DYB2011-Part-II-web

United Nations Disarmament Yearbook 2011: Part II
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nuclear weapons”; “Elements of a draft declaration of the 2010s as the fourth
disarmament decade”; and “Practical confidence-building measures in the
field of conventional weapons”.
At the first plenary meeting on 4 April, the Commission heard the
statement30 of the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament
Affairs who expressed hope that the UNDC, which was now approaching the
end of its current three-year cycle, would be able to achieve consensus on each
agenda item, despite past frustrations. At the same time, he said, “the ultimate
responsibility for the fate of disarmament initiatives lies at the doorsteps of
our Member States, whose policies, priorities, and sheer persistence will shape
the contours of our world to come, for better or worse”.
In his opening statement, 31 the Chairman of the UNDC stated that
“obstacles and difficulties are inherent in trying to reach agreement through
consensus”, yet he believed that “finding solutions to overcome such
difficulties should be possible, considering the widespread agreement
that exists on the importance of the issues before the Commission”. He
underscored the urgency of demonstrating “the political will needed to restore
the credibility of the disarmament machinery”.
During the general exchange of views, 32 the delegations underlined the
need to strengthen the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, to reduce
nuclear warheads and to allow non-nuclear-weapon States parties to the NPT33 to exercise their legitimate right to participate in the research, production and
use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, without discrimination.
Many delegations hoped that the work previously done in the current
three-year cycle would enable the UNDC to reach a positive conclusion. They
also reaffirmed the primacy of the United Nations disarmament machinery
while some others expressed concern at the slow pace of progress and
suggested its revitalization.
Hungary, on behalf of the European Union (EU), stressed that the
danger posed by non-State actors to acquire weapons of mass destruction and
their means of delivery was one of the greatest threats to the international
30 See A/CN.10/PV.310.
31 Ibid.
32 The representatives of the following countries made statements during the general
exchange of views: Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile (on behalf of the Rio
Group), China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, France,
Hungary (on behalf of the European Union), India, Indonesia (on behalf of the Non-
Aligned Movement), Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya,
Liechtenstein, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Nigeria, Nigeria (on behalf of the Group of
African States), Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation,
Senegal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United
States, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) and Viet Nam. See A/CN.10/PV.310-313.
33 The text and status of adherence are available from http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/
(accessed 7 May 2012).