STATEMENT BY MATTHEW WONG, FIRST SECRETARY OF THE PERMANENT MISSION OF SINGAPORE, AT THE CLUSTER ONE THEMATIC DEBATE ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS OF THE 80TH UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY FIRST COMMITTEE, 21 OCTOBER 2025

Thank you, Mr Chair,

Singapore aligns itself with the statements delivered by Malaysia on behalf of ASEAN, and by Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

This year marks eight decades since the United Nations was founded out of the ashes of the Second World War. While the international community has seen significant progress in the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agenda, rising geopolitical tensions and a markedly divided security environment today threaten to unravel the collective progress made over the years. We must redouble our efforts to engage in open and constructive dialogue, rebuild mutual trust, and restore momentum to uphold the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. In this regard, we would like to emphasise four points in our national capacity.

2 First, we must resume making progress on nuclear disarmament. Agreements like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provide a firm foundation to achieve this goal, but are only as meaningful as the actions taken to implement them. Singapore calls on all Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) to commit to significant reductions in their nuclear arsenals in a transparent, irreversible, and verifiable manner. We welcome Russia’s announcement that it will be prepared to continue observing the central qualitative limitations of the NEW START Treaty for an additional year following its expiry and encourage the US and Russia to work towards a new agreement. We also call for the commencement of long-overdue negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) under the Conference on Disarmament.

3 Second, we must accelerate efforts to bring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) into force. We call on all remaining countries, especially the remaining Annex 2 States, to ratify the CTBT. We also urge all States to refrain from any actions that unravel the substantial progress on the CTBT that has been achieved to date.

4 Third, Singapore reaffirms our support for the establishment and maintenance of nuclear-weapon-free zones as a means to reinforce the the global disarmanent and non-proliferation architecture. As a State Party to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty, we will continue to closely engage NWS to address their reservations regarding the SEANWFZ Protocol, and look forward to their signing and ratification of the Protocol without reservations. At the same time, we will continue to explore the possibility of allowing individual Nuclear Weapon States willing to sign and ratify the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty without reservations and provide written formal assurance of this commitment to go ahead with the signing. In this regard, as ASEAN tables our biennial resolution on the SEANWFZ Treaty, we look forward to engaging with all NWS, including those with reservations, to resolve all outstanding issues in accordance with the objectives and principles of the SEANWFZ Treaty. We also welcome efforts to establish a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction which will be a significant step to strengthening mutual confidence and security in the region.

5 Finally, we must continue to uphold the right to the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy, provided for under Article IV of the NPT, and commend the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s work to expand access to peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology, through its Technical Cooperation Programme. Concomittantly, the right to peaceful uses must be accompanied by the responsibility to uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and security, and Singapore’s annual co-sponsorship of the Nuclear Safety resolution at the IAEA General Conference reaffirms our commitment to this principle.

6 Singapore remains committed to working with all Member States to achieve our shared goal of a world without nuclear weapons, for the security of all.

7 Thank you.