STATEMENT BY MS NICOLE YEO, DELEGATE TO THE 73RD SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AT THE THEMATIC DISCUSSION ON CLUSTER ONE: NUCLEAR WEAPONS, FIRST COMMITTEE, 19 OCTOBER 2018

Thank you Mr Chairman,

 1.                Please allow me to congratulate you and your colleagues on your appointments in the First Committee Bureau. Singapore aligns itself with the statement delivered by Thailand on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Mr Chairman,

2.                 The United Nations Charter articulates countries’ commitment to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”. Disarmament and non-proliferation are thus at the heart of our core work here at the United Nations, and also at the heart of securing our common future.

3.                Singapore is heartened by recent developments to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula. We were honoured to play our part in supporting efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula by hosting the Summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un on 12 June 2018. We welcome the continued dialogue between the DPRK and all concerned parties on the realisation of lasting peace and stability on a denuclearised Korean Peninsula. We urge all parties to continue engaging in dialogue, and to continue fulfilling their international obligations under the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

Mr Chairman,

4.                As articulated in the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Disarmament, there is a pressing need for us to resume constructive dialogue on nuclear arms control and disarmament, and to also take concrete action to halt the use and testing of nuclear weapons.

5.                First, as a global community, we must preserve and strengthen the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and work towards its universalisation. The NPT remains the cornerstone of the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime. Following the second Preparatory Committee held earlier this year, there remains a clear divide between Nuclear Weapon States and Non-Nuclear Weapon States. We hope all countries will continue to engage each other substantively to bridge differences of opinion ahead of the 2020 NPT Review Conference. 

6.                Second, we reiterate our longstanding view that there are multiple pathways to a nuclear weapon-free world. In this context, we believe that a realistic and complementary role for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) within the existing disarmament architecture has to be found. The Secretary-General has stated that the underlying “frustrations and concerns” over the TPNW “must be acknowledged and addressed”. Meaningful progress will only be made when all relevant parties join in the effort. We thus welcome the Secretary-General’s commitment to intensify efforts to facilitate dialogue between Member States to find a common path. 

7.                Third, all countries should sign and ratify the Comprehensive-Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), in particular the remaining Annex 2 states. Its entry into force is long overdue. Singapore supports the Joint Ministerial Statement on the CTBT adopted last month and welcomes Tuvalu’s signing and Thailand’s ratification this year. We urge States that have already signed and ratified the CTBT to refrain from actions that go against the object and purpose of the Treaty, pending its entry into force.

8.                Fourth, we must make progress in establishing Nuclear Weapon Free Zones. Singapore reaffirms our commitment to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty, which entered into force over two decades ago. Singapore will continue to work closely with Nuclear Weapon States to resolve outstanding issues, and work towards Nuclear Weapon States’ collective signing and ratification of the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty without reservations.

9.                Fifth, we must support other initiatives that contribute to nuclear non-proliferation, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). Singapore is committed to the PSI and its Asia-Pacific Exercise Rotation activities. We hosted Exercise Deep Sabre in 2016 and the Operational Experts Group (OEG) meeting in 2017. This year, we also participated in the PSI High-level Political Meeting and OEG meeting in Paris in May, and in Exercise Pacific Shield in Yokosuka in July.

Mr Chairman,

10.           We must not allow today’s complex geopolitical dynamics to hijack opportunities for constructive discussions and practical cooperation. In the words of the Secretary-General, “the existential threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity must motivate us to accomplish new and decisive action leading to their total elimination”. Singapore looks forward to working with all to achieve this goal.

11.           Thank you.

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