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Discussions on programme of work are ongoing

Beatrice Fihn | Reaching Critical Will of WILPF

During its third plenary meeting of 2010, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) heard statements from the Group of 21, Morocco, theRussian Federation, Ireland, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Italy, and Bangladesh. Delegates voiced their support for concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament and civil society participation in the CD. The Conference also welcomed two new ambassadors, Ambassador Gerard Corr from Ireland and Ambassador Kshenuka Seneviratne from Sri Lanka.

Highlights
The CD president declared that despite extensive consultation, he was not yet ready to submit a draft proposal for a programme of work for the 2010 session.

The Group of 21’s representative emphasized the necessity of beginning negotiations toward complete nuclear disarmament, referring to both a Nuclear Weapons Convention and nuclear weapon states’ disarmament obligations as stated by the International Court of Justice.

Russia’s ambassador talked about the need for multilateral disarmament efforts and discussed its own obligations and measures.

The new ambassador of Ireland and the representative of Colombia vocally supported enhanced engagement with civil society. 
Italy’s delegation announced that their deputy foreign minister, Mr. Vincenzo Scotti, will address the CD on Tuesday, 9 February.

Programme of work
The CD president, Ambassador Abdul Hannan from Bangladesh, took the floor at the end of the plenary meeting to report on the current status of negotiations around a programme of work for the 2010 session. He explained that consultations have been going on since the adoption of the agenda. He reported that some delegates have called for a programme of work to be based on CD/1864, last year’s programme, while others have objected this plan. Therefore, he is not ready to put forward a draft proposal at this time. However, Ambassador Hannan proposed an informal meeting on Thursday, 4 February, where delegations would have an opportunity to exchange views and positions on draft proposals in a transparent manner.

Calling for disarmament
The Group of 21 made a joint statement though Mr. Ri Jang Gon from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in which the Group reaffirmed that total nuclear disarmament remains its priority in the CD. Mr. Gon referred to the Final Document from the 2009 Sharm El Sheikh Summmit, where the Non-Aligned Movement emphasized the necessity of commencing negotiations “on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons with a specified framework of time, including a Nuclear Weapons Convention.” Mr. Gon pointed out that the same Final Document also highlighted the unanimous conclusion of the International Court of Justice that nuclear weapon states have an obligation to pursue disarmament in good faith. Therefore, he explained, the Group of 21 calls upon the CD to agree on a balanced and comprehensive programme of work that establishes an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament.

Also addressing nuclear disarmament issues, Ambassador Valery Loschinin of the Russian Federation argued that Russia is taking concrete steps in line with its obligations under Article VI of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by finalizing the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Ambassador Loschinin also noted and welcomed other initiatives on disarmament, such as the Hoover Initiative, the Global Zero campaign, and the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) report, arguing that such initiatives are of “undisputed interest”. Ambassador Loschinin declared that Russia is ready for discussions on nuclear disarmament issues and supported an early adoption of a programme of work for the CD similar to CD/1864.

Ambassador Desra Percaya from Indonesia also welcomed the report of the ICNND and took note of its emphasis on the inhumanity and indiscriminate nature of nuclear weapons. The Indonesian ambassador pointed out that the nuclear weapons currently in existence are capable of destroying our entire planet. He explained that his delegation continues to strive for complete disarmament and recommended that all states in possession of such weapons reassess their nuclear doctrines and policies.

Expectations for the NPT
With the CD still being unable to commence substantive work, some delegates took the opportunity to discuss expectations for the 2010 NPT Review Conference. In the view of the Russian delegation, the main task of the Review Conference is to work out harmonious and implementable recommendations, based on a regulated balance of the three “pillars” of the NPT—nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and “peaceful uses” of nuclear energy. Morocco’s delegation noted that the Review Conference would be an opportunity to remobilize international efforts for strengthening the NPT regime. The representative of Colombia also emphasized the need to consolidate the “momentum for disarmament” that has been building the past year and stated that the Review Conference would be one of the most important challenges of 2010. The Indonesian delegation voiced its expectations for concrete results in the outcome document.

Continued calls for increased participation of civil society
As the new Irish Ambassador, Mr. Gerard Corr, took the floor, he joined his predecessor’s support for engagement with civil society. He highlighted last year’s informal meeting of the CD where NGOs made statements on issues related to the agenda items of the CD. Ambassador Corr expressed hope that this positive experience could be repeated and used as grounds for enhanced interaction between delegations and civil society in the CD. The delegation of Colombia took the opportunity to express the importance it attaches to constant participation of civil society, emphasizing that such expertise and views can contribute to the work of the conference.

Notes from the gallery
It is encouraging that some states continue to emphasize the goal of complete nuclear disarmament and see a Nuclear Weapons Convention as a way forward. Adopting a programme of work and the set up of a working group on nuclear disarmament would be a step in the right direction. WILPF encourages all CD member states and others to include references to a Nuclear Weapons Convention or negotiations for nuclear disarmament in their statements and working papers to the CD over the next few months and to the NPT Review Conference in May.

Next meeting
The next plenary meeting will be held on Thursday, 4 February at 10:00 AM.