UNGA 73 First Committee: UK Statement on Disarmament Machinery
The UK reaffirmed its support for the current arms control machinery and highlighted the important work carried out by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research.
The UK aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union. I would like to make some remarks in a national capacity.
The United Kingdom remains fully committed to the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons, in line with our obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. We strongly believe that the best way to achieve this goal is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step by step approach and within existing frameworks.
We remain committed to the current Disarmament Machinery, which is a central pillar of the rules based international order. It is at the heart of our multilateral approach to disarmament issues.
The strength of the Conference on Disarmament is that it affords a forum in which all states that possess nuclear weapons and other key players in the international system can have serious discussions on disarmament, with respect to each other’s national security interests, protected by the consensus rule. But that rule should not be employed to block the adoption of a programme to get us back to work. We again call for the early resumption of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.
The CD is the only place where effective disarmament measures that bind all relevant actors can be negotiated. Instruments agreed in the CD become cornerstones of the international system. If progress is slow, it is not down to the machinery, but the lack of political will amongst its member States.
The UK welcomes the progress made in the 2018 CD session, particularly with regard to the establishment of the five Subsidiary Bodies. Their substantive discussions, and the reports adopted by consensus for four of the five, should be the basis for further work in 2019.
The UK looks forward to assuming the Presidency of the CD in February. We invite all CD member States to send senior representation for the High Level Segment, in the week of 25 February. We will work with all delegations, and the five other Presidents of the 2019 session, to see if a Programme of Work acceptable to all delegations can be adopted. This is key to progressing the work of the CD.
Mr Chair,
We welcome the aspiration of the Secretary General, set out in his own Disarmament Agenda, to do more to save lives, build partnerships and prevent conflict – though there are some elements that we disagree with. We are carefully reviewing the actions in the UN’s implementation plan. The UK firmly supports the current arms control machinery and the existing regimes and believe that any actions emanating from the disarmament agenda should enhance implementation and bolster compliance with the existing mechanisms. Those mechanisms must be fully and sustainably funded if they are to play the role we all need them to play. We are encouraged by efforts to find solutions to the structural problems that exist in some conventions and treaties, but they will only work if all States parties pay their contributions, on time and in full, and settle the arrears that have built up.
We hope that a Fourth Special Session on Disarmament would focus on how the international community can come together and work on issues that benefit all of our mutual security, and review elements of the disarmament machinery to ensure they work smoothly together.
To conclude, I would like to recognise the valuable work carried out by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, as a stand-alone autonomous institution. Its independent research on disarmament and security plays an important role in informing the work of the CD and other parts of the disarmament machinery, as well as the wider debate on these issues. We look forward to participating in further work on how to improve its funding structure and operating model.
We look forward to working with all delegations on these vital issues, across the UN disarmament machinery, over the next year.