UNDC Day Two: Laying the groundwork for consensus

by Katherine Prizeman, Global Action to Prevent War

The second day of General Debate at the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC) was characterized by another broad discussion on the three agenda items for the 2011 session—nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, the draft elements for the fourth disarmament decade, and confidence-building measures in the field conventional weapons—with heavy emphasis, once again, on the nuclear issue. The delegations of Egypt, Nepal, Indonesia, Switzerland, India, France, Cuba, Russia, Liechtenstein, and Mexico offered statements.

In terms of nuclear weapons, Egypt’s delegation expressed concern over the lack of progress on disarmament made by the five nuclear weapon states. The Egyptian delegate called for a greater synergy between the twin pillars of non-proliferation and disarmament. Nepal’s delegation addressed the lack of economic and social progress, notably the failure to abate extreme poverty, as the context for its own call for disarmament. Likewise, the Cuban delegation underscored the annual accelerated growth of military expenditures, which compromise economic and social development. Liechtenstein’s representative highlighted the connection between disarmament, non-proliferation, international human rights, and humanitarian law, declaring that the ultimate goal of disarmament is to ‘prevent human suffering.’

The adoption of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty by the two states with the largest nuclear arsenals was also praised by several delegations, including Indonesia. Russia, however, made it known that it and the US should not shoulder all the burden of nuclear disarmament. Furthermore, Russia’s delegation argued that in order to discuss further nuclear reductions, there must be a ‘favorable international environment’ for such negotiations.

Emphasis on the nuclear issue was shared by India whose delegate declared that nuclear disarmament remains the highest priority for the Non-Aligned Movement as well as for its own national policy. The Indian delegate lamented that the international community is nowhere near achieving the goal of nuclear disarmament and no closer than it was in 1988 when the then-Indian Prime Minister presented an Action Plan for a Nuclear Weapon-Free and Non-Violent World Order.

Comments on the draft elements for a fourth disarmament decade (the 2010s) were varied and included calls for convening the Fourth Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to Disarmament (SSOD-IV) as well as calls to emphasize the priority of nuclear disarmament and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. Nonetheless, there was general consensus that there should be substantive discussions on the revised draft from the previous year and renewed efforts to reach consensus on elements that provide elusive in 2010. Other delegations gave cursory reference to the disarmament decade, such as Cuba’s, which called for a declaration that mobilizes general efforts to face current disarmament challenges.

The implementation of the UN Programme of Action on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (UNPoA) also received attention by several delegations. There were several calls for using this existing UN framework more robustly to deal with illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons. Switzerland made particular reference to the link between illegal and uncontrolled trafficking in conventional arms and armed conflict, which in turn leads to a lack of human security and peace. The Swiss delegate explained that the existing disarmament bodies do not seem to be able to find answers to these challenges. According to the Swiss delegation, such ‘deadlocks’ must be addressed, perhaps through a revitalization and re-organization of the UNDC or of the disarmament machinery as a whole.

Despite Switzerland’s disappointment with the current disarmament machinery, there were some positive assessments of the potential of existing UN disarmament structure. The French delegate expressed support for the upcoming Meeting of Governmental Experts in May 2011 on the themes of marking, tracking, and registering of small arms and light weapons as part of implementation of the UNPoA. Russia also declared support for the UN Register of Conventional Arms as the ‘only global instrument of transparency to keep close watch on destabilizing accumulations of conventional arms.’ Liechtenstein identified transparency as one of the most important confidence-building measures in the field of conventional weapons. In this light, reporting to the UN Register was strongly encouraged by Liechtenstein.

The last two days have offered a glimpse into the wide variety of perspectives on disarmament among delegations. Member states are using the opportunity provided by the UNDC to underscore the areas of disarmament they feel most committed to and outline their vision of what the UNDC could and should accomplish. However, as the General Debate comes to a close, the real work begins towards consensus on recommendations to be sent in advance to the First Committee. The three Working Groups must take seriously their deliberations with a view towards clear, practical, and concrete recommendations relevant to the three agenda items, rather than engaging in repetitive musings on general issues of peace and security.