Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoMeetings & Events
Disarmament Commission 2018 Substantive Session Opening Meeting
As a universal body with a mandate to make every effort to reach consensus, the Disarmament Commission could build on overcoming its 18‑year‑long deadlock to make a unique and constructive contribution to further signs of progress, from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s commitment to denuclearization to the reduction of strategic nuclear forces by the Russian Federation and the United States, delegates heard at the opening of its 2018 session, launching a new 3‑year cycle.
Given that global anxieties about nuclear weapons were higher than at any time since the cold war, measures for disarmament and arms control were more vital than ever before, said Thomas Markram, Director and Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, speaking on behalf of the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. However, the Commission could only hope to realize progress if it avoided re‑litigating outcomes from other processes and reopening irreconcilable disputes.
He went on to suggest a starting point for deliberations — consensus on the outcome of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, endorsed by nearly all States. On the heels of last year’s adoption of recommendations for the General Assembly for the first time since 1999, delegates were off to the best start, he said, expressing hope that the opportunity would be used wisely.
The Commission, mandated by the Security Council to prepare proposals for a treaty for the regulation, limitation and balanced reduction of all armed forces and all armaments, including the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction, would focus the current session’s discussions on nuclear disarmament and non‑proliferation. It would also focus on the preparation of recommendations to promote the practical implementation of transparency and confidence‑building measures in outer space activities with the goal of preventing an arms race in outer space, in accordance with the recommendations contained in the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures in Outer Space Activities (document A/68/189).
Commission Chair Gillian Bard (Australia) emphasized the critical importance of starting a new three‑year cycle, telling delegates today that because of last year’s efforts, “we have been reminded of what success looks like.” Urging members to follow a similar course during the current session, she recalled that in March, the Conference on Disarmament had agreed on five focused subsidiary groups.
In the ensuing general debate, several speakers called on the international community to work together through inclusive dialogue that considered the positions of all States. Some expressed frustration over the lack of progress in implementing disarmament obligations by nuclear‑weapon States and called on them to reduce or eliminate their arsenals, while highlighting the Non‑Proliferation Treaty’s three pillars: disarmament, non‑proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Other delegates expressed concern at the threat of an arms race in outer space and called for interim measures as a precursor to a legally binding instrument.
Echoing a common concern, Egypt’s representative said the body was meeting at a time when the world was on the verge of a new chapter of the arms race among nuclear‑weapon States, an alarming reality requiring the immediate revival of reliable multilateral disarmament efforts and the revitalization of the disarmament machinery. Calling on States to build on its success in 2017, he said the Commission could facilitate efforts to bring disarmament and arms control back to the forefront of the United Nations work and “make up for the lost decades”.
On behalf of the Non‑Aligned Movement, Indonesia’s delegate said the Commission must achieve urgent results in its current work cycle and urged all delegations, especially nuclear‑weapon States, to cooperate actively in negotiations. Voicing concern over those States’ lack of progress, he called on them to decrease arsenals in line with their commitments to the Non‑Proliferation Treaty review conferences. Meanwhile, nuclear‑weapon‑free States should be involved in negotiations in a non‑discriminatory manner.
Similarly, some delegates regretted to note the widening gap between States with and without nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan’s representative said that divide had led to a loss of trust, more disputes and a new arms race, while the world remained poised on the brink of a new cold war. Voicing concern over the erosion of progress on mutual arsenal reductions, he called for increased confidence‑building measures.
Some highlighted the inextricable link between disarmament and non‑proliferation. Chile’s delegate said nuclear disarmament must enter into the Commission’s deliberations, adding that the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons had opened a promising path to a world free of those arms. Meanwhile, Brazil’s representative said that global nuclear disarmament was a long‑standing objective, and he rejected any approach that pursued non‑proliferation goals while ignoring disarmament.
Representing the view of a nuclear‑weapon State, the representative of the United States said the return of great power competition was indeed a major factor in shaping his country’s nuclear deterrence policy that ensured allied and partner security, international stability and nuclear non‑proliferation. He said China and the Russian Federation had expanded their nuclear capabilities and were seeking to reshape the post‑Second World War international order in ways antithetical to his country’s values and interests, while the United States and its allies strove to maintain and defend democratic traditions against potential aggression.
A range of factors must be considered as the international community pursued nuclear disarmament, the representative of the Russian Federation said. Voicing concern that some States were developing doctrines providing for a significantly increased role of nuclear weapons, while also establishing a lower threshold for their use, he said North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) missions where non‑nuclear‑weapon States were trained to deploy atomic bombs constituted a direct violation of the Non‑Proliferation Treaty. “Such developments raise the risk of nuclear conflict,” he said, emphasizing that attempts to strengthen one country’s security at the expense of others were doomed to fail.
China’s delegate said no country could retreat to an isolated island at a time when international arms control and disarmament were closely linked with the security of all nations. China was the only nuclear‑weapon State to commit to provide unconditional assurances that it would not use such weapons against non‑nuclear weapon States, he said, emphasizing that the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament could not happen overnight and must follow the principles of undiminished security of all.
Some speakers from nuclear‑weapon‑free States asked their atomic‑arms‑possessing counterparts to stop the policy of double standards. Speaking for the Arab Group, Tunisia’s representative said that in 2017, the failure of nuclear‑weapon States to respect disarmament commitments had induced the international community to accelerate its own efforts. That had led to the adoption of the first international legally binding instrument banning nuclear weapons — the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Some speakers noted that nuclear‑weapon States had not signed the instrument.
Welcoming that treaty’s adoption, Nigeria’s representative, on behalf of the African Group, urged all States to sign and ratify it. He also emphasized that any doctrine justifying the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons was unacceptable and unjustifiable.
Also delivering statements today were the representatives of Ecuador, Cuba, Nepal, Namibia, Ukraine, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Algeria, Costa Rica, Japan, Iran, South Africa, El Salvador, Malaysia, Ghana, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Israel and Australia.
Speaking in exercise of the right of reply were representatives of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Japan, United States and Syria.
The Disarmament Commission will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 April, to continue its work.
