Efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons should be matched by an equal commitment by the Nuclear Weapon States to eliminate all weapons in a verifiable and irreversible manner.
That was the message reiterated by Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations, Ambassador Jerry Matjila, during a discussion in support of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
This comes one year ahead of the 2020 Review Conference when its entry into force will mark 50 years.
The meeting sought to reaffirm the broad commitment to advance the goals of the NPT as a cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
South Africa reiterated its commitment to the attainment of a world free of nuclear weapons.
Matjila took issue with the rate at which the treaty’s goals and targets were being implemented.
“We remain disheartened at the apparent lack of urgency and seriousness with which nuclear disarmament has been approached in the NPT context. This state of affairs places the Treaty, as well as its review process, under increasing pressure and falls far short of expectations. Continued reliance on nuclear weapons in security doctrines, the development of new types of nuclear weapons and qualitative improvements to existing arsenals have also not allayed the fears of non-nuclear-weapon States.”
Matjila warned that member states should not become complacent about the continued threat that nuclear weapons posed; and urged that measurable progress on nuclear disarmament must become a major determinant in achieving international peace and security.
South Africa also recently acceded to the separate nuclear ban treaty; joining just 21 others states who have ratified the agreement to date.
The NPT, which entered into force in 1970, represents the only multilateral and binding commitment to the goal of disarmament by States which officially stockpiles nuclear weapons.
A Council statement later agreed that the 2020 NPT Review Conference will provide an opportunity for an unambiguous reaffirmation of commitment to the Treaty; a commemoration of its historic achievements and the strengthening of the nuclear-disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
Listen to the full story in the audio below:
