Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Nepal believes that the regional and global approaches to disarmament and non-proliferation complement each other and should be pursued simultaneously to promote regional and international peace and security.

With this conviction, Nepal has been strongly advocating for the important role of the regional disarmament mechanisms.

As identified in the Secretary General’s agenda for disarmament, we must foster new cooperation and dialogue, especially at the regional level, to reduce military spending and build confidence.

My delegation also believes that women, youth and non-governmental agencies are important partners of regional disarmament mechanisms of the UN. They are the real change agent with a capacity to support and influence the government policymakers.

Nepal encourages Regional Centres to develop a meaningful partnership with both government and non-government stakeholders. The formal track of disarmament and non-proliferation should be complemented by track two tools for building confidence between and among States.

Nepal believes that disarmament education helps change the basic attitudes of people and policymakers with respect to peace and security. Therefore, the regional centers should be encouraged to disseminate information and develop educational modules for the different age groups of people to enhance their awareness level.

 In this connection, with the support of the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament for Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD), the Government of Nepal has developed textbook content on peace and disarmament education for grades 8 to 10.

Three UN Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, Asia and Latin America should be further strengthened, well-resourced and developed not only as repositories of best practices but also as amplifier of the regional disarmament efforts.

Mr. Chairman,

Since the late 1980s, Nepal, in partnership with the UNRCPD, has been organizing regional meetings and dialogue under the “Kathmandu Process”. We reaffirm the importance of such regional dialogues for fostering understanding, cooperation, and confidence building for peace and disarmament in the region and beyond. 

As the host country, Nepal will continue to extend its support to the UNRCPD for its capacity-building and implementation of programs of action related to disarmament and non-proliferation. We encourage the Member States of the region to identify their areas of interest and work with the Centre for promoting disarmament and non-proliferation in the region.

We also acknowledge the contribution of the Centre towards achieving SDG 16 as well as in encouraging the participation of women and youth in its disarmament and non-proliferation activities.

Nepal calls on the countries and non-governmental organizations in the region and beyond to make voluntary contributions to this Centre to ensure implementation of activities as mandated by the General Assembly.

In closing, Mr. Chairman, Nepal has tabled a draft resolution on the UNRCPD contained in document L23 for the consideration of the Committee. We are confident that, as in previous years, we will have valuable support from all delegations for the adoption of this draft resolution by consensus.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.