Deeply concerned about the growing dangers of nuclear and other mass destruction weapons caused by proliferation networks, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved a draft resolution urging adoption of a legally binding instrument to ensure non-nuclear-armed States against the use or threat of use of those weapons.
The growing prospect of cyber warfare needed to be addressed urgently before such weapons broke down the entire edifice of international security, heard the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as it considered other disarmament measures, before concluding its thematic debate.
Global peace and security depended in large measure on stability at the regional and subregional levels, making that relationship an inseparable one, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as delegations delivered statements on regional disarmament, weapons of mass destruction and the disarmament aspects of outer space.
Last year’s chemical attacks in Syria “shocked an entire world” and were a reminder that the use of weapons of mass destruction remained a serious threat, heard the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as it began its thematic debate on weapons of mass destruction.
Transferred and traded around the globe, “excessive accumulation and unregulated proliferation” of illicit small arms and light weapons led to devastating consequences, say speakers in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as thematic debate on conventional weapons continued.
It was “ironic” that the weapons that propelled and sustained conflicts came from areas that enjoyed peace, a delegate told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as it continued its thematic debate on conventional weapons.
An unimplemented Nuclear-Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was nothing but a “place-holder” for disarmament that told States to “insert effective measures for nuclear disarmament here”, heard members of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today during a thematic debate on nuclear weapons.
Unrealistic calls for disarmament distracted from — and ignored — more achievable and sober efforts, a speaker told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, urging members to acknowledge the “hard truth” that the final goal would not be realized overnight or in a single negotiation.
The inability of the disarmament machinery to function had the “insidious effect” of stopping people from listening to each other, heard members of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) during its thematic debate on the United Nations disarmament machinery.
The first place to look to understand insufficient progress in disarmament was at the lack of harmony between domestic policies and international responsibilities, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today as it concluded its general debate and began its thematic discussion on disarmament machinery.
