Intervention by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Argentine Republic, Minister Gabriela Martinic

October 3

Madam President,

Allow me first to congratulate you and other members of the Bureau and to ensure the full cooperation of my Delegation.

I would also like to thank the President of the General Assembly and the Deputy Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs for their presence and interventions yesterday.

Madam President,

In the face of an international context that may lead us to pessimism, mainly due to the nuclear tests carried out by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which have been condemned in the strongest terms by my country, but also by the finding of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, we understand that it is our duty to rescue those decisions that the international community has been able to take as a whole and have given much evidence of a determination to move towards a world free of weapons of mass destruction.

One example is the commemoration in April of this year of the twenty years of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which has become one of the most successful universal disarmament instruments of all time. In this regard, we welcome the announcement made by the Russian Federation on 27 September on the total destruction of its chemical arsenal.

This year, Argentina celebrates along with other 137 States the 15 years since the creation of the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC) and reaffirms its importance as a multilateral instrument of transparency and confidence building.

Argentina also highlights two events of special significance for the disarmament machinery that took place in the first half of this year and which show that dialogue is possible and that today more than ever consensus must be the rule that leads us to agreements of universal scope. First, the recommendations adopted by the Disarmament Commission on confidence-building measures in the field of conventional weapons and secondly the recommendations on objectives and agenda for a Special Session of the General Assembly on Disarmament. These achievements renew our hopes of unlocking the paralysis of disarmament.

At the regional level, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have celebrated the adoption of the Declaration of the Member States of OPANAL on the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Madam President,

The issue of nuclear disarmament has always been a matter of priority for Argentina, and has therefore participated in any discussion, forum or negotiation where it is concerned, with the conviction that the NPT is the cornerstone of the international legal regime of non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

The next NPT Review Conference is particularly significant as it will mark the 25th anniversary since the Review and Extension Conference of 1995. As you know, Argentina presented with the GRULAC endorsement the candidacy of Ambassador Rafael Grossi to chair that meeting .

In the area of ​​nuclear disarmament, Argentina shares those calls at the international level that require a reaffirmation of political commitment and the adoption of concrete measures by the possessing countries to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

General and complete disarmament, internationally verifiable and ensuring its irreversibility is a challenge that, in order to be effective, the international community must address in a constructive manner and on the basis of broad consensus.

The Argentine commitment to the need to continue working towards a world free of nuclear weapons made my country participate in the negotiation process of the The Nuclear Weapons Ban -Treaty. The spirit behind this Treaty is shared by Argentina, that is why it voted in favor of its adoption on July 7.

Nevertheless, Argentina is analyzing the impact that this Treaty could have on other relevant areas of the current non-proliferation regime and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the cornerstone of which is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

In addition, next November, my country will host the fifth Plenary of the International Partnership for the Verification of Nuclear Disarmament (IPNDV). We are convinced that, in order to move towards a world free of nuclear weapons, it is essential to maintain a constructive dialogue between nuckear and non-nuclear weapons States.

Madam President,

There are many and very painful cases in which international terrorism has given ample evidence of its capacity for destruction. The use of weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors has ceased to be an abstract or theoretical problem in recent years and has highlighted the need for Member States to redouble their efforts to prevent terrorist groups from gaining access to weapons of mass destruction their related materials and / or their means of transport.

Resolution 1540 represents, because of its scope and legal nature, the clearest response by the United Nations to the problem of weapons of mass destruction and their access to them by non-State actors.

It is illusory to think that we live in safety while there are such materials lacking the proper protection, and without the international regulations being applied at a global level.

Specifically, for Argentina, the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material has been in force for more than a year. Since 2005, Argentina has been participating in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) and, since 2010, in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (UNICWG). Under the latter initiative, two exercises in radiological emergencies were developed jointly with Chile, the first in 2014 and only the "Paihuen 2017" exercise in the city of Bariloche.

Madam President,

It is estimated that more than 1,500 people die each day as a result of armed violence, and that 60% of all human rights violations are committed with small arms. The consequences are devastating to our societies and directly affect sustainable development.

To address this scourge, Argentina underlines the need to address unregulated conventional arms trade and the need to explore the synergies between existing instruments: the United Nations Program of Action, the Arms Trade Treaty , and the Firearms Protocol.

Argentina welcomes the recent holding in Geneva of the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), an instrument that addresses in an integrated and articulated manner three dimensions of vital importance: the issue of human rights, development and production, and responsible trade in conventional arms.

At the regional level, Argentina will continue to work intensely and make every possible diplomatic effort to support the brotherly people of Venezuela. In the meantime, and in accordance with the Lima Declaration of August 8, my country urges States Parties to the ATT, as well as non-Parties, to refrain from transferring arms, in the light of the Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty.

In addition, the third United Nations Conference to Review Progress Achieved in the Execution of UNPoA will take place in June. My country attaches great importance to this issue, constituting the National Plan of Restriction of Firearms one of the 100 objectives of government management.

Madam President,

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again Argentina's commitment to the work of this Committee and we hope that this will be a fruitful session. For this you can count on the full cooperation of my Delegation.