Madame President,
Excellencies, Colleagues,

It is an honor to participate in the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament under the Presidency of Colombia, a fellow G-21 country with which India enjoys excellent relations.

Madame President,
We meet in difficult times.

We meet in the shadow of a pandemic that has forever altered the way we live. The world we inhabit is more uncertain. The number of unknowns- known and unknown- has increased. 

Madame President,

The recent turn of developments in Ukraine is deeply disturbing. India has urged that all efforts are made for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilities. 

There is no other choice but to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue.

Madam President, 

The pandemic was a shock at multiple levels to the international system and to countries like mine. 

India has, however, reacted decisively. Among other things it has established itself as a major source of healthcare capacities, particularly of vaccines. Its vaccination campaign has been conducted at unprecedented speed and scale. 

Madame President,

India is committed to multilateralism. It believes that nations must work together to confront the challenges that face humanity. India is currently serving a non-permanent tenure in the UN Security Council. It will chair the G20 next year.

It was a constructive player in the G7 meetings in June 2021, at COP 26 and has chaired BRICS and other plurilateral formats in the last twelve months. 

India used its UNSC presidency to focus on maritime security and a Presidential Statement on that issue was adopted under its Presidency. 

India is determined to be a part of the solution when it comes to global security problems. 

Madame President,

India attaches high importance to the Conference on Disarmament. It is the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, as mandated by SSOD-1.

It deals with some of the most critical questions in the realm of disarmament and international security. 

Its role, and its work, has acquired greater importance in the contemporary context. 

The ability of the Conference to advance its work, that of negotiating legally binding instruments, accordingly deserves the utmost attention and support. 

The CD, along with the UN Disarmament Commission and the First Committee, has the mandate, membership and the rules of procedure to deliver on the responsibilities that have been assigned to it. 

India supports a comprehensive and balanced Programme of Work to enable the Conference to commence negotiations on issues on its agenda. 

The Decision recently adopted by the Conference on its work, in the view of this delegation, has not articulated the mandates of the Subsidiary Bodies in a satisfactory manner. 

We urge Member States to show the political will to advance its work, including by building upon the work done in the past.

India remains committed to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament. India, in its Working Paper CD/1816, submitted to the Conference in 2007, has called for a complete elimination of nuclear weapons through a step-by-step process. We reiterate, at this time, the need to undertake the steps outlined in the Working Paper, including negotiating a Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention in this Conference.

Negotiated outcomes that strengthen non-proliferation and move the world toward nuclear disarmament should be a priority.

The immediate commencement of negotiations in the CD on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) on the basis of CD/1299 and the mandate contained therein, which remains the most suitable basis for negotiations, is a priority for this delegation.

India, is a responsible nuclear weapon State and is committed in accordance with its nuclear doctrine, to maintain credible minimum deterrence with the posture of no-first use and non-use against non-nuclear weapon States.

We attach importance to the work of Nuclear Disarmament Verification and have participated constructively in the proceedings of the Group of Governmental Experts on Nuclear Disarmament Verification. 

India has been a consistent advocate of preserving outer space as a common heritage of humankind. India supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on Prevention of an Arms Race in Space to address the global concerns related to space security.

India shares the concerns of the international community on illicit transfer of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons. The recently concluded CCW Review Conference has given the direction for the intersessional work in this important area of our work. India will participate on the Group of Governmental Experts on the UN Register of Conventional Arms and on 8th Biennial Meeting of States on small arms and light weapons later this year. 

India will also engage constructively during the forthcoming Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention.

India introduces a number of resolutions annually in the UN General Assembly which focus on crucial issues of contemporary relevance impacting global peace and security.

In line with the SSOD-1’s emphasis on promoting expertise in disarmament and in empowering our younger generations, we host a fully funded Annual Disarmament and International Security Fellowship Programme to advance disarmament education. We hope that the younger generation of diplomats will make use of this to enhance capacity and awareness about this important field of work.

Madame President

In ending, I would like to urge member states to demonstrate the political will that is required to advance the work of the Conference to negotiate legally binding instruments. 

India stands ready to contribute to this process and work with fellow member States to achieve our collective objectives. 

Thank You, Madame President.