Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the press.

It is a great pleasure to meet you on the occasion of my participation in this very important DPI/NGO international conference on disarmament for security.

You have already heard my opening statement and you have heard many inspiring statements by keynote speakers and therefore my statement will be very brief.

Although disarmament may not always grab headlines in the media, it is a critical issue affecting the lives and safety and future of millions and millions around the world.

Peace, security, and economic and social development are indivisible. And to achieve these, the world must disarm.

Some say “let's postpone disarmament until peace occurs first”. But I urge you to harness your tremendous collective power and send a strong signal to the world that the time for disarmament is now.

I am heartened that disarmament is once again taking centre stage internationally. Later this month, on September 24th, President Obama of the United States, in his capacity as President of the Security Council, will preside over a summit-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on disarmament and non-proliferation.

Also in September, on the margins of the General Assembly, the countries that have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty – the CTBT – will gather together at the United Nations to consider ways to promote its early entry into force.

And on those two important occasions I myself will take part. And in May next year, the United Nations will host a major five-year review conference involving the parties to the NPT, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which will examine the state of the treaty's three pillars: disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Clearly, if Member States make progress, we have an opportunity to move towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

I want to thank you, as members of the media, for coming today. We need your help in promoting the messages of the conference. You can be the connectors from the United Nations, from NGOs, to the international world as a whole.

The more people know about the true costs of weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms, the better chance we will have of advancing the disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. Your role is vital, and I count on your continuous support and cooperation and your own role to play as members of the media. Thank you very much for your patience.

I'll be happy to take your questions. Thank you.