Justifying Deterrence as Legitimate Security Doctrine Gives ‘False Credence’ to Value of Nuclear Weapons for National Security, First Committee Hears
“It is imperative to put an immediate end to continued and evolving nuclear weapons-sharing arrangements and extended deterrence that in fact is a new nuclear-arms race,” Indonesia’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, in its thematic debate on nuclear weapons.
Additionally, she stressed, nuclear risk reduction measures are no substitute for nuclear disarmament. The Movement welcomes the multilateral efforts towards nuclear disarmament and reiterates its full support for the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear and all other mass destruction weapons. However, it strongly condemns the “outrageous and shocking” threats by Israeli leaders about dropping nuclear weapons on Gaza. Israel should not develop nor stockpile nuclear arsenals. Of paramount importance is a ban on the transfer to Israel of nuclear-related equipment, information, material and facilities, resources or devices and the extension of assistance in the nuclear-related scientific or technological fields.
The representative of Kazakhstan, speaking on behalf of the States parties and signatory States to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, said the renewed advocacy on nuclear deterrence, insistence on and justification of it as a legitimate security doctrine gives false credence to the value of nuclear weapons for national security. Instead, it dangerously increases the risk of nuclear proliferation and obstructs disarmament. He underlined the current heightened threat of nuclear weapons use and nuclear rhetoric. As such, the group “cannot stand idly by while signs indicate that humanity is moving closer to global nuclear catastrophe”.
Similarly, Austria’s delegate emphasized that “nuclear deterrence features highly” in the Russian Federation’s war in Ukraine. Nuclear modernization and upgrading programmes expand the planned horizon for nuclear deterrence to the next century. As worldwide arsenals are growing again, with nuclear deterrence comes the inevitable pressure for further nuclear proliferation. He highlighted as unacceptable the Russian Federation’s repeated implicit but unmistakable nuclear threats. Threats with nuclear weapons are threats against all humanity given the catastrophic and global humanitarian consequences that would result from a nuclear conflict.
On nuclear disarmament, the Netherlands’ representative, speaking on behalf of a group of 24 countries, said the group’s approach takes into account the international security environment without losing sight of the risks posed by nuclear weapons. He condemned the Russian Federation’s dangerous nuclear rhetoric and its lowering of its threshold for use of nuclear weapons, as well as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s inflammatory policy and rhetoric. He urged Iran to return to diplomacy over its nuclear programme. The world expects nuclear-weapon States to deliver on their commitments. This should include tangible steps for reduction, based on previous commitments and firmly anchored in the aim of preventing the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any nuclear weapon use.
Echoing similar concerns, Germany’s delegate said the two most challenging proliferation crises — the “DPRK and Iran” — are worsening. In March, the Russian Federation blocked the renewal of the Security Council panel of experts on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, thereby significantly hampering the UN's role in enforcing sanctions against Pyongyang and in combating nuclear proliferation. Iran’s continued uranium enrichment programme is more alarming due to calls for a nuclear deterrent by Iranian decision-makers and State-controlled media. He noted China’s nuclear arsenal build-up without meaningful transparency.
Likewise, the representative of France said progress towards nuclear disarmament “fundamentally hinges on transparency”. Actions will determine the reality of commitments undertaken. In this regard, the Chinese trajectory, which is punctuated by the reinforcement of its arsenal, limited transparency, and reluctance to engage in risk-reduction measures and concerns on the non-first use doctrine, raises questions for her country. She condemns the escalation of Iran’s nuclear programme and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s proliferation plans.
Speaking for the European Union and its member States, a representative expressed deep concern about the Russian Federation’s nuclear weapons posturing, its latest non-strategic nuclear weapons exercise with Belarus, and its deployment of nuclear weapons on Belarussian territory. He also urged China to take measures immediately to improve the transparency of its nuclear weapons stockpile and doctrine and to refrain from further build-up.
The Union is also worried by the continued expansion of Iran’s nuclear programme, he said. It similarly urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to take concrete steps to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction and nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. “The DPRK will never be accepted as a nuclear-weapon State and must return to respecting its obligations under international law.”
Raising worries in line with those made by representatives was the Philippines’ delegate, who expressed concern about the boldness of some States to invoke nuclear-weapons use. She rejects all threats of use of those weapons and considers them legally inadmissible and absolutely deplorable. It worsens the current state of the global security environment.
The representative of the United States said his country continues its efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, remaining committed to the Treaty on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “The actions of two other nuclear-weapon States raise questions about their respective similar commitment,” he said, adding that Moscow is violating the New START Treaty and employing irresponsible nuclear rhetoric amid its illegal war in Ukraine, while China has yet to acknowledge the complete scale and scope of its rapid nuclear weapons modernization and expansion.
He said the United States is committed to transparency, which is why earlier this year it declassified and published its nuclear stockpile numbers. His country has made significant efforts to engage the two nuclear-weapon States in nuclear arms control and reduction, but China did not engage meaningfully, and the Russian Federation has refused talks on the New START. “President Putin’s recent announcement that Russia has changed its nuclear doctrine and lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons is yet another irresponsible escalation in attempt to intimidate the West in deceasing its critical aid to Ukraine,” he said.
Noting similar challenges, Canada’s delegate called on China to be transparent about its nuclear arsenal and doctrine and to engage in nuclear arms control, disarmament, and risk reduction talks. He said the Russian Federation persists in issuing reckless nuclear threats amid its unjustifiable war against Ukraine and endangers the region with its attacks on and around civilian nuclear infrastructure. He called on that country to end its aggression against Ukraine, to return control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to Ukraine, to return to compliance with the New START, and to negotiate a follow-up treaty with the United States. Also concerning is that Iran is “inching closer to nuclear weapons-capability”. He similarly condemns expansion by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s of both its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, threatening regional stability.
Israel’s speaker said that Iran has advanced its military nuclear programmes for decades and currently possesses large quantities of 60 per cent highly enriched uranium with no civilian justification. “A nuclear Iran must be unacceptable to all,” he stressed. Turning to Syria, he said that undeclared materials exist on its territory and a nuclear reactor, if completed, will be able to produce uranium for nuclear weapons. Israel continues to support the global non-proliferation regime. “Unfortunately, the NPT in itself does not provide a remedy for the unique security challenges in the region,” he stressed.
Like other delegates, Argentina’s representative spoke on nuclear risk reduction measures, saying it is necessary to work on them. While he agrees they are not a substitute for disarmament, they do constitute a realistic and pragmatic step to mitigate growing tensions and thus prevent a war. Working on nuclear risk reduction is nothing other than working to build confidence at the international level to prevent conflicts.
Also speaking were representatives of the Group of Arab States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the African Group.
Before today’s start of the thematic debate, the Committee heard briefings by the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, the Chair Group of Governmental Experts related to emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems, and a representative of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL). This was followed by an informal exchange with the Committee.
The Russian Federation’s representative, on a point of order in the course of the morning meeting, raised the issue of pending visas for members of his delegation. A brief exchange with the Bureau and the United States’ delegate followed. Later, in what was to be a substantive statement in the thematic debate on nuclear weapons, a Russian representative said that, in violation of the 1947 host country agreement, the United States has delayed visas for some of its senior delegates. The delegation thus could not “voice” its statement, which is available on the Committee’s portal.
At the end of the meeting, the Committee Chair said that the Bureau has not received any reply from the Committee on the Relations with the Host Country regarding the Russian Federation’s concern over delayed visas. Her delegation has explored the matter diplomatically, she added, noting that the recent report by the Committee on Relations with the host country was approved by consensus in the presence of the Russian Federation.
The right of reply was exercised this evening by representatives of China, Syria, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Iran, United States, Israel, Cyprus and Costa Rica.