Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, challenges to international peace and security, geopolitical tensions and armed conflicts, as well as possible threats from artificial intelligence, remained central topics of the general debate today in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security).
Speakers lamented the failure to reach consensus on non-nuclear proliferation and small arms treaties as well as the uptick in related rhetoric, also condemning the continuous brutal attacks on civilian architecture in Ukraine, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today. Underscoring the cornerstone status of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the representative of the Philippines stressed that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is also a historic milestone, complementing other nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation instruments.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved its programme of work and opened the general debate, with speakers stressing the need to abide by nuclear non-proliferation and similar arms treaties, as well as to create nuclear-weapon-free zones.
Nuclear risks persist, arms-control arrangements are under pressure and new technologies are transforming the character and speed of conflict, Khalilur Rahman, President of the UN General Assembly, told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, as it began its general debate.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today failed to approve its work programme for the eighty-first session, but held a debate on revitalization of the the Gemeral Assembly’s work as well as programme planning.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) elected Lok Bahadur Thapa (Nepal) Chair on 2 June.
Amid rising geopolitical tensions, rapid advances in weapons technologies, and the erosion of key arms-control agreements, the General Assembly today adopted more than 60 resolutions and decisions put forward by its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), including a new text addressing the risks of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the command, control and communications systems of nuclear weapons.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the 2025 budget implications of five outputs of the First Committee’s (Disarmament and International Security) 2024 session that — if adopted by the General Assembly — would deliver nearly $800,000 to help verify nuclear disarmament, study nuclear-weapon-free zones and explore how the military’s use of artificial intelligence will impact peace and security. These First Committee actions would also establish a 21-member independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War and boost the progress of a group studying security and the use of communications technologies.
The General Assembly, in two meetings today, acted on the recommendation of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), adopting 72 texts requiring nearly 200 separate recorded votes.
As conflicts rage across regions and tensions rise in many corners of the world, it is more important than ever to work together in the pursuit of non-proliferation, disarmament, arms control and sustainable peace, said the Chair of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, as it concluded its work for the session.
