Reiterating its deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved a new draft revised resolution containing a universal declaration on the achievement of a nuclear-weapon-free world, one of 20 passed today.
Concerned that cluster munition remnants killed or maimed civilians including women and children, obstructed economic and social development, impeded post-conflict rehabilitation, and delayed or prevented the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved a draft resolution urging all States outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to join as soon as possible.
Concerned about the possibility of outer space becoming “an arena for military confrontation”, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved a draft resolution, one of two on the topic, asking the General Assembly to urge an early commencement of substantive work to prevent the placement of weapons in outer space.
Acknowledging the ethical imperatives for a nuclear-weapon-free world, which was a “global public good of the highest order”, a new draft resolution in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) approved today asks the General Assembly to declare that those weapons were “inherently immoral” and that all States shared an ethical responsibility to eliminate and prohibit them.
Cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism were on the rise, as the fast growth of information and communications technologies transformed the world into a global village, with profound impacts on all aspects of social and economic life, including security, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it continued its thematic debate.
As old disputes festered, new conflicts and tensions were emerging in several regions and subregions, from the Euro-Atlantic area to the Middle East and elsewhere, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today during the thematic debate on regional disarmament.
All nations were responsible for international peace and security and had the right to participate in disarmament negotiations, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today during the conclusion of its thematic debate on the United Nations disarmament machinery, as member States stressed the urgent need to reignite that work.
The root cause of the stalemate in multilateral disarmament machinery lay in political factors rather than in the machinery itself, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard this afternoon as it began its consideration of the item, but as debate took shape, others suggested that out-of-date rules of procedure were to blame.
It was ironic that the weapons that propelled and sustained conflict, causing a series of regional arms races in volatile parts of the world where non-State actors wreaked havoc on civilian populations, came from areas that enjoyed peace and stability, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it embarked on its thematic debate on conventional weapons.
Space security, safety and sustainability dominated debate today in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) and although there was broad agreement on the need to preserve that realm for the public good, divergent views emerged on how best to achieve that, with some speakers defending a non-legally binding code of conduct that took into account the political environment while others called for a binding treaty via an inclusive and transparent process.
