CD hears report of the Informal Working Group

Mia Gandenberger | Reaching Critical Will of WILPF
10 September 2013

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) met on Tuesday, 10 September 2013. The Secretary-General of the CD, Mr. Tokayev, the Co-Chair of the Informal Working Group (IWG), Ambassador Gallegos of Ecuador, Ambassador Mehmet Ferden Çarikçi of Turkey, and the representative of Pakistan delivered statements.

The Secretary-General of the CD, Mr Tokayev, shared his observations on the work of the CD during 2013 and gave a brief look forward to 2014. He welcomed the high-level of engagement among delegations. He stressed that it was the collective responsibility of all to enable progress on the work of the CD and it would require flexibility and compromises from all delegations. Mr. Tokayev also welcomed the establishment of the Informal Working Group (IWG) as a step in the right direction, but also cautioned against it becoming a diversion from the formal work of the CD.

The Co-Chair of the IWG, Ambassador Gallegos of Ecuador, reported on the Group’s work. He noted that while the first meeting on 26 August 2013 was mainly an opportunity to exchange views on a programme of work, the following meetings on 2 and 9 September 2013 addressed the food for thought paper that he had prepared. In addition, a compilation of all programmes of work adopted by the CD have been made available on the UNODA website under Proposals on a Programme of work.

Ambassador Gallegos believed that the work of the IWG is a clear indication that delegations are trying to find innovative solutions to address the CD’s impasse. He announced that he plans to continue his work during the inter-sessional period to consult with delegations as well as out-going and incoming CD Presidents.

The new Ambassador of Turkey, Mr. Mehmet Ferden Çarikçi, addressed the CD for the first time. He underlined the importance of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty and the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.

The representative of Pakistan reported from a meeting of the National Command Authority (NCA) of Pakistan on Friday, 5 September 2013. The NCA reaffirmed the centrality of nuclear weapons for the defence of the country. As a “responsible nuclear weapon state” Pakistan will continue its policy of a “credible minimum deterrent” and will oppose any international arrangements which would be “detrimental to its security and strategic interests”.

The formal meeting was suspended at 10.30 am and changed to informal mode. The CD President announced that Paragraphs 19 and 20 of the draft report would be addressed. As civil society is not allowed to participate in those meetings, we cannot report on what was discussed.

Next meeting

The next plenary meeting will be held on Thursday, 12 September 2013 at 10 am in the Council Chamber.