UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES NEW VISION OF DISARMEMENT IN HIS ADDRESS TO THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

United Nations Secretary-General António Gutteres addressed the Conference on Disarmament this afternoon, as it continued its high-level segment. The Conference also heard statements by dignitaries from Switzerland, Mexico, Myanmar, Brazil, United States, India, China, and France.

In his statement, Secretary-General Gutteres outlined a host of growing challenges to international security and arms control, and announced a new initiative aimed at giving greater impetus to the global disarmament agenda, prioritizing current concerns and implementable actions. The challenges were enormous, he said, but history showed that agreement could be reached in the sector even at the most difficult moments. Welcoming efforts made this year to break the stalemate, he called on members of the Conference to translate them into resumption of negotiations and find consensus on the way forward, building on the new momentum offered by the best start in nearly two decades.

Further erosion of the global framework for disarmament must be urgently reversed, stressed the Secretary-General, by advancing nuclear non-proliferation through the 2020 review process, bringing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force without delay, enforcing the Chemical Weapons Convention and ensuring accountability for violations, putting the agenda for arms control and disarmament back on course, and by working together for a world free of nuclear weapons.

Ignazio Cassis, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, welcomed the "disarmament agenda" that the Secretary-General had announced, and encouraged him to be bold and specific, because “disarmament needs a push, and new leadership”. A rules-based world order contributed to the security of all, and defending this order was a priority for Switzerland.

Miguel Ruiz Cabañas, Deputy Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of Mexico, reiterated Mexico’s support for efforts to revitalize the work of the Conference and the recent decisions toward that goal, as long as they did not distract from deciding on an agenda and starting negotiations on substantive issues.

Kyaw Tin, Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar, said that distrust among States, particularly between major powers, must be reversed with confidence-building measures and political will to counter the threat of a second nuclear age.

Simas Magalhaes, Vice-Minister for Multilateral Political Affairs of Brazil, noting his country’s support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, said its adoption invited detractors to show that they too were serious about nuclear disarmament by promoting obviously needed progress in particular areas.

Robert Wood, Permanent Representative of the United States to the Conference on Disarmament, said that his country had long led the world in efforts to reduce the role and number of nuclear weapons, but cautioned that near-term progress on nuclear disarmament was unrealistic in the current context.

Amandeep Singh Gill, Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament, supported a universal and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament framework that included immediate commencement of negotiations on a fissile-material treaty and other measures practicable in the near term.

Fu Cong, Permanent Representative of China to the Conference on Disarmament, said it was necessary to provide better focus for the work on the reduction of nuclear weapons toward measures that could actually strengthen peace and security, such as provision of negative assurances.

Alice Guitton, Permanent Representative of France to the Conference on Disarmament, called for dialogue to resume on collective security, taking into account the security concerns of all countries and the need for a revival of true multilateralism and a commitment to the inviolability of the non-proliferation regime.


The Conference on Disarmament will meet in public tomorrow, 27 February at 10 a.m. to continue its high-level segment.


Address by United Nations Secretary-General

ANTÓNIO GUTTERES, Secretary-General of the United Nations, welcomed efforts made this year to break the stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament and stressed that it was now important to translate them into resumption of negotiations. Affirming the priority of disarmament and arms control to the United Nations, he noted the catastrophic risks that nuclear weapons posed to human life and the environment, and commended the resilience of the people of East Asia in the face of such threats. Mr. Gutteres welcomed what he called courageous initiatives taken by the Republic of Korea during the Olympic Games, and stressed that lasting improvements were needed, based on the denuclearization of the Peninsula and sustainable peace in the region. Welcoming the completion of reductions by the United States and the Russian Federation under the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), he stressed that further disarmament and arms control measures were needed as a sound basis for peace. The Conference on Disarmament was a critical forum for such progress, he affirmed.

Noting progress in the reduction of nuclear weapons, the Secretary-General remarked that, at the same time, the General Assembly resolution on the complete elimination of such weapons had not been put into action and there were now some 150,000 nuclear arms in the world, with countries still holding the illusion that they made the world more secure. Long-pursued initiatives to cut military expenditures and reduce armed forces had also been abandoned. The military power was being glorified, while the shocking impact of conflicts on human beings was not being mentioned. Weapons were sold as ordinary commercial items and taboos against the use of chemical weapons had weakened.

In response to such concerns, the Secretary-General announced a new initiative aimed at giving greater impetus to the global disarmament agenda and addressing today’s priorities. The over-accumulation and proliferation of weapons must be stemmed by better integrating disarmament into United Nations’ efforts on preventive diplomacy and peace-making. There must be work at the global effort to forge a new consensus on eliminating nuclear weapons. More focus must be placed on stemming the humanitarian impact of conventional weapons on civilians and infrastructure and focusing on the disarmament that saved lives. Links must be strengthened between disarmament and the development agenda, through efforts to reduce illicit arms flows and military spending. The challenges posed by weapons of the future to international human rights law must be examined as well. In all such areas, practical and implementable actions must be prioritized.

The challenges were enormous, but history showed that agreement could be reached in the sector even at the most difficult moments, underlined the Secretary-General and said that his High Representative for Disarmament Affairs would reach out to a broad spectrum of actors to develop the initiative further. Further erosion of the global framework for disarmament, he said, must be urgently reversed - by advancing nuclear non-proliferation through the 2020 review process, by bringing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force without delay, by enforcing the Chemical Weapons Convention and ensuring accountability for violations, by putting the agenda for arms control and disarmament back on course, and working together for a world free of nuclear weapons. “I believe you are off to the best start in nearly two decades”, said Mr. Gutteres and called on the Member States to intensify their efforts to find consensus on the way forward and build on this new momentum.

High-Level Segment

IGNAZIO CASSIS, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, welcomed the Secretary-General’s clear message and echoed his wake-up call to the Conference. Switzerland fully supported the objective to re-energize disarmament efforts and to revitalize disarmament bodies. Switzerland was looking forward to the "disarmament agenda" that the Secretary-General had announced, and encouraged him to be bold and specific. “Disarmament needs a push, and new leadership”, stressed Mr. Cassis and went on to express great concern that, in the fractured multipolar world today, the mood was for rearmament rather than disarmament. Turning to the challenges that must be collectively addressed, Mr. Cassis first noted the growing risk of nuclear confrontation, as nuclear-related tensions and threats were moving up on the international agenda. Above all, this held true for the nuclear programme of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It was high time for all actors involved to reduce nuclear risks and avert the danger of a confrontation, urged Mr. Cassis and reiterated the readiness of Switzerland to support dialogue to get to a political solution. The fears of nuclear war however were not only linked to the situation in the Korean Peninsula. States possessing nuclear weapons were upgrading and renewing their arsenals, therefore it was imperative to avert a new nuclear arms race. States must oppose any lowering of the threshold for using nuclear weapons; rather, they must make any use of nuclear weapons even more unthinkable.

Secondly, Switzerland was concerned about the weakening of existing norms, noting that the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons had been challenged by their repeated use in the Syrian conflict. There must be thorough investigations and measures against impunity must be taken. A rules-based world order contributed to the security of all. Defending this order was a priority of Switzerland. Mr. Cassis also spoke of the humanitarian impact of weapons on civilians in armed conflict, and reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for practical, preventive measures that could save lives from the scourge of war. Meeting those challenges required an effective multilateral system that built confidence and prevented conflicts and humanitarian crises. It required a more functional disarmament machinery. The Conference on Disarmament had a special role in this machinery. It must live up to its responsibilities. Stressing the need for a new and pragmatic approach to overcome the twenty-years paralysis, Mr. Cassis welcomed the Conference’s decision to establish subsidiary bodies which would pave the way for substantive work in 2018, and so open the door to developing politically binding agreements.

MIGUEL RUIZ CABAÑAS, Deputy Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of Mexico, noting his country’s long history of collaborating with Switzerland on disarmament affairs, affirmed the importance of multilateral diplomacy in resolving global problems. He noted, however, a new mistrust of multilateralism in favour of pursuit of national interest. There was no contradiction between the two, he argued, as it was in the national interest of every country to work with others to solve issues that none could solve alone. In that light, Mexico was highly supportive of efforts to revitalize the work of the Conference of Disarmament, and it supported recent decisions toward that goal as long as they did not distract from deciding on an agenda and starting negotiations on substantive issues. The Conference should not become an example of an ineffectual body. Expressing concern over plans for further development of existing nuclear arsenals, Mr. Ruiz Cabañas hoped that the upcoming review conference on the non-proliferation treaty would result in a renewal of all commitments, particularly those of the nuclear-weapons States, and reiterated his country’s willingness to continue to work to strengthen the Conference on Disarmament and the global disarmament framework.

KYAW TIN, Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar, said that distrust among States, particularly between major powers, must be reversed with confidence-building measures and political will to counter the threat of a second nuclear age. To this end, a proactive multilateral approach was needed. In regard to developments on the Korean Peninsula, Mr. Tin affirmed the importance of compliance with Security Council resolutions, adding that his country was making every effort to accomplish that. Diplomacy, engagement and dialogue should be further pursued and encouraged, while new security challenges, such as cyber threats, must be addressed by all relevant actors, including policy makers, experts and giant media empires. The Conference on Disarmament must keep its door open to such issues, he stressed.

Affirming his country’s progress on non-proliferation as part of its reform process and the support for revitalization of the Conference on Disarmament, Mr. Tin called for substantive progress in the areas of nuclear disarmament, fissile material, negative security assurances and new challenges. Welcoming the decision on subsidiary bodies, he hoped that political will would be forthcoming to break the impasse. Noting the opportunity provided by preparations for the 2020 Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, he said it was also high time to convene a High-level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament in 2018. In closing, Mr. Tin stressed that ever-growing military expenditures must be channelled into achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

SIMAS MAGALHAES, Vice-Minister for Multilateral Political Affairs of Brazil, said that, in the rapidly deteriorating international security environment, disarmament bodies could not afford more decades of paralysis particularly as new destructive technologies emerge. A new middle ground was needed, building on the recent decisions of the Conference on Disarmament, said Mr. Magalhaes, who went on to stress the responsibility of its Member States to bridge national positions and concerns in the name of a world less vulnerable to strategic risk and more respectful of humanitarianism and human rights. Brazil was committed to its status as a Non-Nuclear Weapon State and was unimpressed by negative reactions to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Treaty’s adoption invited detractors to show that they too were serious about nuclear disarmament by promoting obviously needed progress on nuclear testing, fissile materials, review of military doctrines in view of negative assurances, transparency, confidence-building and other areas and, ultimately a comprehensive legal framework to eliminate nuclear weapons. Those issues had been on the Conference’s agenda for many years and it was the collective responsibility of members to pursue them, whether they were supporters of this Treaty or not. A major overhaul of disarmament machinery was needed; Brazil supported the convening of a Fourth Special Session of the General Assembly on the issue.

ROBERT WOOD, Permanent Representative of the United States to the Conference on Disarmament, said that his country had for decades led the world in efforts to reduce the role and number of nuclear weapons, reducing its stockpile by over 85 per cent since the height of the Cold War. Unfortunately, other States had done the opposite by increasing their stockpiles and even developing and fielding new nuclear capabilities, while both great powers and rogue States were taking provocative stances. In light of such developments, as outlined in its Nuclear Posture Review, the United States approach was one of principled realism that aimed to bolster nuclear deterrence and sustain a safe and effective arsenal. Near-term progress on nuclear disarmament was unrealistic in the current context. Even in such difficult times, however, his country would seek the development of measures that could create conditions for future nuclear-disarmament negotiations.

AMANDEEP SINGH GILL, Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament, welcomed the recent decisions made by the Conference, hoping that they would lead to work on areas of communality and eventually to legally binding decisions. His country supported a universal and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament framework that included immediate commencement of negotiations on a fissile-material treaty and other measures practicable in the near term. It was also, he said, important to pull together all strands of substantive progress occurring in all forums on the range of areas related to disarmament. That could now be done through the subsidiary bodies that had been created by the Conference, including consideration of new technologies. The disarmament machinery must be revitalized through focus and commitment, as there was no alternative.

FU CONG, Permanent Representative of China to the Conference on Disarmament, said that the revitalizing of the disarmament machinery was inseparable from international peace and security, as the effects of technology on security was rapidly developing. It was necessary to provide better focus for the work on the elimination of nuclear weapons toward measures that could actually strengthen peace and security. China was always committed to avoiding the first use, and to reducing nuclear arsenals; negative assurances should be the basis of current nuclear disarmament discussions, as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons had no legal force. International norms lagged in the domain of in technological developments in outer space, and such a gap must be filled by preventive diplomacy, so China called upon the Conference to commence discussion on new technologies as soon as possible. Non-proliferation, in addition, should be pursued universally and equitably, stressed Mr. Cong, stating that countries must not be deprived of peaceful technology. The principle of consensus must be upheld in all areas and the Conference on Disarmament must maintain its support for that principle, while increasing its universality and inclusiveness.

ALICE GUITTON, Permanent Representative of France to the Conference on Disarmament, welcomed the Secretary-General’s call for stepped up efforts in arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, as long as they were anchored in a realistic security context. Dialogue must resume on collective security, taking into account the security concerns of all countries and the need for a revival of true multilateralism. In addition, the Ambassador stressed that the inviolability of non-proliferation regimes must be cemented in favour of international stability. In the current context, isolationism was tempting but must be avoided. Dialogue to make progress, reduce tensions and reduce conflict were critical. France, she said, was committed to all those efforts, as well as nuclear disarmament as it became practicable. Meanwhile, negotiations toward the control of fissile materials should be a step leading toward that goal. Control of small arms and light weapons were another priority of her country, which was committed to building a world safe for all. Ms. Guitton welcomed the recent decisions of the Conference as an indication that gradual progress was possible, and reiterated the support of France to such work.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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