In the face of the continued existence and spread of nuclear weapons by nuclear Powers, the world could profit from the current attention to nuclear disarmament only from sincere political will, real change in past policies and respect for disarmament obligations, and understanding of the new dynamics among nations, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today.

The national defence budgets of the major Powers had ballooned, regional disputes had festered, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East, new conflicts had emerged and a new kind of arms race threatened the progressive disarmament and non-proliferation landscape, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it concluded its general debate.

Efforts to stem the spread of violence and armed conflict had found intergovernmental allies from areas as diverse as agricultural development to global financing, greatly boosting the chances of eventually achieving disarmament goals, the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Sergio Duarte, told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today.

New winds were blowing positively through the halls of disarmament, but notwithstanding the recent momentum in the area of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the new weapons of mass destruction -– small arms and light weapons -– were destabilizing societies and imperilling people everywhere, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today.

Establishing an international day to raise awareness of the deadly dangers of nuclear weapons would be a step towards the noble goal of the complete elimination of those weapons, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today, as two related draft resolutions were introduced and a decision was announced to hold back a third.

Concluding its thematic debate this afternoon on nuclear weapons, the Disarmament Committee heard the introduction of related draft texts on a convention banning nuclear weapons use, reducing nuclear danger, preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, the Bangkok Treaty, and on the follow-up to nuclear disarmament obligations flowing from the 1995 and 2000 Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The strides made to ban chemical weapons was a “living example” of success when global efforts joined forces with clear goals, constructive dialogue, good will and a spirit of consensus, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today during its thematic debate on weapons of mass destruction.

Paths diverged today over how to address the issue of conventional weapons as the quest unfolded to find a delicate balance between security and humanitarian concerns in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), which continued its thematic debate on conventional weapons and heard the introduction of two resolutions dealing with arms stockpiles and military spending.

It was the widespread view of the United Nations community that the time for general discussion on an arms trade treaty was over and the international community must move forward and consider the practical details of such a treaty, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) was told this morning, in connection with the introduction of a draft resolution on the treaty.

Rounding up its thematic debate on the disarmament aspects of outer space today, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard the introduction of two draft resolutions, on transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space, and on the prevention of an outer space arms race.