Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Chair,
I take the floor on behalf of the States Parties and Signatory States to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
We meet at a pivotal time for the global nuclear architecture, following the disappointing conclusion of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons without a final outcome and in advance of the First Review Conference of the TPNW. We States Parties and Signatory States to the TPNW reiterate our commitment to both the NPT and TPNW working towards achieving concrete progress towards a world free of nuclear weapons.
We reaffirm that the establishment of a legally binding regime on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, the core purpose of the TPNW, is a necessary and effective measure in preventing a nuclear arms race and towards achieving nuclear disarmament. The legal prohibition constitutes a fundamental step towards the complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of nuclear weapons needed for achieving and maintaining a world free of nuclear weapons. We also recall the compatibility of the prohibitions of the TPNW with those in Treaties establishing Nuclear Weapons-Free Zones.
We welcome the latest States that have signed and ratified the TPNW, taking the total combined number of states parties and signatories to over 100 States, demonstrating the determination of a global majority of States to eliminate nuclear weapons.
We invite States who share our aspiration for a world without nuclear weapons to sign, ratify or accede to the Treaty and support the TPNW resolution to be tabled in this Committee.
Chair,
The awareness of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, and a firm conviction to prevent such consequences, continues to guide our work to advance nuclear disarmament.
The inherent risks, transboundary and global consequences of nuclear weapons, for which no state, nor any international humanitarian organization, including those within the United Nations system, has adequate response capacity, make clear that all States’ security is jeopardized and that all States therefore have an urgent security interest in their total elimination. Nuclear weapons are therefore a threat to the security and ultimately the existence, of all States, irrespective of whether they possess nuclear weapons, subscribe to nuclear deterrence or firmly oppose it. The complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of nuclear weapons is not just an aspiration but an ethical and humanitarian imperative for global security and the survival of humanity. The awareness of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons has inspired entire regions to establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones. As reaffirmed by the recent United Nations study of the question of nuclear-weapon-free zones in all its aspects, these arrangements continue to demonstrate that security can be pursued without reliance on nuclear weapons and remain important building blocks towards a world free of nuclear weapons.
Chair,
We remain gravely concerned that nine States still possess arsenals of thousands of nuclear weapons that could destroy human civilisation, many times over. Heightened geopolitical tensions, further expansion and modernization of nuclear arsenals, the increasing salience of nuclear weapons in military and security doctrines, including through security guarantees and the growing dangers of nuclear proliferation and potentially devasting nuclear arms race demand immediate and decisive action from all of us.
We are also witnessing renewed indications towards further embedding nuclear weapons in security policies around the world, whether through continued possession and modernization, or through extended deterrence, including in connection with deploying and sharing nuclear weapons in additional countries. Such actions weaken the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament architecture. The risk of nuclear weapons being used again remains an inherent threat due to their very existence, which results in profound and legitimate security concerns for all States, including examples of non-nuclear weapon States that have been subjected to explicit threats by nuclear weapon States, adding to the already worrying trend of overt and implicit threats between nuclear weapons States. As States Parties and Signatory States to the TPNW, we reiterate that nuclear weapons do not provide sustainable national, regional, or international security. To the contrary, nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence pose significant and existential risks with consequences borne by all States and all of humanity.
We stress that any use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is a violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, and is inadmissible and contrary to international humanitarian law. In this regard, we condemn all threats of use of nuclear weapons, implicit or explicit, by any actor, and we firmly deplore all nuclear threats, and increasingly strident nuclear rhetoric.
Chair,
We are increasingly seeing the application of emerging technologies, including autonomous and artificial intelligence, in the nuclear weapons context. We are concerned these applications can heighten the risk of nuclear weapon use, whether intentional or not, by increasing the prospect of miscalculation, escalation, or loss of control over critical systems. Vulnerabilities in command, control and communication systems of nuclear weapons risk manipulation and unauthorized use. Pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons, nuclear-armed States must maintain meaningful human control and oversight of the relevant decision-making processes over nuclear weapons and their delivery systems in the context of the development of artificial intelligence technology and other new and emerging technologies in the military field.
Chair,
Nuclear testing must not resume for any reason or under any pretext and therefore we urge all States to uphold the global norm against nuclear testing and to relegate the terrible legacy of testing to history. We also reaffirm that the TPNW is fully complementary to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT). The entry into force of the CTBT is essential and long overdue. We call on the remaining annex 2 States to sign and ratify the CTBT without any additional delays, preconditions or other conditionalities.
It is unacceptable that decades after the use or testing of nuclear weapons, many affected communities still await assistance and environmental remediation.
We emphasise the ongoing effort by TPNW States Parties and Signatory States aimed towards establishing mechanisms for the allocation of necessary resources to aid those who have suffered from nuclear weapons use and testing, including through, inter alia, the discussions on the feasibility and potential establishment, amongst any other feasible mechanisms, of an international trust fund for victim assistance and environmental remediation that is viable, effective, and sustainable.
We recall the Treaty’s recognition of the disproportionate impact of ionising radiation on women and girls and stress the importance of age- and gender-responsive assistance.
We call on all States to do their part in addressing the harms to people and the environment caused by nuclear testing.
We reaffirm that full, equal and meaningful participation of both women and men is essential to advancing nuclear disarmament and achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.
Chair,
We, the States Parties and Signatory States to the TPNW, stand united in our unwavering determination to confront escalating nuclear dangers. We will use the First Review Conference of the Treaty to strengthen implementation, deepen cooperation and widen participation. A world free of nuclear weapons, is a global public good of the highest order, and we invite all States to join us in achieving it
I thank you.