UN DISARMAMENT COMMISSION

APRIL 4, 2022
 

Statement delivered by Ms. Subhashini Narayanan, Counsellor

at General Debate
 

Mr. Chair

On behalf of the delegation of India, I warmly felicitate you on your election as the Chair of the 2022 Session of the UN Disarmament Commission. We assure you of our delegation’s full support and constructive participation, as you guide our work. I would also like to congratulate Mr. Kurt Davis of Jamaica and Ms. Sylvia Balazs for being appointed as Coordinators of the two Working Groups, and Mr. Zhangeldy of Kazakhstan as Bureau Member. We thank High Representative H.E Izumi Nakamitsu for her thoughtful remarks earlier today.

India associates itself with the statement delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the NAM.

India is pleased that the UN Disarmament Commission, a vital part of the Disarmament Triad- also comprising of the Conference on Disarmament and the First Committee- is able to convene its substantive session this year, after a gap of almost 3 years.

In the context of the current geopolitical developments, our deliberations in the UN Disarmament Commission assume even greater salience.

As the main deliberative body within the United Nations on disarmament issues, the Commission’s role as a platform for dialogue and cooperation, bringing together universal membership of all Member States is significant. The Commission has made important achievements in its past, having successfully adopted several guidelines and recommendations.

India attaches high importance to the UNDC’s work and looks forward to genuine dialogue that can achieve convergences and achieve the aims set out by the first Special Session on Disarmament.
 

Mr.Chair

UN Member States, in the final outcome document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly (SSOD-1), have reaffirmed collectively that the ending of the arms race and the achievement of real disarmament are tasks of primary importance and urgency. Yet, after four decades, the international community is still to effectively meet this historical challenge and the shared objective of complete elimination of nuclear weapons.

India has been consistent in its support for global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament. India strongly believes that this can be achieved in a time bound manner through a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed global and non-discriminatory multilateral framework; India’s Working Paper, presented to the Conference on Disarmament in 2007, CD/1816 precisely sums up this approach through a number of proposals that remain relevant till date.

In line with our vision, India has supported the negotiation of a Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention in the CD, as also supported by the NAM. Without prejudice to the priority we attach to disarmament, India looks forward to negotiations to commence immediately at the CD, on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty based on CD/1299 and the mandate contained therein.

India is participating constructively in the meetings of the Subsidiary Bodies established this year at the Conference on Disarmament. It is our hope that substantive work in the Subsidiary Bodies can pave the way for negotiation of legally binding instruments in the CD.

Mr Chair

India’s annual resolution at the UNGA, on a “Convention on the Prohibition of the use of NuclearWeapons”, tabled since 1982 requests the CD to commencenegotiations on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use ofnuclear weapons under any circumstances.

Our annual resolution on ‘ReducingNuclear Danger’, tabled since 1998 in the UNGA, draws globalattention to the hair-trigger alert of nuclear weapons and calls for steps to reduce therisk of unintentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons, including through de-alerting and de-targeting of nuclear weapons.

These two resolutions manifest our shared commitment towards the common goal of nuclear disarmament.

Mr. Chair

My delegation looks forward to meaningful deliberations on TCBMs in Outer Space under the Working Group 2.

India has maintained that while universal and non-discriminatory transparency and confidence-building measures can play a useful complementary role, they cannot substitute for legally binding instruments in this field.

India is a major space faring nation and I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate India’s position on PAROS. India remains opposed to the weaponization of outer space. India has not, and will not, resort to any arms race in outer space. We remain committed to maintaining outer space as an ever-expanding frontier for cooperative endeavours of all space faring nations. It is incumbent on all space faring nations and others to contribute to safeguard outer space as the common heritage of humankind and preserve and promote the benefits flowing from the space technology and its applications for all.

India continues to support substantive consideration of the prevention of an arms racein outer space (PAROS) within the multilateral framework of the UN. We remain committed to negotiation of a legally binding instrument on the prevention of an arms race in outer space to be negotiated in the Conference on Disarmament.

India was an active participant in the Group of Governmental Experts on PAROS which concluded its session in March 2019. India also participated in the deliberation on TCBMs held in the informal meeting of the UNDC in April 2019. At the 76thsession of the First Committee last year, India voted in favour of four out of five resolutions submitted under the Outer Space cluster, namely, the Prevention of an arms race in outer space, Further practical measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer space, No first placement of weapons in outer space as well as Transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space activities.

India remains committed to playing a leading and constructive role together with other partners to consolidate and strengthen the international regime for outer space that is universal, non-discriminatory, and which reinforces the safety of all legitimate space-based actors. India looks forward to in depth discussions that can lead us to these objectives.

To conclude, Mr Chair, India hopes that our work this year at the UNDC will galvanize the disarmament machinery in its pursuit of collective security in an increasingly turbulent environment. India stands ready to contribute to this process and work with fellow member States to achieve our collective objectives.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.

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