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8500th Security Council Meeting: Non-Proliferation
With the erosion of the disarmament and arms control framework that reaped significant post-cold-war-era gains, all States must work collectively towards a new twenty-first‑century approach to rid the world of atomic bombs, the Security Council heard today as it considered the existing regime ahead of the 2020 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
While the 50-year-old Non-Proliferation Treaty has played the greatest role in preventing the catastrophic consequences of an atomic war, Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, said the instrument’s durability should not be taken for granted at a time when the acquisition of arms is prioritized over the pursuit of diplomacy.
“The disarmament success of the post-cold war era has come to a halt,” she cautioned, with the security landscape being replaced with dangerous rhetoric about the utility of nuclear weapons and an increased reliance on these weapons in security doctrines. “The prospect of the use of nuclear weapons is higher than it has been in generations.”
Whatever new arms control and disarmament approaches in the twenty-first century might look like, one thing is clear: the Non-Proliferation Treaty will still be at the centre of our collective security mechanism and it will have to stay “fit for purpose” across its three pillars — disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The 2020 Review Conference is a “golden opportunity” to make headway on all of these goals, and to make sure this linchpin of international security remains fit for purpose through the next 25 or even 50 years.
Presenting a snapshot of achievements, Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said safeguards are being implemented in 182 countries, including 179 which are States parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, key challenges include a steady increase in the amount of nuclear material and the number of nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, coupled with continuing pressure on the Agency’s regular budget. Topping its agenda are the nuclear programmes of Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Iran continues to fully implement its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and it must continue to do so. Meanwhile, the Agency continues to monitor the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear programme and evaluate all safeguards-relevant information available to it, he said, noting that, subject to the approval of IAEA’s Board of Governors, it could respond within weeks to any request to send inspectors back to Pyongyang.
In a broader sense, the Agency helps to improve the health and prosperity of millions of people by making nuclear science and technology available across many sectors, he continued. Nuclear power can also help address the twin challenges of ensuring reliable energy supplies and curbing greenhouse‑gas emissions. “Helping countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, using relevant nuclear technology, is an important part of our work,” he said, noting that the Agency helps countries to use nuclear science and technology to meet 9 of the 17 Goals and a special initiative has helped to raise more than €140 million for approximately 300 projects benefitting more than 150 countries.
In the ensuing discussion, some Council members, including those from Côte d’Ivoire and the Dominican Republic, reported benefits reaped from nuclear technologies. Some highlighted concerns, from terrorists acquiring atomic bombs to the disarmament machinery’s languishing impasse that continues to hobble negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty and delay the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.
Some members spotlighted a crumbling security landscape exacerbated by concerns such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear programme and the suspension of disarmament agreements. Summing up a common theme, Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs said that, “for all the successes we have achieved in recent decades, we mustn’t fool ourselves”. He pointed out that dismantling nuclear arsenals has come to a standstill and prospects of actual nuclear “re-armament” have been raised by the impending loss of the Intermediate‑Range Nuclear Forces Treaty — known as the Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles.
While many members commended the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s contribution to international peace and security, some urged States to extend every effort to achieve disarmament progress ahead of the 2020 Review Conference and to avoid a repeat of the failure of the 2015 review to agree on an outcome.
The Russian Federation’s representative said the 2020 Review Conference should not be used to settle political scores, adding that attempts are being made to undermine universally recognized norms which have worsened an already complicated situation. While the Russian Federation has reduced its nuclear arsenal by more than 85 per cent, his Government remains greatly concerned about global security, given the unfettered deployment of United States anti-missile systems, its placement of military weapons in outer space and its attempts to decrease the defence capabilities of other countries through unilateral sanctions. This hardly creates an environment favourable to reducing the nuclear weapons stockpile, he said.
The representative of the United States said reaching a consensus at the 2020 Review Conference is possible if parties avoid using divisions to hold the review process hostage. “We cannot overlook the fact that the actions of those who are expanding their nuclear stockpiles have contributed to a deterioration of the global security environment,” she said, adding that the United States will seek a positive outcome from the 2020 review process.
China’s delegate said unilateralism and double standards in non‑proliferation continue to exist. As such, the international community must uphold the concept of a shared future, strengthen unity and cooperation, and steer the 2020 review process towards a unified outcome.
Many members agreed that of the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s three pillars, disarmament has produced the least results, with Poland’s Foreign Affairs Minister saying efforts remain a “work in progress, at best”. To change that, delegates from non-nuclear-weapon States said the instrument is complemented by the legally binding Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia said that treaty’s entry into force will help to advance the aim of completely eliminating atomic bombs, as enshrined in article 6 of the Non‑Proliferation Treaty. “The human species’ survival is dependent on our collective courage to eliminate nuclear weapons once and for all,” she said.
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France said that, given tensions and growing energy needs worldwide, preserving the Non-Proliferation Treaty is more central than ever before. To do so, Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister said, multilateralism and the principles of the United Nations Charter remain essential tools.
Also delivering statements were representatives of South Africa, Belgium, United Kingdom, Peru and Equatorial Guinea.
The meeting began at 10:11 a.m. and ended at 12:31 p.m.
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