Canada’s statement to the General Debate of the First Committee of the 79th session of the United Nations

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New York, USA, October 8, 2024

Delivered by H.E. Mr. Peter MacDougall, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Office of the United Nations and to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva

Madam Chair,

I join my colleagues in congratulating you as the first female Ambassador elected as Chair of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee, and express Canada’s utmost support for your work.

Gender equality does not simply happen, it is created and we must actively work to achieve it. Women must be involved at every stage of the peace process, including in disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation. Women are also disproportionately affected by nearly all weapon types, and bear the brunt of the social, economic, and familial burdens placed on civilians in conflict and post-conflict zones. 

Excellencies,

Threats to use nuclear weapons, deliberate attempts to delegitimize and defund our institutions, blatant arms racing and modernization, increasing integration of new and emerging technologies into weapons of war, and the utter disrespect for the core purpose of the UN are cause for serious self-reflection of the international community.

Canada condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This war violates the UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions, and the security assurances given by Russia to Ukraine in the Budapest Memorandum. We are concerned by Russia’s reckless nuclear rhetoric and the deliveries of arms and missiles by Iran and the DPRK to support Russia’s illegal war, particularly those in violation of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. Iran’s actions are destabilizing the Middle East, both with its missile attacks and uranium enrichment activity, which has no plausible peaceful purpose.

Just over a year ago Hamas perpetrated a brutal and horrific attack against Israeli civilians. Canada condemns this heinous attack and the hostage taking that followed. We deplore the loss of all civilian life in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. We call for the immediate release of all hostages, respect for international humanitarian law, access for humanitarian workers, and an immediate ceasefire.

Madam Chair,

Fissile material production is increasing. Norms in outer space, cybersecurity, and nuclear non-proliferation are challenged daily. While artificial intelligence is presenting a unique and rapidly changing challenge to our existing frameworks.

Our objective must be to reverse and counteract all these trends and return to a path towards global peace and disarmament, starting with a world free of nuclear weapons.

A treaty on fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices is the natural first step. We call on all states producing or possessing fissile material for nuclear weapons to commence negotiations on such a treaty, without pre-conditions, and to declare or maintain moratoriums on the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.

All states possessing nuclear weapons must maximize transparency regarding their nuclear arsenals and doctrines, and their implementation of existing treaty obligations. All nuclear weapon States should report comprehensively on their implementation of the NPT, including their Article VI disarmament obligations. Russia must return to full compliance with the New START Treaty and work with the United States on a successor treaty. China must engage in nuclear arms control and disarmament talks.

Upholding the norm against nuclear testing via the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is critical. We call on all states that have not done so already to become parties to the CTBT, in particular the nine Annex 2 States that have yet to ratify the Treaty.

It is unacceptable that the long-established prohibitions against the use of biological, toxin and chemical weapons have been breached repeatedly, including by Syria against its own people, and Russia both at home and abroad. There are credible reports of Russian use of riot control agents, and potentially even more toxic chemicals, as a method of warfare in Ukraine, in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention. At the same time, Russia disingenuously accuses Ukraine for the same actions it is taking, attempting to sow confusion through its disinformation campaigns. To counter such actions, Canada strongly supports reinforcing the BTWC, the CWC, and the UN Secretary General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons.

While the threat of WMDs loom large globally, they are frequently overshadowed by widespread and indiscriminate use of conventional weapons against civilians in their homes and communities. Cutting off the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons, and universally banning and dismantling inhumane and mass casualty explosive devices, is the first step towards protecting civilians. Understanding and stopping the use of conventional weapons to perpetuate sexual violence and destroy livelihoods is integral to prevent further harms against women, girls, and other marginalized people groups. We urge all states to become parties to and uphold the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel landmines, the Oslo Convention on cluster munitions, and the Arms Trade Treaty.

Madam Chair,

We cannot afford to ignore the challenges in outer space and cyberspace. For outer space, we need to advance the development of norms, rules, and principles of responsible behaviour to ensure the long-term security and sustainability of a domain upon which we all rely. We need to ensure that weapons of mass destruction are not placed in outer space, and Canada calls on all states to become parties to and uphold the international space treaties, in particular the Outer Space Treaty. Finally, we must heed expert warnings on emerging technologies with urgency, especially regarding the implications of their rapid development and responsible use for international peace and security.

In order to meet these challenges head on, our institutions must be representative of the global population and include observer states, international organizations, civil society, youth, and the private sector. The disarmament machinery urgently needs revitalization to be fit for purpose, which includes examining working methods, eliminating redundancies, and limiting burdens we impose on the UN system.

The United Nations exists to protect and foster peace. As Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs stated during the opening of the General Assembly’s 79^th Session, we are faced with a choice: “We can choose a world where rules can be broken by the powerful – bringing us back to darker times of tension and conflicts. Or we can choose a world that upholds human rights, opportunities for all, peace and prosperity”. It is our duty and responsibility to work towards the latter.

Thank you, Chair.