Madam Chairperson,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Association of South East Asian Nations or ASEAN.

2. ASEAN congratulates Ambassador Maritza CHAN-VALVERDE of Costa Rica and her bureau from Germany, Latvia, Mauritania and Qatar on their election as Chair and bureau of the First Committee of this 79th Session of the UN General Assembly. We assure your team of our support in advancing the important work of this Committee. We also would like to express our appreciation to the Under Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs for their efforts in promoting the UN disarmament agenda.

3. Amidst the numerous challenges confronting the world on various fronts, the global peace and security architecture continues to face significant challenges due to escalating tensions among major powers, the modernization of nuclear arsenals, a growing arms race, and ongoing conflicts in different parts of the world. ASEAN remains steadfast in its commitment to strengthening multilateralism and enhancing international cooperation as the most effective approach to achieving global peace and security.

Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation

4. ASEAN reiterates its support for international efforts towards achieving a world free of nuclear weapons and remains concerned about the dire consequences of any use of nuclear weapons on people’s health, socioeconomic livelihood, the environment and sustainable development. We firmly believe that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only way to guarantee against their use and threat of use.

5. ASEAN expresses concern over the declining commitment and cooperation in global disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control mechanisms, and calls on countries, especially NWS, to maintain and fully implement their commitments under these mechanisms, including in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). ASEAN calls on the NWS to fulfil their obligations in advancing nuclear disarmament in accordance with the Article VI of the NPT and to recognise the need to completely eliminate nuclear weapons, which remains the only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons are never used again under any circumstances.

6. ASEAN reaffirms its recognition of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone of global nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy. We welcome the recent convening of the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT and hope this review cycle will yield substantive outcomes and crucial momentum towards general and complete disarmament under strict international control. Strong political will among NPT States Parties is key to upholding the credibility and integrity of the Treaty and to rally towards a much-desired meaningful consensual outcome document of the 2026 Review Conference.

7. ASEAN reaffirms its collective position against nuclear tests and continues to stress the importance of achieving universal adherence to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) without delay. All ASEAN Member States have ratified the CTBT, and we join others in urging the remaining Annex 2 States to sign and ratify the Treaty as soon as possible so that the Treaty’s entry into force may finally be realized.

SEANWFZ

8. ASEAN reiterates our commitment to preserve the Southeast Asian region as a nuclear weapon-free zone and free of all other weapons of mass destruction as enshrined in the SEANWFZ Treaty and the ASEAN Charter and stresses the importance of the full and effective implementation of the SEANWFZ Treaty, including through the Plan of Action to Strengthen the Implementation of the SEANWFZ Treaty (2023-2027).

9. The Executive Committee of the SEANWFZ Commission is continuing to explore the possibility of allowing individual Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) which are willing to sign and ratify the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty without reservations and provide prior formal assurance of this commitment in writing to go ahead with the signing. We welcome any NWS that are ready to do so. We reaffirm our commitment to continuously engage all the NWS, including those with reservations, and intensify efforts of all parties to resolve all outstanding issues in accordance with the objectives and principles of the SEANWFZ

Treaty.

10.In this connection, we welcome the adoption of the ASEAN-sponsored biennial resolution on the SEANWFZ Treaty by the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly on 4 December 2023, which reiterates the importance of the Treaty in contributing to international peace and security. We thank Member States for supporting this important resolution which underscores the priority and importance attached to nuclear disarmament by the region.

TPNW

11.ASEAN reiterates that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which held its First Meeting of State Parties in June 2022 and Second Meeting of States Parties at the end of 2023, is a historic agreement that contributes towards global nuclear disarmament and complements other existing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation instruments. It is hoped that the Treaty would contribute to furthering the agreed global objective of the total elimination of nuclear weapons. States Parties and signatories to the TPNW are fully committed to its implementation and are engaging constructively in preparation for the Third Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW towards achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.

Madam Chairperson,

12.ASEAN maintains its unequivocal commitment to upholding the norms against the existence and use of chemical, biological and radiological weapons.

CWC

13.We reaffirm our full support to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to carry out its mandated work as the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in a comprehensive, objective, and impartial manner, in complementarity with the work of the UN.

BWC

14.We also reaffirm our commitment to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) and, recognising the necessity of multilateral negotiations and noting the lack of a verification measure, the latter of which poses a challenge to the effectiveness of the BWC, welcomed the establishment of the Working Group on Strengthening the BWC. We also place great importance on enhancing international cooperation, assistance, and exchanges in toxins, biological agents, equipment, and technology for peaceful purposes.

Outer Space

15.We note ongoing multilateral discussions on emerging issues involving international peace and security, such as outer space. We reiterate that access to outer space is an inalienable right of all States and that the use of outer space should exclusively be for peaceful purposes only, and for the collective benefit of humanity.

Conventional Weapons Control

16.ASEAN recognizes the legitimate right and authority of sovereign nations to use conventional weapons to maintain internal security and to defend territorial integrity, while underlining the need to address the growing illicit proliferation of conventional weapons, which hampers economic and social progress and threatens peace and security. In this regard, ASEAN welcomes the consensus adoption of the Outcome document of the 4th Review Conference of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (POA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI), and emphasizes the importance of supporting and expediting the implementation of the Fellowship Training Programme on Small Arms and Light Weapons, particularly for developing countries.

17.ASEAN reaffirms its commitment to building an open, safe, secure, stable, accessible, interoperable, peaceful and resilient cyberspace. We welcome the adoption, by consensus, of the Third Annual Progress Report during the Eighth Substantive Session of the open-ended working group (OEWG) on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies (2021-2025). ASEAN will continue to render full support and cooperation to Ambassador Burhan Gafoor of Singapore in his capacity as the Chair of the OEWG (2021-2025). ASEAN is in the process of finalising the ASEAN Norms Implementation Checklist which builds upon the UN’s efforts to implement the voluntary non-binding norms of responsible State behaviour in the use of ICTs. We have also continued with our cybersecurity capacity building activities under the ASEANSingapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence and the ASEAN-Japan Cybersecurity Capacity Building Centre. ASEAN Member States are also working together to operationalise the ASEAN Regional CERT to improve regional coordination and the timely sharing of information to respond to the evolving threats in cyberspace. We will continue to share our regional experience and efforts as part of our commitment to strengthen the global cybersecurity architecture.

Disarmament Machinery

18.ASEAN recognizes the importance of preserving and strengthening the nature, role and purpose of the various fora under the UN disarmament machinery, given the persistent challenges to international peace and security. We believe that the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC), with its universal membership, retains a unique role in building trust and confidence among Member States on various issues in the disarmament sphere. In the current three-year cycle of the UNDC, ASEAN looks forward to continued discussions on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as emerging technologies in the context of international security, aiming to foster collective understanding and robust approaches to address challenges

Madam Chairperson,

19. ASEAN supports the full and effective implementation of other relevant efforts, including Security Council Resolution 1540 and the United Nations Secretary General’s Agenda for Disarmament to advance nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament in a concrete, holistic, and integrated manner. Additionally, ASEAN takes note of the Secretary General’s New Agenda for Peace which outlines his vision for multilateral efforts for peace and security, based on international law, for a world in transition. ASEAN will remain engaged and active in the discussion in this regard.

20. In conclusion, ASEAN reaffirms its commitment to global disarmament and nonproliferation efforts as we face a challenging geopolitical environment characterized by rising tensions, nuclear modernization, and ongoing conflicts. ASEAN stresses the need for international unity and cooperation, and we stand ready to engage with all relevant stakeholders as we undertake the vital work of the First Committee this year.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.