Conference on Disarmament Holds Final Plenary Under the Presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Conference on Disarmament today held the final plenary under the presidency of Ambassador Paul Empole Efambe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who said that no consensus had been achieved on the draft reports of the Conference’s five subsidiary bodies.
Ambassador Empole Efambe said that he had made the process of adopting the reports of the Conference’s subsidiary bodies the priority of his presidency. Coordinators had gone to significant efforts to produce these reports, in some cases producing five drafts. Thanks to the constructive contributions of Member States, great progress had been made, although consensus was not achieved today.
The incoming President of the Conference, Ambassador Emilio Rafael Izquierdo Miño of Ecuador, congratulated Mr. Empole Efambe and the coordinators of the five subsidiary bodies for their significant efforts. Mr. Empole Efambe had directed the work the Conference with transparency, inclusiveness and respect. During Ecuador's presidency, Mr. Izquierdo Miño pledged to devote time to moderating negotiations on the report of the Conference to the General Assembly.
In addition to the outgoing and incumbent Presidents, the following countries spoke in the meeting: Algeria, Spain, Chile, Indonesia, Belarus, Ukraine, Cuba, Pakistan, Brazil and Nigeria.
The date of the next public plenary of the Conference will be announced by the secretariat. The third and final part of the 2022 session of the Conference on Disarmament is being held from 1 August to 16 September.
Statements
Ambassador PAUL EMPOLE EFAMBE of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said that this was the last plenary under the presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr. Empole Efambe thanked Member States for their support and commitment to the process of developing the reports of the subsidiary bodies. The coordination of subsidiary bodies was an arduous task, especially in achieving a balance between the various concerns of Member States. The coordinators had worked night and day to produce the reports. Mr. Empole Efambe called on Member States to facilitate the adoption of the reports in gratitude for the services rendered and sacrifices made. The reports were not intended to resolve outstanding problems or existing differences.
LAZHAR SOUALEM, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations Office at Geneva and coordinator of subsidiary body one on the cessation of the arms race and nuclear disarmament, said that a new version of the report had been circulated on 17 August. Algeria recognised the compromises that Member States had made, which had allowed the subsidiary body to achieve general consensus. Comments had been received on the afternoon of 18 August. The Member States involved said that comments would not have a major impact on the report, and that they would work to achieve consensus. These comments would be discussed informally.
IGNACIO SÀNCHEZ DE LERÍN GARCÍA, Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ambassador for Disarmament, and coordinator of subsidiary body two on the prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters, thanked Mr. Efambe for his efforts working towards finalising the reports. Spain also thanked delegates for their cooperation and flexibility regarding the report of subsidiary body two. Spain had been transparent and had held punctual meetings. The fifth version of the report had been completed. It reflected the various positions expressed by delegations. However, certain Member States would have to accept the positions of other States on certain topics. Spain had implemented the silent procedure regarding the report. Last-minute revisions had been received, and it was unclear if these revisions could be incorporated in the report. It was unlikely that the current report would achieve consensus from all Member States.
PAMELA MORAGA, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations Office at Geneva and coordinator of subsidiary body three on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, thanked the President and his team for their efforts regarding the subsidiary body reports. The informal session would give Chile the opportunity to gauge whether the current version of the report could be adopted. The aim of the subsidiary bodies was to achieve consensus on important issues.
FEBRIAN RUDDYARD, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations Office at Geneva and coordinator of subsidiary body four on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, said that since the circulation of the fourth draft report, input had been received from delegations, and these had been included in a fifth draft report. The changes did not affect the overall substance of the report. Mr. Ruddyard expressed hope that consensus could be achieved on the report.
ALEKSANDR PYTALEV, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the United Nations Office at Geneva and coordinator of subsidiary body five on new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons, radiological weapons, a comprehensive programme of disarmament and transparency in armaments, thanked the President for his efforts and support regarding the subsidiary bodies, and thanked all delegations for their cooperation. Four proposals on the latest report had been received, of which two were substantive. Belarus had consulted with the authors of those proposals, and they had accepted to withdraw their proposals. The report would hence be submitted with two technical changes, and it was hoped that consensus could be reached on it.
Ukraine said that it had recently introduced substantive amendments to draft reports of subsidiary bodies one, two and four. The Government of Ukraine found itself in a difficult situation, but amendments had been submitted before the deadline. It requested that its amendments were considered.
Cuba expressed its recognition of and gratitude for the efforts made on the subsidiary body reports. The presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had been constructive, positive and serious, and it was thanks to this that substantive progress on the reports had been achieved.
Ambassador PAUL EMPOLE EFAMBE of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said that subsidiary body one could move into an informal session to discuss comments on the report. It would not be possible to achieve a consensus on the report of subsidiary body two. It was possible to achieve consensus for subsidiary bodies three, four and five, so informal sessions would be held for those bodies.
After informal meetings were held, Ambassador EMILIO RAFAEL IZQUIERDO MIÑO of Ecuador, incoming President of the Conference on Disarmament, congratulated Mr. Empole Efambe and the coordinators of the five subsidiary bodies for their significant efforts. Mr. Empole Efambe had directed the work the Conference with transparency, inclusiveness and respect. Mr. Izquierdo Miño acknowledged the hard work carried out over several months by the coordinators of the five subsidiary bodies. During Ecuador's presidency, Mr. Izquierdo Miño said he would devote time to moderating negotiations on the report of the Conference to the General Assembly. Work on the report needed to be concluded by 16 September. Consideration of the report would begin on Tuesday, 30 August, at which time consideration of subsidiary body reports would have concluded. A draft text would be distributed on Monday, 29 August.
The responsibility of the presidency was limited to presenting the draft and submitting it to Member States to consider its adoption. The President would guide the work of Member States with the aim of reaching consensus, and consider possible mechanisms to overcome any difficulties encountered. The document would be an objective and factual report on the work carried out by the Conference during the year. Mr. Izquierdo Miño called on all delegations to support for the forthcoming presidency of Ecuador, and to be willing to work positively and flexibly with all Member States to achieve consensus on the report.
Ambassador PAUL EMPOLE EFAMBE of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said that he had made the process of adopting the reports of the subsidiary bodies the priority of the presidency. Coordinators had gone to significant efforts to produce these reports, in some cases producing five drafts. Thanks to the constructive contributions of Member States, great progress had been made, although consensus was not achieved today. The work of the presidency was truly engaging. Mr. Empole Efambe appreciated the support of all members.
It was everyone’s responsibility to put an end to the paralysis regarding work to end the arms race. Weapons traded in Africa often fell into the hands of rebel groups. The activity of these groups had become a lucrative business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries. The President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo supported human rights and general wellbeing in the region. The Ecuadorian Ambassador would have a difficult task as President, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo pledged its support to Ecuador, and thanked all delegates for their cooperation and support. Further, Mr. Empole Efambe thanked Tatiana Valovaya, the Secretary-General of the Conference, for attending the meeting.
Pakistan congratulated Mr. Empole Efambe and thanked him for his efforts throughout the presidency. Pakistan expressed hope that consensus could be reached on the reports of the five subsidiary bodies. Pakistan expressed support for the incoming Ecuadorian presidency.
Brazil congratulated the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mr. Empole Efambe for the way he led the Conference, allowing for fruitful debates. Brazil expressed its support for the incoming Ecuadorian presidency.
Algeria thanked the Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for his work as president, and the subsidiary body coordinators for their efforts. Algeria expressed support for the incoming Ecuadorian presidency.
Nigeria congratulated the delegation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a fruitful presidency. It was regrettable that consensus could not be reached on the reports, but Nigeria expressed hope that consensus could be reached during the Ecuadorian presidency.
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not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.
DC22.031E