The Philippines joins the international community in commemorating and promoting the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and we align ourselves with the statement delivered by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Like the NAM, the Philippines places the highest importance to the total elimination of nuclear weapons. With the failure of the last NPT Review Conference at a time when we needed it most, much work clearly remains to be done. It is our hope that the leadership and the schedule of the next review cycle is determined early enough so that consultations may begin very early in a broad and inclusive manner to address the pitfalls that we encountered in the last review conference.

Mister President, my President conveyed last week in the General Assembly that we must reject the notion of deterrence and remain committed to decreasing the global stockpile of nuclear weapons. Nuclear deterrence is an obsolete security concept. Nuclear weapons do not promote security. No aspiration or ambition could ever justify their use or possession.

We also reject the notion that nuclear disarmament obligations are subservient to unilateral and subjective assessments of their own views of the current international security situations. Nuclear weapons coupled with emerging technologies and the vulnerabilities of cyber capabilities could mean that we are even closer to the total elimination of human race.

Nuclear weapons states parties to the NPT must reduce the salience of nuclear weapons in their security policies and doctrines, commit to the qualitative and quantitative reduction of all nuclear stockpiles, uphold the highest level of transparency and accountability including through enhanced reporting and reporting mechanisms until the total elimination of nuclear weapons is achieved.

On the tragic conflict in Ukraine, regardless of the outcome, a new arms race is looming. One that could lead to even more reliance on nuclear weapons. We hope for a peace settlement that will discourage this development.

With the very challenging geopolitical environment that we are currently in, we need each and every one of us to take a step closer in advancing our common goal. As what President Marcos conveyed at the General Assembly last week, “unity is possible even in the most trying circumstances”.

Thank you, Mister President.