“New Approaches to General and Complete Disarmament”:
The Strategic Concept for the Removal of Arms and Proliferation Project

Ambassador Hoffmann
Dr. Plesch
Distinguished Panellists

I would like to welcome you all to the Palais des Nations. Geneva is the disarmament capital of the world where Member States from across the world come for talks and consultations. I thank Dr. Plesch for bringing here students from both the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London and the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.

I am delighted to see so many young people here; it gives me hope that the future of disarmament is in good hands. It is always a privilege to have a dialogue with the next generation of policy-makers. I believe that disarmament and non-proliferation education – especially among youth – is key in fighting indifference and complacency. It is essential to empower the young to become active and engaged citizens who can make their views on peace and security known to decision-makers. It is a therefore particular priority for me to reach out to students, to sensitize them to the importance of disarmament. I take this opportunity to say to you how much I value your interest in disarmament and your commitment to working with the United Nations.

The “Strategic Concept for the Removal of Arms and Proliferation” proposal – known by its very appropriate acronym SCRAP – represents an interesting and innovative holistic approach to general and complete disarmament. It is initiatives such as this one that contribute to keeping the issue of disarmament and non-proliferation alive and on the agenda of Governments.

I appreciate this presentation of SCRAP in Geneva, which is the world’s disarmament capital, as I mentioned earlier. As you know, Geneva hosts the Conference on Disarmament, the world’s single standing multilateral disarmament negotiating body of the international community. The CD, and its predecessors, negotiated major multilateral agreements, such as the Treaty on the non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons – the NPT; the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions; and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Given such a record of accomplishments, it is unacceptable that the Conference on Disarmament has been unable to break its stalemate for so many years due to persisting divergences among its Members on political priorities.

As Secretary-General of the Conference, I continue to appeal to the Member States of the Conference to lay aside their differences and to establish and implement a Programme of Work that includes substantive negotiations. I appreciate sharing this podium with Ambassador Hoffmann who is among the strongest and most eloquent advocates of the need to break the impasse. He is a real expert on all disarmament matters.

Last year, I also suggested that in the absence of agreement on a Programme of Work, some procedural reform could be undertaken in order to help the CD function better. Obviously, procedural reform is no substitute for substantive work. And, it goes without saying that substantive work in the CD can only happen if the political environment is favourable.

Last year, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution establishing a Group of Governmental Experts to meet here in Geneva in 2014, next year, and 2015 on the issue of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. I hope that this initiative can help to create a new momentum in the CD for eventual negotiations on this important topic.

Another resolution adopted last autumn by the General Assembly establishes an Open-Ended Working Group to develop proposals to take forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations. It is to meet in Geneva this year and it is the first time that the General Assembly will meet in such an open-ended format outside New York. I trust that this process will also eventually return to the Conference on Disarmament, which should remain as the world’s single standing multilateral disarmament negotiating body.

Also this year, from 22 April to 3 May, the Second Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference of the NPT will meet in Geneva. We look forward to the continued engagement of States to further the implementation of the conclusions and recommendations for follow-up action agreed at the 2010 Review Conference, which is critical to building a safer and more secure world.

An important aspect that I would like to touch upon is the nuclear test conducted two days ago by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This test was the latest reminder of the need for disarmament and non-proliferation.

As the Secretary-General has often emphasized: the world is over-armed and peace is underfunded. This represents an existential threat for us as the human family, with serious repercussions not only for peace and security, but also development. Global military expenditure now tops 1.7 trillion US dollars. By comparison, according to the OECD, the world spends only around 130 billion US dollars in official development assistance each year. Of these, some 44 billion US dollars go to the least developed countries. Excessive military budgets promote proliferation, undermine arms control and detract from social and economic development.

So, it is my hope that the SCRAP project can provide inspiration to reverse these trends – urgently.

Your interest in disarmament is a message of hope for all of us. I trust that with your education and your vision you will make a lasting contribution to the promotion of disarmament and non-proliferation.

Thank you very much for your attention.