The lack of consensus on a final document of the 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was a missed opportunity to affirm multilateralism among nations, notwithstanding geopolitical challenges and conflicts.
In a final statement, the Philippines said it regrets that the conference will end without a concrete agreement.
“We regret that we conclude this conference without even a flicker of hope to give the world and the communities that place the highest demands for diplomacy, dialogue, and negotiations to flourish in resilience, through the stresses of war, conflict, and differences among nations that are complex and deep,” it said.
It added that the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use to render all arguments for their existence untenable, saying nuclear weapons will put everyone in peril.
“The NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) Group of States including the Philippines engaged constructively and despite disappointment with the revised draft, was prepared to join the consensus. We were vigorous in our engagement, united in and for the cause of nuclear disarmament. We should not waver,” it added.
It added that the Philippines will not lose hope of having a safe and secure world, free from nuclear weapons.
Early this month, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Maria Teresa Almojuela demanded that the Nuclear Weapon States provide negative security assurances to the Non-Nuclear Weapon States.
Treaties provide nuke-free zones
Regarding nuclear-weapon-free zones, Ambassador Almojuela emphasized the importance of nuclear weapon states ratifying treaties establishing them, such as the Bangkok Treaty and its applicable protocols. She also stressed the importance of establishing the Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone as one of the cornerstones of the global system for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.