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The CD hears a statement from WILPF on International Women's Day

Beatrice Fihn | Reaching Critical Will

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) met on Tuesday, 8 March to hear a statement by Ms. Adilia Caravaca of the Costa Rican section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Mr. Grigol Vashadze, Foreign Minister of Georgia, also delivered a statement to the CD. After these interventions, delegations engaged in another thematic debate, this time on the topic of prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS). Representatives from Brazil, China, theRepublic of Korea, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Germany, Russia, Mexico, and Iran took the floor.

Highlights

  • For the second year in a row, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was able to deliver the annual statement in person. Just like last year, this decision was taken without setting a precedent for the future.
  • The delegations of Russia, Mexico, Germany, and Iran welcomed the statement made by WILPF and emphasized the importance of increased access for NGOs in the work of the CD.
  • The Russian delegation explored different options for verification of a future legally-binding instrument on prevention of an arms race in outer space.
  • The Foreign minister of Georgia and the Russian delegation debated the regional conflict in their area.

A broader view of disarmament
Ms. Adilia Caravaca of WILPF emphasized the role of women in political processes for peace and justice. She also highlighted the reportfrom the 2006 Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, which concluded that “armament policies and the use of armed force have often been influenced by misguided ideas about masculinity and strength. An understanding of and emancipation from this traditional perspective might help to remove some of the hurdles on the road to disarmament and non-proliferation.”

WILPF noted that in a world of increasing economic inequalities and political instabilities, and shrinking natural resources and environmental deterioration, the CD must help realize the mandate of article 26 of the UN Charter by resuming work on disarmament negotiations. Ms. Caravaca reminded delegations that the CD is not mandated to maintain the status quo, but to change the situation by negotiating measures that will make a contribution to preventing armed conflict, preventing the violation of human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as reducing the culture and economy of militarism.

Mr. Hernandez Basave of Mexico welcomed the contribution from civil society and highlighted the important role that women play in promoting peace and disarmament. Mr. Hernandez Basave expressed hope that the CD could begin negotiations soon, and that civil society would be involved in such work. Dr. Daryaei of Iran also appreciated the statement delivered by WILPF and argued that it provided an opportunity for delegations to think outside the box. German Ambassador Hoffmann welcomed the statement, saying it healthy for delegations to listen to statements that discusses a broader look at disarmament and its linkages to other pressing issues.

A legally-binding treaty
Ambassador Hoffmann of Germany noted that the Outer Space Treaty only has a limited substantive range since it doesn’t contain anything on potential non-WMD-weaponization of outer space. He recalled that Germany is clearly against deploying any kind of weapons in outer space and welcomed the introduction of the draft treaty on preventing the placement of weapons in outer space (PPWT) as a start to discussion in the CD.

Ambassador Akram of Pakistan agreed that the existing regime on outer space has numerous shortcomings and stated that only a new legal instrument can address such problems. He argued that the CD has the primary responsibility for negotiations on PAROS and believed that those member states that oppose negotiations under this agenda item should convey their reservations more openly. The delegations of Brazil and Pakistan believed that the draft PPWT submitted by China and Russia was an initial contribution, “a framework that may constitute a basis for work.” Ambassador Qun of China argued that the draft was an important milestone achievement and that at present, “the overwhelming majority of the international community either support or accept this draft.”

The German delegation said it has previously identified elements where the draft treaty would need to be worked on, and took the example of the issue of verification. Mr. Vasiliev of the Russian Federation stated that the question of verification had been heard before and drew attention to a working paper submitted by China and Russia in 2006 on this topic. This working paper contains specific proposals on how a future treaty could be verified. However, Mr. Vasiliev also noted that while in theory it is always possible to set up verification regimes for legal instruments, lack of funds or technical issues might make it difficult. He highlighted that many relevant legal instruments are binding and remains effective despite no verification system, such as the Outer Space Treaty (OST), the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), Moon agreement, and bilateral treaties like the second Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT 2). 

The Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on transparency and confidence-building measures (TCBMs)
Several delegations took note of the GGE on TCBMs that is established through the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 65/68. Ambassador Soares Marcedo of Brazil noted that it is ironic that while the CD could not establish a subsidiary body on PAROS, the GGE’s mandate states that it may take into account “substantive discussions on the prevention of arms race in outer space within the framework of the Conference on Disarmament.” Both the Brazilian and the Pakistani ambassadors argued that TCBMs cannot replace a legal instrument and should not hinder the quest for such legally-binding treaty on PAROS in the CD. Ambassador Qun of China hoped that the work of the GGE will be conducive in reaching progress on negotiations of a legal instrument on outer space.

The delegation of the Republic of Korea supported UNGA resolution 65/68 and emphasized the importance of building up transparency and confidence amongst the major space powers, including the pre-notification of any launch or test of objects in outer space. Ambassador Kwon also took note of the space debris mitigation guidelines and the EU draft code of conduct on outer space activities.

Next plenary meeting
The next plenary meeting of the CD will be held on Thursday, 10 March at 10:00 am