Nuclear Option Must Be Avoided ‘at All Costs’, Secretary-General Tells Disarmament Conference, Calling for Working towards Safe, Secure, Peaceful World

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Conference on Disarmament, in Geneva today:

You come together at a time of grave global consequence.  The bilateral and regional security arrangements that underwrote global peace and stability for decades are unravelling before our eyes.  Multilateral treaties are straining.  International law is being trampled.  And human rights are being undermined.

Trust is sinking, while uncertainty, insecurity, impunity and military spending are all rising.  And no one can be certain what comes next.  All this is creating an environment in which the spirit of mutual restraint that helped provide for the possibility of stable security relations is coming undone. These challenges go to the heart of the purpose of the Disarmament Conference.

The urgency to produce results remains crucial.  Last month, the so-called doomsday clock moved one second closer to midnight.  Some countries are investing in new nuclear weapons and their means of delivery.  Others are expanding their inventories of nuclear weapons and materials.  Some continue to rattle the nuclear sabre as a means of coercion.  And we see signs of new arms races including in outer space. And the weaponization of artificial intelligence is moving forward at an alarming pace.

But, having said that, there are also signs of hope.  Last September, world leaders gathered in New York and adopted the Pact for the Future.  The Pact reconfirms a basic truth.  The nuclear option is not an option at all.  It’s a one-way road to annihilation.  We need to avoid this dead-end at all costs.

In the first new nuclear disarmament agreement in more than a decade, Member States recommitted to nuclear disarmament — and to the final objective of complete disarmament.  And they pledged to accelerate the full and effective implementation of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation obligations and commitments.

The Pact also determined to identify and hold accountable anyone who uses chemical or biological weapons and to strengthen measures to prevent non-State actors from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.  And they agreed to advance further measures and international negotiations to prevent an arms race in outer space.

Through the Pact, Member States also committed to revitalizing the role of the United Nations in disarmament.  And that is your role.  I know you are working to push this agenda forward — including by tackling some of the areas of greatest disagreement among Member States.  The entire world is counting on you to deliver practical progress and action on your agenda items.

So, I urge you to seize the fresh momentum provided by the Pact. To continue your vital reforms to this Conference’s work.  To continue having the tough discussions that will lead to progress.  And to develop concrete and practical steps that will bring us closer to a nuclear-free world and prevent the weaponization of outer space. And to strengthen the multilateral security architecture for the future.

The United Nations will continue doing everything we can to support this process of reform and results.  Humanity is counting on us to get this right.  Let’s keep working to deliver the safe, secure and peaceful world that every person needs and deserves.