EU Statement – UN General Assembly 1st Committee: General Statement

Mrs. Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, as well as, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Maintaining international peace and security is a primary purpose of the UN, to which all its members have committed. Yet today, conflicts are being waged across almost all continents, marked by violations and abuses of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law. Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and its global consequences, the ongoing war and humanitarian disaster in Gaza, the deteriorating situation in the Sahel and other parts of Africa, terrorism and violent extremism, the climate emergency, cyber threats, as well as the erosion of democracy and human rights, risk undermining our longer term development goals. The SDGs are intrinsically linked to peace, security and human rights. Without peace, none of these goals will be achieved. It is abhorrent and totally unacceptable that civilians and civilian objects, humanitarian workers, and journalists are targeted and increasingly so; that women, girls, and children continue to suffer disproportionately; and that safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access is increasingly challenged or used as a bargaining chip.

These challenges cannot be addressed by any country alone; they must be resolved collectively. That is why the EU and its Member States will continue to uphold international law, the rule of law and multilateralism founded on the UN Charter whilst continuing to defend, promote and further strengthen the global architecture for arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation, as well as export control regimes.

The disarmament and non-proliferation architecture has been under considerable pressure for some time. The EU deplores the obstructive posture of some States, including the misuse of consensus in multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation and export control fora. The continued non-compliance by some States with their international obligations is a matter of grave concern to the EU. The viability and effectiveness of disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation agreements require that those agreements be fully implemented, complied with and enforced. Ensuring accountability and ending impunity is crucial to preserving the integrity of the established norms. Multilateral export control regimes, too, have experienced unjustified direct or indirect pressure. This creates a risk of side-lining these crucial effective instruments of non-proliferation, which are designed to build trust among all actors of legitimate international trade.

The Pact for the Future provides a unique opportunity to reinvigorate multilateralism, make it fit to tackle current and future global challenges, and reduce the trust gap towards institutions at all levels and among UN members. The EU is advocating for a balanced approach towards the three pillars of the UN - fostering peace and security, boosting sustainable development and promoting and protecting human rights. Strengthening cooperation, accountability and inclusivity in multilateral fora will be key to increasing trust in the system and ensuring effectiveness, ownership and transparency. The EU will continue to engage constructively, working with partners from all regions, including civil society actors, for a meaningful and ambitious implementation of the Pact for the Future.

Now in its third year, Russia's unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine continues to inflict a heavy toll on civilians, as exemplified by Russia's ongoing campaign of systematic strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, with spill over effects felt in the wider region and across the globe. We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's actions, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and threats to use nuclear force in its war of aggression against Ukraine, which further demonstrate how Russia's repeated actions undermine international peace and security. Russia continues to blatantly violate international law and the UN Charter, as well as its commitments under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. The EU and its Member States will continue to uphold the principles of the UN Charter and international law and support Ukraine for as long as it takes. We remain committed to seeing Russia and its leadership held fully accountable for waging a war of aggression against Ukraine and for other most serious crimes under international law, as well as for the massive damage caused by its war. A comprehensive, just and lasting peace, consistent with the UN Charter and international law, remains an unwavering priority. We welcome the fruitful, comprehensive and constructive exchange of views during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, which took place in June in Switzerland as well as the Joint Communiqué adopted at the Summit. In line with the Joint Communiqué, the EU is ready to support concrete steps, based on the UN Charter and international law. Belarus' complicity with Russia against Ukraine constitutes a manifest violation of international law and the UN Charter. The EU condemns the announced deployment of Russian nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.

The European Union is strongly concerned about a growing number of reports regarding the alleged use of riot control agents by Russia as a method of warfare at the frontlines in Ukraine. Such use is prohibited under Article I of the Chemical Weapons Convention. We are also strongly concerned about the alleged use of choking agent chloropicrin. We call on Russia to comply with its obligations under the Convention.

One year later, we call for an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal to put an end to the violence and enable a full-scale humanitarian response in Gaza. The EU reiterates its strongest condemnation of the brutal terrorist attacks conducted by Hamas and other terrorist groups against Israel on 7 October 2023 and calls for the immediate release of all hostages without any precondition. In exercising its right to defend itself, Israel must fully comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, in all circumstances. We stress the importance of respecting and implementing the orders of ICJ, which are legally binding. The EU is appalled by the unprecedented loss of civilian lives, especially children as well as the catastrophic levels of hunger and imminent risk of famine caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza. The EU calls for the full implementation of the terms of the ceasefire proposal contained in UN Security Council Resolution 2735 without delay and without conditions. Full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access into and throughout the Gaza Strip via all routes is essential to provide the civilian population with life-saving assistance and basic services at scale. The EU calls on all parties to take every feasible step to protect civilian lives and humanitarian workers and facilities, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. The EU strongly condemns the ongoing extremist settler violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which violate international law, and will continue working forward on further restrictive measures against extremist settlers. The EU reiterates its commitment to implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and underlines its firm commitment to finding a political solution to the conflict towards a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution as Palestinians and Israelis have an equal right to live in safety, dignity and peace. The EU will continue to work with regional and international partners to prevent further regional escalation, notably in Lebanon and the Red Sea.

Mrs. Chair,

The EU remains committed to the universalisation and full implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which remains the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament in accordance with Article VI and an important element in the development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes. We stress the need to implement all obligations under the NPT, and commitments from previous Review Conferences, including the need for concrete progress towards the full implementation of Article VI, with the ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The EU deplores Russia's decision to revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which undermines the powerful and well-established norm against nuclear testing which is respected worldwide.

Compliance with and enforcement of international obligations applicable to biological and chemical weapons remains a fundamental pillar of global efforts to defend and uphold the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture and to prevent an erosion of this landscape. The EU will continue to promote and further strengthen multilateral instruments against chemical and biological weapons in order to uphold the international legal prohibition of such weapons, and to ensure there can be no impunity for their use. We underline the importance of the UN Secretary General's Mechanism in this regard.

The EU will also continue supporting conventional arms control instruments and their universalisation, with an emphasis on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) control and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC), in light of the outcomes of the Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action on SALW last June and ahead of the Review Conference of the APMBC scheduled in Cambodia for November. The EU recognizes the humanitarian goals of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. We note as an important achievement of the international community, the adoption of the Ireland-led Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) with its aim to reduce harm and strengthen the protection of civilians.

The EU will further consider how to seize the opportunities associated with new and emerging technologies and address the potential risks posed by their misuse. In particular, we emphasise the need to make progress on the issue of lethal autonomous weapons systems. The EU will support efforts under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and is fully committed to deliver and fulfil the mandate of the GGE on LAWS as soon as possible. We stand ready to contribute in the GGE to an ambitious and substantive outcome, which reflects the urgency of the matter. The "two-tier" approach offers a path as regards LAWS for their possible prohibition and regulation, ensuring compliance with international law, in particular IHL, and taking into account relevant ethical considerations. The EU further supports discussions on developing principles for the responsible military use of artificial intelligence (AI). With AI increasingly affecting all stages of, and prior to, military conflict, it is crucial to address the opportunities and challenges AI provides for international peace and security.

The EU also appreciates the role of the ATT in implementing the UN Secretary General's New Agenda for Peace as it pertains to addressing diversion, proliferation and misuse of SALW. Lastly, the EU will continue to support and defend multilateral export control regimes as key elements of the global non-proliferation and disarmament architecture, against malign actions of those who want to exploit international trade and scientific peaceful cooperation for their own military build-up.

The EU underlines the importance of complying with existing international law applicable to space, and to the peaceful, secure and sustainable use of outer space, with the Outer Space Treaty at its core. The EU and its Member States support the universalisation of and full compliance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, and will promote the adoption of norms of responsible space behaviour to make progress on the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects. The EU recalls the necessity to take into account and respect the distinct mandate between the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in Vienna and other fora while recognising the complementarity of their work.

Cyberspace and digital technologies offer significant opportunities for economic growth and development for all UN member states. At the same time, recent disruptive cyber-attacks demonstrate the risk that cyber vulnerabilities can pose to global peace and security. In this regard, the EU fully supports the evolving framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.

The EU will vigorously promote and scale up international efforts towards achieving gender equality, and the advancement and full enjoyment of all human rights by all women and girls and their empowerment, in line with its international commitments. The EU will continue to place the prevention and elimination of all forms of sexual and gender-based violence at the centre of its efforts. The EU also encourages the meaningful inclusion and participation of youth delegates in national and EU representations reaffirms its full commitment to the Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security Agendas.

Upgrading and strengthening our institutions is only part of the picture. Forging strong global partnerships to drive collective action is equally important. The EU will continue to engage with partners across the wider UN membership, actively listening to their concerns through ongoing outreach, to build consensus and cross-regional alliances. Inclusive multilateralism is crucial to achieving the SDGs and addressing mounting crises.

Finally, the EU will continue to support disarmament and non-proliferation education, to which the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium, the European network of independent think tanks, is contributing with various activities.

Thank you Mrs. Chair.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.