General Statement-First Preparatory Committee for the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

Chair,

1. Denmark fully aligns itself with the statement on behalf of the European Union as well as with the statement on behalf of the Vienna Group of Ten.

2. We congratulate you, Chair, on your appointment. We thank you for the thorough preparations for our meeting and assure you of our full support.

3. We meet less than a year after the last Review Conference, whose outcome, regrettably, was blocked by Russia. It is even more regrettable that the circumstances that lead to that result – the illegal and abhorrent Russian war on Ukraine – continue to blight the international security environment and the maintenance of effective multilateralism.

4. We remain, however, deeply committed to the NPT and its three pillars. We fully support efforts to uphold and strengthen the non-proliferation and disarmament regime with the NPT at its core. This requires renewed efforts to strive for full implementation of the obligations and commitments entailed by the NPT and for its universalisation. In the face of current challenges, this may seem a daunting task, but there is no adequate alternative if we wish to maintain the security and development gains the Treaty provides.

Chair,

5. Denmark would like to see a world without nuclear weapons develop. There are valuable steps that can be taken to move in that direction. These include work on risk reduction, increased transparency and on nuclear disarmament verification.

6. We also support the ongoing efforts to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. We warmly welcome the impressive number of new signatures and ratifications that have been achieved and continue to call on the remaining Annex II states to ratify the Treaty and enable its entry into force.

7. Another important step would be the commencement and early conclusion of negotiations on a Treaty banning the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other explosive devices. Pending a future FMCT in force, we call on China and all States concerned to declare and uphold an immediate moratorium on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

8. While we fully support such steps being taken and believe they can help pave the way towards nuclear disarmament, the current environment is not conducive to swift progress. Russia’s continued use of escalatory nuclear rhetoric, its decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, and its announcement of suspending its participation in the New START Treaty all add to the dangers created by its illegal attack on a sovereign neighbouring state and its evident disrespect for international law.

9. We are also concerned by China’s actions to expand its nuclear arsenal, which run counter to the obligations entailed in Article VI.

Chair,

10. The world also faces several serious nuclear proliferation issues challenging the international security architecture. The DPRK continues to develop its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in blatant violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. Iran is expanding its capability to enrich uranium and its stockpiles, escalating its violations of limits established by the JCPoA.

11. At the same time, Russia’s war in Ukraine has created previously unseen risks to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, challenging our existing nuclear safety and security framework.

12. In all these fields, we underline our solid support for the work of the IAEA. The IAEA safeguards system is the best bulwark we have against nuclear proliferation and must be as strong as possible. For this reason, we reiterate our call for the universalisation of safeguards agreements and particularly the Additional Protocol as the current NPT standard. The IAEA’s work on nuclear safety and security is key to creating conditions for the responsible peaceful use of nuclear energy. We welcome the IAEA’s activities supporting Member States in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals as well as Member States’ efforts through the Peaceful Uses Initiative and the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology. Finally, we stress our support for multilateral export control regimes, especially the Zangger Committee and the NSG, which help us all live up to our obligations under Article III as well as Article IV.

Chair,

13. The menu of challenges is long and wide. Denmark stands ready to contribute to the work of this Committee, as we all strive to strengthen the implementation of the NPT and uphold the multilateral architecture in the face of those challenges.

Chair,

1. Denmark fully aligns itself with the statement on behalf of the European Union as well as with the statement on behalf of the Vienna Group of Ten.

2. We congratulate you, Chair, on your appointment. We thank you for the thorough preparations for our meeting and assure you of our full support.

3. We meet less than a year after the last Review Conference, whose outcome, regrettably, was blocked by Russia. It is even more regrettable that the circumstances that lead to that result – the illegal and abhorrent Russian war on Ukraine – continue to blight the international security environment and the maintenance of effective multilateralism.

4. We remain, however, deeply committed to the NPT and its three pillars. We fully support efforts to uphold and strengthen the non-proliferation and disarmament regime with the NPT at its core. This requires renewed efforts to strive for full implementation of the obligations and commitments entailed by the NPT and for its universalisation. In the face of current challenges, this may seem a daunting task, but there is no adequate alternative if we wish to maintain the security and development gains the Treaty provides.

Chair,

5. Denmark would like to see a world without nuclear weapons develop. There are valuable steps that can be taken to move in that direction. These include work on risk reduction, increased transparency and on nuclear disarmament verification.

6. We also support the ongoing efforts to promote the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. We warmly welcome the impressive number of new signatures and ratifications that have been achieved and continue to call on the remaining Annex II states to ratify the Treaty and enable its entry into force.

7. Another important step would be the commencement and early conclusion of negotiations on a Treaty banning the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other explosive devices. Pending a future FMCT in force, we call on China and all States concerned to declare and uphold an immediate moratorium on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

8. While we fully support such steps being taken and believe they can help pave the way towards nuclear disarmament, the current environment is not conducive to swift progress. Russia’s continued use of escalatory nuclear rhetoric, its decision to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, and its announcement of suspending its participation in the New START Treaty all add to the dangers created by its illegal attack on a sovereign neighbouring state and its evident disrespect for international law.

9. We are also concerned by China’s actions to expand its nuclear arsenal, which run counter to the obligations entailed in Article VI.

Chair,

10. The world also faces several serious nuclear proliferation issues challenging the international security architecture. The DPRK continues to develop its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in blatant violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. Iran is expanding its capability to enrich uranium and its stockpiles, escalating its violations of limits established by the JCPoA.

11. At the same time, Russia’s war in Ukraine has created previously unseen risks to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, challenging our existing nuclear safety and security framework.

12. In all these fields, we underline our solid support for the work of the IAEA. The IAEA safeguards system is the best bulwark we have against nuclear proliferation and must be as strong as possible. For this reason, we reiterate our call for the universalisation of safeguards agreements and particularly the Additional Protocol as the current NPT standard. The IAEA’s work on nuclear safety and security is key to creating conditions for the responsible peaceful use of nuclear energy. We welcome the IAEA’s activities supporting Member States in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals as well as Member States’ efforts through the Peaceful Uses Initiative and the Sustained Dialogue on Peaceful Uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology. Finally, we stress our support for multilateral export control regimes, especially the Zangger Committee and the NSG, which help us all live up to our obligations under Article III as well as Article IV.

Chair,

13. The menu of challenges is long and wide. Denmark stands ready to contribute to the work of this Committee, as we all strive to strengthen the implementation of the NPT and uphold the multilateral architecture in the face of those challenges.