By Jamshed Baruah<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEW YORK (IDN) \u2013 Deeply concerned about the erosion of the disarmament and arms control framework that reaped significant post-cold-war-era gains, the United Nations is keen to ensure the continued viability of the landmark Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT<\/a>).\u00a0HINDI<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0JAPANESE<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0KOREAN<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n With an eye on the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty\u2019s entry into force and the twenty-fifth celebration of its indefinite extension, the 15-nation Security Council \u2013 chaired by Germany\u2019s Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas \u2013 convened a high-level meeting at the UN Headquarters on April 2, 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Council President for the month of April, Christoph Heusgen, Germany\u2019s permanent representative, the members of the Security Council \u2013 charged with ensuring international peace and security \u2013 reaffirmed their commitment to advance the goals of the NPT as the \u201ccornerstone of the nuclear non\u2011proliferation regime and the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They concurred that the 2020 NPT Review Conference provided an opportunity for the NPT States parties \u200eto \u201cunambiguously reaffirm\u201d their commitment to the Treaty, to commemorate its historic achievements and, by further advancing its goals, strengthen the nuclear disarmament and non\u2011proliferation regime. They expressed their “readiness to work together and join efforts to achieve a successful outcome at the 2020 NPT Review Conference.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A close look at discussions in the Council reveals that a \u201csuccessful outcome\u201d of deliberations in 2020 is far from certain. \u201cThe NPT has proven remarkably durable. However, that durability should not be taken for granted,\u201d at a time when the acquisition of arms is prioritized over the pursuit of diplomacy, United Nations Under\u2011Secretary\u2011General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs<\/a>, Izumi Nakamitsu, told the Security Council in all frankness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe disarmament success of the post-cold war era has come to a halt,\u201d she said, and the security landscape is being replaced with dangerous rhetoric about the utility of nuclear weapons and an increased reliance on these weapons in security doctrines. \u201cThe prospect of the use of nuclear weapons is higher than it has been in generations,\u201d warned Nakamitsu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, she added that whatever new arms control and disarmament approaches in the twenty-first century might look like, one thing is clear: the NPT will still be at the centre of our collective security mechanism and it will have to stay \u201cfit for purpose\u201d across its three pillars \u2014 disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The 2020 Review Conference is a \u201cgolden opportunity\u201d to make headway on all of these goals, and to make sure this linchpin of international security remains fit for purpose through the next 25 or even 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Calling a spade a spade, Germany\u2019s Foreign Affairs Minister Heiko Maas said in the ensuing discussion that, “for all the successes we have achieved in recent decades, we mustn’t fool ourselves”. He pointed out that dismantling nuclear arsenals has come to a standstill and prospects of actual nuclear “re-armament” have been raised by the impending loss of the Intermediate\u2011Range Nuclear Forces (INF<\/a>) Treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1987 Treaty required the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russian Federation) to eliminate and permanently forswear all of their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometres. The Treaty marked the first time the superpowers had agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenals, eliminate an entire category of nuclear weapons, and utilize extensive on-site inspections for verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA<\/a>) is not a party to the NPT, it is entrusted with key verification responsibilities deriving from the Treaty. Presenting a glimpse of achievements, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said non-proliferation safeguards are being implemented in 182 countries, including 179 which are States parties to the NPT. However, key challenges include a steady increase in the amount of nuclear material and the number of nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, coupled with continuing pressure on the Agency\u2019s regular budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Topping its agenda are the nuclear programmes of Iran and the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea. Iran continues to fully implement its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and it must continue to do so, said Amano. Meanwhile, the Agency continues to monitor the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea\u2019s nuclear programme and evaluate all safeguards-relevant information available to it. The IAEA could respond within weeks to any request to send inspectors back to Pyongyang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n