Disarmament Commission

The Disarmament Commission met this afternoon to conduct an organizational meeting, but did not proceed because the representative of the Russian Federation raised a concern about the United States hindering the arrival of the head of his delegation.

Continuing its 2018 substantive session, the Disarmament Commission this afternoon elected René Zelený (Czechia) as Vice-Chair by acclamation, thus filling a remaining Bureau vacancy.

As a universal body with a mandate to make every effort to reach consensus, the Disarmament Commission could build on overcoming its 18‑year‑long deadlock to make a unique and constructive contribution to further signs of progress, from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s commitment to denuclearization to the reduction of strategic nuclear forces by the Russian Federation and the United States, delegates heard at the opening of its 2018 session, launching a new 3‑year cycle.

Following three weeks of deliberations, the Disarmament Commission reached consensus today on the draft report it would send to the General Assembly and on the reports of its subsidiary bodies, as it concluded its 2017 substantive session.

Negotiations on a legally binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons should breathe new life into the work of the Disarmament Commission, speakers said today as that panel concluded the general debate portion of its annual substantive session.

The Disarmament Commission elected the Chair and two Vice-Chairs for its 2017 substantive session today, and took note of the provisional agenda for the third year of its three-year cycle, to be held from 3 to 21 April.

The international community must work together to prevent the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons use, including in the hands of terrorist groups, speakers stressed today as the Disarmament Commission concluded the general debate portion of its annual substantive session.

The Disarmament Commission elected the Chair for its 2016 substantive session today, and reviewed the provisional agenda for the second year of its three-year cycle, to be held from 4 to 21 April.

Nuclear disarmament was at a crossroads, with the Korean peninsula a “touch-and-go powder keg” and the oldest and newest nuclear-weapon States in sharp confrontation with each other, the representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea told the Disarmament Commission today, as Member States concluded the general debate of their annual substantive session.