moreover, the growing divisions are undermining the work of the Committee.
For two decades now, there has been no progress on any of the thematic issues on the disarmament agenda, he said. On nuclear disarmament, it must be recognized that the Committee’s meetings have become a forum for nuclear- weapon States to explain why non-nuclear-weapon States must accept the primacy of the former countries’ strategic stability and balance. “We need to put multilateralism back at the heart of disarmament efforts,” he said, adding that means making compromise central to the negotiations.
Belgium’s delegate said that every year, the First Committee seems to be operating in a more dangerous and complicated world than the one before, as distrust reigns and conflicts rage on. She stressed that the UN Charter is consistently being violated by a permanent Security Council member, who wishes to deny a Member State both its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
She said that “China and Russia refuse to engage in serious arms control talks with the US”. China has “not pledged a moratorium on the production of fissile material for explosive purposes, despite being the last nuclear-weapon State in this position”. Moreover, it is the only nuclear-weapon State still expanding its nuclear arsenal, she said.
Calling out the Russian Federation for its attack on the rules-based international order and highlighting its weapons deals with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran, she said it is “characteristic of the current Russian short-sightedness that it is willing to undermine the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] in exchange for the delivery of ballistic missiles and other military equipment”.
Similarly, the representative of the United Kingdom stressed that everything should be done to preserve and strengthen the international rule of law and the fundamental role of the international disarmament and arms control architecture. It has been built painstakingly over the decades and done well. He urged nations to challenge Member States who violate the Charter.
Additionally, he called for countries to stand firm against the Russian Federation’s illegal war against Ukraine and its continued nuclear rhetoric. The United Kingdom stands with Ukraine in its defence, not only of its sovereignty, but of the entire set of principles that form the post‑1945 world order. He reiterated that as long as others have nuclear weapons, his country will maintain a nuclear deterrent.
Japan’s speaker said that the world is at a historical inflection point, with the path towards a world without nuclear weapons becoming more challenging. With the next year marking the eightieth since the atomic bombings, she stressed that the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must never be repeated. Japan has assigned itself the mission of taking the lead in international efforts to achieve a world without nuclear weapons.
However, the world faces deepening divisions, she said, spotlighting the Russian Federation’s “illegal war” against Ukraine, including its threats of nuclear weapons use. The trend of decreasing global nuclear stockpiles could be reversed for the first time since the end of the cold war by a rapid expansion of nuclear arsenals, she said, citing China in that regard and noting a lack of sufficient transparency. Also worrying is the advancement of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear and missile activities, as well as its military cooperation with the Russian Federation.
The delegate from Portugal said that the ongoing and unjustified aggression against Ukraine fuels the Russian Federation’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. He highlighted the overall precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus neglects the Budapest Memorandum and violates the NPT. Also disturbing is the DPRK-Russia Federation’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, with the former country ramping up its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Romania’s speaker said the modernization by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of its nuclear facilities and its tests are troubling. The advancement of the DPRK-Russian Federation’s military partnership is another issue of great concern. Equally unsettling is Iran’s constant advancement of its nuclear programme and its enhanced military cooperation with the Russian Federation. Any support to the Russian Federation for its war of aggression against Ukraine, regardless of the source, “undermines our security and the overall architecture of the global non-proliferation regime”.
He is anxious about the Russian Federation’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. Recent developments, including announced changes in its nuclear doctrine, have a significant impact on the global security environment. The overall context is “more challenging than ever”, he said, advocating for a gradual and pragmatic nuclear disarmament, based on a step-by-step approach.
Iran’s representative pointed to an unprecedented and alarming nuclear arms race coupled with the blatant threat to use those weapons. Wasting $80 billion annually, the nuclear-weapon States have not only failed to honour their obligations to nuclear disarmament but have also sought to renew and modernize their nuclear arsenals, he said, adding that more than 40 States, including Australia and the Republic of Korea, rely on the extended nuclear deterrence provided by the United States. All of them are violating their legally binding obligations under the NPT, yet they are raising unfounded allegations against Iran's peaceful nuclear programme, he stressed.
The Middle East is on "the brink of a regional war that could turn our world into hell" because of Israel’s actions, said Sudan’s delegate. Pointing to the threat of the use of mass destruction weapons, particularly by Israel, he said a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region has become a necessity. There is also a war inside his country, by militias against the Sudanese people, and he noted some States’ support of those wars. “Conventional weapons are the deadliest weapons,” he stressed, calling for the prevention of their illicit trade.
Speaking on behalf of the New Agenda Coalition, South Africa’s representative, like previous speakers, noted the continuous decline of the global peace and security situation, including with regard to nuclear weapons. Undertakings such as the use of nuclear rhetoric is limiting progress towards ridding the world of those weapons. He underscored that nuclear-weapon States have committed to eliminating their nuclear arsenals, however, they continue to maintain or increase those weapons’ role, including by placing them in the territory of non-nuclear-weapon States. The qualitative and quantitative expansion of nuclear arsenals “strongly indicate intentions of indefinite possession of nuclear weapons” and the weakening of the non-proliferation and disarmament architecture, he warned.
Ghana’s delegate urged actions to match the current “pivotal moment in history”. Not making every effort to achieve complete disarmament “would be a deliberate act of negligence that leads us into the abyss of doom and destruction”. It is worrying that nuclear-weapon States continue to devote huge resources towards their arsenals. The threat of such weapons is “one of the most serious dangers to global security today”. Recent review cycles of the NPT have not achieved consensus final outcome documents, yet the 2026 Review Conference offers a critical opportunity to make meaningful progress.
Considering the growing threat of nuclear weapons use, it is imperative that efforts be intensified for their elimination, said Hungary’s representative. Yet, she added: “There is no shortcut to nuclear disarmament. It requires an incremental approach that can yield tangible results.” She called for a focus on identifying areas of common ground and consensus, for example, in strategic nuclear risk reduction, transparency and confidence-building and in finding robust verification mechanisms.
Speakers also raised the issue of small arms and light weapons. Cuba’s delegate said the prevention, combat and elimination of the scourge of illicit trafficking in those weapons deserve concerted action by the international community. He advocated for a legally binding instrument that bans autonomous weapons and regulates semi-autonomous weapons. Nigeria’s speaker expressed commitment to the UN Programme of Action to combat that illicit trade. The delegate for Zimbabwe said that the illicit trade is a major contributor to armed violence and conflict. He urged capacity-building for developing countries in such areas as marking and tracing, as well as the modernization of national arms registers, and support for the African Union’s Silencing the Guns flagship project.
At the end of the meeting, the representatives of the United States, Israel, Australia, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Syria and Japan exercised their right of reply.