Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Chair,
At a time of growing nuclear and other strategic risks, Member States need disarmament machinery that can support dialogue, build confidence, and which will deliver practical results.
CANZ is committed to working constructively with all Member States to strengthen this system. Reform should be strategic, inclusive and focused on outcomes. It should preserve what works, address persistent weaknesses and ensure that our institutions can fulfil their mandates effectively and efficiently.
The responsibility to effectively strengthen the disarmament system rests with Member States. We should approach differences in good faith, seek common ground and ensure that procedural disagreements do not prevent substantive progress. CANZ is ready to listen, contribute ideas and work across regional and political groups to build practical solutions.
Chair,
CANZ thanks the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs for its work in New York, Geneva and beyond in support of Member States and the effective functioning of the disarmament machinery, including in its application of the principles underlying UN80. We value its efforts to build disarmament literacy and capacity, and its focus on youth, gender equality and inclusion.
CANZ also strongly values the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. UNIDIR’s independent research and convening role help Member States understand emerging challenges, identify areas of convergence and develop informed responses. Its independence remains critical.
Chair,
We must also make better use of the institutions already available to us.
CANZ remains concerned that the Conference on Disarmament has not fulfilled its core negotiating mandate for three decades. The Conference exists to negotiate, not just to deliberate. We encourage its members to build on substantive discussions, improve continuity between sessions and work with urgency towards negotiations. Its work should also be more inclusive, including through the participation of non-member States and serious consideration of membership applications.
The United Nations Disarmament Commission has not functioned as effectively as it should in recent years. Its universal membership and consensus-based approach give it a distinctive role in developing common understandings and practical recommendations.
If the Commission is to resume substantive work, we should consider focused and achievable agendas, build on areas where convergence is possible, and explore pathways to resolve procedural deadlock. CANZ stands ready to work with others on practical improvements that enable the Commission to deliver.
Chair,
First Committee remains the universal forum in which all Member States can address disarmament and international security on an equal footing. It should help connect the different parts of the machinery, promote implementation and hold our institutions to their mandates.
CANZ does not seek reform for its own sake. We seek a disarmament system that is inclusive, efficient, responsive and capable of results. That will require sustained political will, flexibility and cooperation from us all. CANZ will continue to be constructive partners in that work.