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As the 2024 session of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security comes to an end, some diplomats have described it as one of the most tense in many years, yet there was still a modicum of progress in a number of areas.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was highlighted as more than a document, but a living forum in which efforts to advance the commitments to nuclear disarmament are being made. Throughout First Committee, states expressed support for the TPNW in their statements, including statements from cross-regional groups such as the Non-Aligned Movement and regional groups like the Africa Group. States also expressed overwhelming support, as in past years, for the annual UNGA resolution that welcomes the TPNW and calls on states to join it.
The effectiveness of the TPNW and the progress it is making spurred misinformation from one nuclear-armed state (and quickly refuted by other states). All nuclear-armed states boasted of their responsible policies, while failing to address concerns about exorbitant spending (raised by Costa Rica, Jamaica, and the Maldives) or the risks these ongoing activities posed to everyone. This added to the tension in Conference Room 4.
TPNW State Party cooperation
TPNW States parties, in their joint statement, delivered by Kazakhstan, made clear that they “cannot stand idly by while signs indicate that humanity is moving closer to global nuclear catastrophe.” They raised concerns about new nuclear sharing practices, qualitative and quantitative increases in nuclear weapons, and nuclear deterrence policies which “give false credence to the value of nuclear weapons for national security and these developments dangerously increase the risk of horizontal and vertical nuclear proliferation and obstruct progress towards nuclear disarmament.”
Overwhelming concern with nuclear deterrence & nuclear sharing policies
Currently, six states host nuclear weapons for others: Belgium, Belarus, Italy, Germany, Turkiye and the Netherlands, while preparations for hosting are being made in the UK. This practice is explicitly prohibited under the TPNW, and the TPNW’s newest member, Indonesia, on behalf of the Non Aligned Movement, said “ It is imperative to put an immediate end to the continued and evolving nuclear weapons sharing arrangements and extended deterrence that in fact is a new nuclear-arms race. NAM States Parties to the NPT consider it as a clear violation of Article I, II and VI of the Treaty and a threat to its credibility and effectiveness.”
Other states raised explicit concerns about nuclear deterrence policies, including Austria, noting “Nuclear deterrence is riddled with assumptions, projections and factual and logical flaws and thinking rooted in the Cold War.” Whereas Indonesia’s point, that there “is no victory in nuclear conflict—only irreversible devastation”, made it clear that more needs to be done. The African Group also weighed in, noting the “continued existence and possession of nuclear weapons does not guarantee security; it is an affirmation of the risks of their potential use.” South Africa summed it up, saying the “continued possession of nuclear weapons by a handful of States is one of the existential threats that humanity faces – a threat that is not only man made, but exists because of the will of these States to continue to retain the ability to inflict catastrophic consequences on humanity under a false and misguided notion that it would deter aggression.”
#Austria at #UNGA1C today pointed to increasing reliance on #nuclear #deterrence in sharp contrast to #disarmament commitments & fundamental international law. We need an international security architecture, ensuring real undiminished security for all - not just for some. #TPNW pic.twitter.com/6erJbXb1EG
— Austria UN (@AustriaUN) October 18, 2024
Strengthening regional cooperation
On the sidelines of the month-long meeting, ICAN worked with in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of South Africa and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to share recent developments regarding the universalization and implementation of the TPNW, including the recent Regional Conference on the TPNW held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and programs organised in Astana, Kazakhstan. These informative gatherings offered an opportunity for in-depth discussions about ways to engage in the intersessional work of the Treaty, as well as support for national progress towards signature and ratification.
Meaningful progress for the survivors of nuclear weapons use and testing
TPNW States have committed, through the TPNW meetings, to advance progress towards addressing harms to humans and the environment as a result of nuclear weapons use and testing. During the First Committee, a side event on this topic took place in cooperation with the ICRC, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and Reverse the Trend. Entitled of “Advancing nuclear justice through victim assistance and environmental remediation”, the event featured Raphael Pangalangan of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, who emphasised the urgency and necessity of addressing the harms inflicted in the past as a way to reinforce and strengthen efforts to prevent them from ever happening again. Discussions on this topic will continue leading up to the March 2025 TPNW Meeting of States Parties.
Nuclear disarmament is necessary for children
In addition to meetings on the sidelines, and collaborating on events for delegations to dive deeper into key issues, civil society is allocated one session during the meeting to address the full UNGA First Committee. ICAN’s statement during this session reminded delegations, many of whom had congratulated Nihon Hidankyo on their Nobel Peace Prize win, that those who still remember when the US used nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagaski in 1945 were children at the time, and, while they survived, more than 38,000 other children perished. ICAN urged delegations to bear in mind their stories – please think of their own children, and of future generations – when carrying out the work of this Committee.
🗣️This week, ICAN’s @SethShelden, addressed the 79th session of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, highlighting the urgent need to eliminate nuclear weapons and ratify the #TPNW.
— ICAN (@nuclearban) October 18, 2024
Read the full statement here: https://t.co/NKYAlcihyK#UNGA79 #NuclearBan pic.twitter.com/1BjZSYRIwa
New efforts to understand nuclear war
Ireland and New Zealand, along with a wide, cross-regional group of 48 co-sponsors, put forward a new resolution “Nuclear war effects and scientific research”. The resolution was broadly supported with 144 votes in favour, 3 against (France, Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom), and 30 abstentions. As a result, the UN Secretary General will put together a panel to examine 21st century science on the climactic, environmental, radiological, and physical effects of nuclear war, and publish a comprehensive report, including areas requiring future research. The last UN study on this topic was published in the 1980s.
ICAN welcomes the UNGA’s decision to bring top scientists together to report on what the impact of a nuclear war would be. So much has changed since the last UN report, up to date science is needed to understand the consequences of nuclear weapons use. https://t.co/wC59hVfyuj
— ICAN (@nuclearban) November 1, 2024
Not an end, but a step
Finally, while there was tension in the meeting and members of the diplomatic community remained on edge, there was nevertheless progress in advancing our shared understanding of what nuclear weapons are designed to do, and strengthened cooperation in efforts to eliminate them. The First Committee is not the end of discussions, but a next step to move issues forward with the widest possible participation. As Brazil said: “the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago; the second best time is now”, and the seeds planted at this First Committee will bear fruit in the years ahead.