Security Council Provisional Seventy-Fourth Year

United Nations S/ PV.8500 Security Council Provisional Seventy-fourth year 8500th meeting Tuesday, 2 April 2019, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Maas ...................................... (Germany) Members: Belgium ....................................... Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve China ......................................... Mr. Ma Zhaoxu Côte d’Ivoire ................................... Mr. Ipo Dominican Republic .............................. Mr. Singer Weisinger Equatorial Guinea ............................... Mr. Ndong Mba France ........................................ Mr. Le Drian Indonesia. Mrs. Marsudi Kuwait ........................................ Sheikh Al Sabah Peru .......................................... Mr. Ugarelli Poland ........................................ Mr. Czaputowicz Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Nebenzia South Africa ................................... Mr. Matjila United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Mr. Allen United States of America .......................... Ms. Thompson Agenda Non-proliferation Supporting the Non-proliferation Treaty ahead of the 2020 Review Conference . This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 19-09521 (E) *1909521* S/PV.8500 Non-proliferation 02/04/2019 The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m. I give the floor to Mrs. Nakamitsu. Mrs. Nakamitsu: I congratulate the German Adoption of the agenda presidency for convening today’s briefing. The possible The agenda was adopted. use of nuclear weapons, either intentionally, by accident or through miscalculation, is one of the greatest threats Non-proliferation to international peace and security. The potential consequences of a nuclear war would be global and Supporting the Non-proliferation Treaty ahead affect all Member States. Therefore, it is entirely of the 2020 Review Conference appropriate that the Security Council discuss measures The President: I wish to warmly welcome the related to preventing such a catastrophic outcome, Ministers and other representatives present in the and in particular the one instrument that has perhaps Security Council Chamber. Their presence today played the greatest role in doing so. The Treaty on underscores the importance of the subject matter the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) has under discussion. been an enduring feature of the international security landscape for nearly 50 years. The NPT is widely In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional acknowledged as the cornerstone of the international rules of procedure, I invite the following briefers to non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation participate in this meeting: Mrs. Izumi Nakamitsu, of nuclear disarmament. Its role as a pillar of our Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for collective security is likewise an accepted fact. Disarmament Affairs, and Mr. Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. There are four key elements to the success of the Treaty. First, it includes verifiable non-proliferation The Security Council will now begin its consideration obligations in the form of safeguards on peaceful of the item on its agenda. nuclear activities. Secondly, it is the only treaty that I shall now make several remarks in my national includes legally binding commitments to pursue nuclear capacity. disarmament. Thirdly, the Treaty establishes a strategic balance across the three pillars of nuclear disarmament, Today’s meeting is a timely opportunity to take nuclear non-proliferation and access to the peaceful stock of the achievements made under the Treaty on the uses of nuclear energy in ways that seek to maximize Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and lay their benefits for all States parties. Fourthly, its near the ground for future progress. As we move towards the universality provides clear authority and ensures 2020 Review Conference against a challenging security almost global subscription to its normative framework. background, the Security Council can, and should, make its contribution to its successful outcome in 2020. Throughout its long history, the NPT has provided I would like to highlight that the Council is made up tangible security benefits not just for its States parties but not only of the five nuclear-weapon States recognized for all States. That President Kennedy’s dire prediction by the NPT, including all three depositary States, but that there would be between 10 and 20 nuclear-armed also 10 non-nuclear-weapon States that are firmly States by the 1970s did not come true can largely committed to the goals of the NPT; some of them are also be attributed to the NPT. That, there are only four dedicated members of different nuclear-weapon-free States with nuclear-weapon capabilities, or suspected zones. That composition underlines the responsibility capabilities, outside the Treaty in 2019 remains one of of the Security Council for the NPT and the relevance the greatest success stories of multilateral diplomacy. of the exchange that we are having today. Advancing We can all agree that the spread of nuclear weapons the goals of the NPT across its three pillars — nuclear to a greater number of States equates with a greater disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful uses possibility of their use. That that has not happened is of nuclear applications — is at the core of members’ because of the value States parties continue to place in assignments. We are grateful for their presence, and we their membership of the NPT and the non-proliferation look forward to hearing their statements. benefits it provides. I now resume my functions as President of We must today reconfirm that the security the Council. benefits that have been derived from the 2/24 19-09521 02/04/2019 Non-proliferation S/PV.8500 implementation of article VI — those related to generations. Together, these developments are placing nuclear disarmament — have been equally important. the NPT under increasing stress and are exacerbating Under the leadership of the nuclear-weapon States, the fault lines that have been clearly evident between States parties’ efforts to implement article VI helped States parties for some time now. In this context, the ease global tension, reduced great Power conflict and 2020 Review Conference will be a defining moment. built confidence among nuclear-armed competitors. I do not believe that the failure to achieve consensus Reductions in nuclear arsenals, frameworks to reduce in 2020 necessarily signals the demise of the Treaty, nuclear risk and efforts to drive forward multilateral but it would set a poor precedent and it would further nuclear disarmament are all effective measures under highlight divisions between States parties. It would article VI, and every one of them helped to create raise questions about the willingness of States to seek an environment conducive to broader international collective security for all, rather than narrow, short- cooperation for various global challenges of our term and eventually unsustainable security benefits time, from peace and security to development and for individual States. I believe that we should avoid climate change. this situation. Two pillars of the NPT — disarmament and The year 2020 — the fiftieth anniversary of the non-proliferation — are two sides of the same coin. NPT’s entry into force and the twenty-fifth anniversary Backward movement on one will result in backward of its indefinite extension — presents a golden movement on the other. The implementation of opportunity to make the practical gains that will ensure commitments made under both strengthens mutual trust the Treaty’s continued viability. A strong, political-level and advances the cause of a world free of nuclear weapons. re-affirmation by all to the Treaty will be important. In As the Secretary-General has stressed, disarmament the short time remaining between now and 2020, I hope and non-proliferation are important mechanisms that that States parties will consider four things. help make the world safer and more secure. They are measures to help prevent, mitigate and resolve conflict, First, there is a need for demonstrated and can and should be pursued in tandem with other implementation by all States parties of commitments peacemaking and security processes. made during previous review cycles. Past commitments cannot be arbitrarily abrogated or else they become no The NPT has proven to be remarkably durable. more valuable than the paper on which they are written. However, that durability should not be taken for The failure of implementation undermines potential granted. Today, we find ourselves in an international future gains across all three of the Treaty’s pillars. environment defined by competition over cooperation, and the acquisition of arms prioritized over the pursuit Secondly, we need genuine dialogue about our of diplomacy. The disarmament success of the post- current predicament in international security

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