Mr. President,

It is a pleasure to congratulate you on assuming the Presidency of this Conference, as we commence the 2016 Annual Session. You can be assured of the full support of the Indian delegation.

2.    We would to thank the High Representative Mr. Kim Won Soo for his presence here and for sharing with us the important statement of the UN Secretary General. We also convey our appreciation to the Secretary General, Mr. Michael Moller and his team for their support of the Conference. We would also like to welcome the new Acting Deputy Secretary General of the CD, Ms. Mary Soliman, and wish her a successful tenure in Geneva. We welcome our new colleagues, the Permanent Representatives of Belarus, Canada, Columbia, Pakistan, Poland, ROK, Romania and Sweden, who have joined us recently.

3.    India welcomes adoption by the Conference of its Agenda today.  

4.    India attaches high importance to the Conference on Disarmament as the world’s single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, as mandated by the final document of SSOD-I and reaffirmed most recently in UNGA Resolution 70/67. The complex international situation underlines the urgency of redoubling efforts to reach multilaterally agreed responses to the varied challenges to international peace and security. For too long, this Conference has been held back from discharging its core mandate - of  negotiating international legal instruments of global scope and universal acceptance. We hope that this impasse can be broken this year.

5.    We would like to highlight key resolutions adopted by the 70th session of the UNGA, which in the view of the Indian delegation merit attention and follow up by this Conference.

-Resolution 70/34 on Follow-up to the 2013 HLM of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament, calls for the urgent commencement of negotiations in the CD for the early conclusion of a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons to prohibit their possession, development, production, acquisition, testing, stockpiling, transfer, use or threat of use and to provide for their destruction. This is a priority for a vast majority of the international community. The G21 has made specific proposals in this regard including working papers CD 2032 and CD 2044 submitted in 2015. 

-Resolution 70/62 on the Convention on Prohibition of Use of Nuclear Weapons, which calls on the CD to commence negotiations in order to reach agreement on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. This is a long-standing resolution of the GA, first introduced by India in 1982, and reflects our belief that a legally binding instrument prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons will contribute to the progressive de-legitimization of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines - an essential step for attaining the goal of nuclear disarmament;

-Resolution 70/39 on a Treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, which urges this Conference to agree on and implement a balanced and comprehensive programme of work that includes the immediate commencement of negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices on the basis of document CD/1299 and the mandate contained therein. There is strong international support for implementation of this resolution, with the said mandate as the essential basis and we hope that the Conference will act accordingly. We recall in this context the significant report of the FMCT GGE contained in CD/2023 of June 2015.

-Resolution 70/26 on Prevention of an arms race in outer space, invites the Conference to establish a working group as early as possible during its 2016 session. The G-21 submitted a working Paper on this agenda item contained in CD/2031 in 2015.

-Resolution 70/25 on Conclusion of effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, which recommends that the CD actively continue intensive negotiations with a view to reaching early agreement and conclude effective international agreements on this issue. The G21 had submitted a working paper CD/2045 in 2015.

6.    We request the President to take into account the UNGA resolutions just mentioned in drawing a draft Programme of Work for consideration of the Conference. This would be consistent with Rules 27- 29 of the Rules of Procedure. In our view, the Conference should seek to preserve the gains of past decisions, while making progress on its agenda items to achieve consensus on a balanced and comprehensive Programme of Work that would allow the commencement of substantive work.  

7.    A number of delegations have today referred to the DPRK nuclear test of 6 January this year. We have also noted the statement made by the distinguished Ambassador of DPRK setting out his countrys views.  With regard to India's position,  the Official Spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry had expressed deep concern on DPRK acting in violation of its international commitments in this regard and called upon DPRK to refrain from such actions which adversely impact on peace and stability in the region. The Spokesman also said that Indias concerns about proliferation links between North East Asia and our neighborhood were well-known.