Statement by H.E. Jayantha Jayasuriya, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of

Sri Lanka to the United Nations

2026 Substantive Session of the United Nations Disarmament Commission

 

 

Mr. Chair,

At the outset, I extend my sincere congratulations to you and the other members of the Bureau on
your election. Sri Lanka assures you of our full support and cooperation in advancing the important
work of this Commission.

Sri Lanka aligns itself with the statement delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned
Movement.

We join with other delegations to express our regret over the failure to reach a consensus on
adopting the provisional agenda for this year, by this esteemed commission.

Mr. Chair,

We meet at a critical juncture of international peace and security. The persistence of nuclear
weapons, together with their modernization and the emergence of new technological risks, remain
a matter of serious concern. The incineration of cities, the poisoning of the environment, disruption
to the food and water supplies, and most importantly, the loss of thousands of innocent lives will no
doubt change the order of our world forever. In a nutshell, ‘No nation, no family, would be immune’
from any nuclear weapon detonation.

Mr. Chair,

Yet today, approximately 12,000 such catastrophic weapons exist. Their continued presence
represents a constant threat hanging over all of humanity. We cannot become numb to this reality.
Despite decades of commitments, nuclear arsenals remain and are being modernized. This is
incompatible with our shared aspiration for a world free of nuclear weapons and, fundamentally,
incompatible with the survival of the human family.
Sri Lanka reaffirms that the total elimination of nuclear weapons remains the only absolute
guarantee against their use or threat of use. We call upon nuclear-weapon States to fulfill their legal
obligations and unequivocal undertaking under the NPT for the complete elimination of their
nuclear arsenals.

Nuclear disarmament must remain the highest priority and cannot be made conditional upon
non-proliferation efforts or strategic stability concerns. Sri Lanka advocates for negotiations in the
Conference on Disarmament for a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons with a specified
timeframe for their destruction.

As a State Party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and having ratified the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Sri Lanka demonstrates its commitment to practical
steps toward the realization of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Mr. Chair,

Nuclear-weapon-free zones represent important regional steps toward global disarmament. Sri
Lanka particularly emphasizes the urgent need for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.
Current conflicts and humanitarian crises in the Middle East make clear the urgent need to address
the nuclear dimension of regional security. The continued absence of such a zone poses real risks to
international peace and security. In this context, Sri Lanka welcomes the successive sessions of the
Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone, most recently under Morocco’s presidency.

Mr. Chair,

On emerging technologies, Sri Lanka is concerned on the excessive use of autonomous weapons in
the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. We are only beginning to understand that the rapid
advancement of AI, and cyber capabilities are reshaping the strategic use in modern warfare that
require urgent attention of this Commission, in view of its mandate.

Of particular concern is the integration of AI into military decision-making, especially for nuclear
command and control. To hand over life-and-death decisions to algorithms is incompatible with
international humanitarian law and human dignity. Sri Lanka reiterates that the human
responsibility must be maintained at every stage of the use of force.

Sri Lanka supports the Secretary-General’s call for a legally binding instrument to prohibit lethal
autonomous weapons systems without meaningful human control. The status quo demands such a
legal instrument than never before.

The growing threat to cybersecurity infrastructure, including nuclear command and control
systems and Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) represent a new frontier of instability
requiring new frameworks for international cooperation and restraint. Any regulatory framework
must ensure compliance with international humanitarian law, preserve human decision-making
authority, ensure equitable access to beneficial technologies for peaceful purposes, and bridge the
technological divide through international cooperation and capacity building.

Mr. Chair,

Today’s challenges before us are matters of survival for humanity. We must move beyond rhetoric
to results. To achieve results, all stakeholders should work in hand in hand.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.