Voicing concerns about the erosion of confidence in nuclear disarmament and international security in the Euro‑Atlantic area, First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) delegates today called attention to a United States decision to pull out of the Intermediate‑Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, as they concluded a thematic discussion on nuclear weapons.

Defending the strategic purposes of their arsenals, First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) delegates representing nuclear‑weapon States pointed at current geopolitical realities, while calling for the type of methodical approach to disarmament that has led to past successes.

Exchanging views on ways to break a languishing disarmament impasse, including by assuring all non‑nuclear‑weapon States against the use or threat of atomic bombs, delegates of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today began a thematic discussion on nuclear weapons.

Casting a spotlight on regional efforts to advance common disarmament goals, delegates in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) addressed the current and potential contribution of nuclear‑weapon‑free zones to global peace and security, as the Committee concluded its general debate and began its thematic segment.

Delegates today condemned the recent use of chemical weapons in Kuala Lumpur, Salisbury and towns in Syria, exchanging views on the establishment of an international mechanism to determine the perpetrators responsible for these crimes and administer justice, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) entered the penultimate day of its general debate.

Voicing concerns at the possible breakdown of the Iran nuclear deal, delegates discussed ways to get collective disarmament efforts back on track, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate.

To combat the proliferation of illicitly produced and traded small arms and light weapons that is fuelling conflict within and between countries, delegates in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) explored the tools needed to counter this threat, as its general debate continued.

Mounting a staunch defence of multilateralism, delegates in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) praised the détente on the Korean Peninsula, urging States to continue the difficult, pragmatic work needed to build durable peace around the world.

Member States must pump new life into the Conference on Disarmament, the world’s only permanent multilateral disarmament treaty negotiating body, which has failed to produce concrete results for more than two decades, delegates told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, continuing its general debate.

Amid increases in global military expenditures, nuclear weapons acquisitions and stock modernization, delegates stressed that there would be “no winners” in any kind of nuclear weapon confrontation and this funding would be better spent on achieving vital development objectives, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today.