On April 4, the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC) opened its 2011 session under the leadership of Ambassador Hamid al-Bayati of Iraq. The Chairman of the UNDC and the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte offered opening statements for the 2011 session, which is the final session of its three-year issue cycle. High Representative Duarte noted that the UNDC must be utilized as an opportunity to open new possibilitiesfor addressing threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and from conventional weapons rather than merely devolve into a ‘desperate pursuit of security through self-help.’
The programme of work will span three weeks and will be composed of three working groups to deliberate on three specific agenda items: recommendations for achieving the objective of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, elements on a draft declaration of the 2010s as the fourth disarmament decade, and practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional weapons. The General Debate will last through Tuesday evening at which point the item-specific working groups will convene. Discussions today were wide in breadth as delegations covered nuclear and conventional weapons on the whole with references to landmines and cluster munitions, an arms trade treaty, negative security assurances (NSAs), the Fissile Cut-Off Material Treaty (FMCT), the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Nuclear Weapon Free Zones (NWFZs), and small arms and light weapons (SALWs)—among other more general disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control concerns.
Several r egional blocs delivered statements during the first morning session including the European Union (Hungary), the Rio Group (Chile), the Non-Aligned Movement, (Indonesia) and the African Group (Nigeria). In addition, Australia, Senegal, Japan, Brazil, Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Algeria, Sweden, Republic of Korea, United States, Montenegro, The Democratic Republic of Korea, Lichtenstein, Russia, China, and Bangladesh offered opinions during the first General Debate of the plenary.
Each delegation, in some capacity, highlighted the nuclear issue and the importance of reaching agreement on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament whether through a focus on strengthening the NPT regime, providing NSAs for non-nuclear states, supporting entry-into-force of the CTBT, or negotiation of an FMCT. Several states, including Indonesia, Japan, Brazil, Tanzania, and Australia explicitly committed themselves to a world free of nuclear weapons. The representative of Kazakhstan underscored the significance of FMCT negotiations and a commitment to NWFZs. The United States also expressed concern over the failure of the FMCT negotiations. China highlighted the special responsibility of states with the largest nuclear arsenals to contribute to nuclear disarmament through reductions. Pakistan, which focused almost exclusively on the nuclear agenda item, expressed concern over what it considers ‘recent negative developments' in the movement towards nuclear disarmament. The Pakistani representative declared that nuclear weapon states do not appear ready to give up nuclear weapons or even take up the issue in multilateral fora. The Pakistani delegation also reiterated that the Conference on Disarmament (CD) is a consensus-based body that provides for the ‘equal security of all states’ and, thus, the right to dissent. The Republic of Korea also focused exclusively on the nuclear agenda item and encouraged the entry-into-force of the CTBT.
Conventional weapons also received attention, albeit less attention than the nuclear issue. Australia commented on the current opportunity to create a legally-binding arms trade treaty (ATT) as well as support for the full implementation of the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA) on SALWs. Nigeria, representing the African Group, focused on regulating the illicit movement of arms. Kenya also expressed support for the 2012 Conference on an ATT as well as the negotiations for a NWFZ in the Middle East. The EU gave a detailed statement on the importance of the UNDC in providing adequate attention to conventional weapons through regulation of weapons transfers, the formulation and adoption of an ATT, the full implementation of the UNPoA via support for the upcoming Open-ended Meeting of Governmental Experts (MGE) in May 2011, and the 2012 Review Conference of the UNPoA. Montenegro also expressed strong support for an ATT and next month's MGE.
As the UNDC begins its 2011 substantive session, it is important to understand how it fits into the context of the wider UN system. Due to the complexities of global disarmament, there are multiple tools in the UN disarmament toolbox—the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, the First Committee of the General Assembly, Special Sessions on disarmament issues such as Arms Trade, and the Disarmament Commission. The UNDC is part of the disarmament machinery that seeks to address impediments to achieving adequate and practical global disarmament that can provide security assurances to states at the least possible level of armament. However, like the CD in Geneva that has failed to agree on an agenda of work for more than a decade, the UNDC has not been able to provide substantial recommendations on its agenda items since 2000 when it began its work.
Nonetheless, as was pointed out by several delegations, the UNDC is considered the most ‘specialized, deliberative body for in-depth deliberations on specific disarmament issues.’ The United States referred to the UNDC as the ‘deliberative think tank on arms control.’ However, no matter how ‘deliberate’ the discussions on very specific disarmament-related issues, concrete recommendations must be formulated and submitted to the General Assembly for consideration prior to the First Committee in order to make the ‘deliberate’ nature of such negotiations manifest in policy. As the Swedish delegate stated, ‘If the negotiations are not moving us forward through concrete recommendation, they fail to add much value to discussion elsewhere, such as those that take place in the First Committee.’ The Kenya delegate poignantly remarked that the lack of consensus on recommendations at the conclusion of the 2010 UNDC session should not lead to despair, but rather, delegations should take the time and space provided by the UNDC to move forward towards substantive recommendations. With its deliberative nature and universal membership, the DC is an ideal vehicle to formulate recommendations for movement forward on issues of global disarmament.
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