Conference on disarmament - Statement by Ambassador Camille PETIT for the opening of the Conference on disarmament (Geneva, January 23rd, 2024) [fr]

Mr. President,

Allow me to congratulate you on your new functions of President of the Conference on Disarmament, and to wish you every success in your new duties. You can count on France’s friendly support in working with the Indian presidency over the coming weeks, and on my team’s readiness to support your work.

I would also like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the new colleagues who are joining us for the first time at the CD.

Speaking for the first time at this year’s CD, I would like to reiterate that France fully subscribes to the EU declaration that will be made later. I would also like to point out that Belgium, which holds the Presidency of the EU Council, may decide to speak in this capacity with the agreement of the EU Member States. I would like to add the following comments in my national capacity.

France was fully committed in 2023 alongside the other CD Presidencies, whom I would like to thank, to moving our discussions forward. France has endeavored to deepen our work with thematic discussions on (1) disarmament education and research, (2) transparency of nuclear doctrines and arsenals, and (3) FMCT. With the German Presidency and the support of UNIDIR, we have also initiated a process of reflection on the revitalization of this forum, which we hope to pursue over the long term. I will return to this subject tomorrow, Wednesday January 24, with my German colleague at an event co-organized by UNIDIR and UNODA at 1:15 pm in Room XXIV of the Palais des Nations.

We have done so in a geopolitical context that remains particularly deteriorated. We are now approaching the two-year mark in which Ukraine has been subjected to Russia’s armed aggression and direct violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. France will continue to offer its unwavering support to Ukraine, in all areas, to enable it to exercise its right to self-defense, in accordance with the United Nations Charter. We are determined to work to preserve peace and stability, including of course within the framework of our Conference.

Once again this year, the challenges are immense. As France has expressed on several occasions, we call for immediate action to bring about a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, with the help of all regional and international partners. This is essential to deliver more aid to Gaza’s civilian population. France also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. It condemns the attacks committed by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7, and will continue its action to establish anti-terrorist sanctions against Hamas at European level. Finally, we will continue to promote the two-state solution, the only way to build a just and lasting peace, and will continue to work for regional stability.

Mr. President,

France reiterates its determination to make pragmatic and realistic progress on a number of disarmament projects, starting with those that are most mature.
In this respect, I would like to focus on three points which will also guide our priorities at the CD this year:

(1) First priority: to preserve the functioning of our forum and combat all attempts at obstructionism, which are direct attacks on multilateralism. France is fully committed to respecting the rules on which this Conference is founded, and will continue to defend the inclusiveness of its work. We deplore last year’s deadlock over the participation of non-member states. We reaffirm our wish that the work of this forum should be open to all candidates, and will continue to defend this principle this year.

(2) Defend a positive disarmament agenda, as reiterated by the French President in his speech at the Ecole de Guerre in February 2020: a/ first, respect for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, and reaffirmation of its primacy and centrality, then b/ the launch of negotiations, in this forum, on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for weapons on the basis of document CD 12/99 and the mandate it contains, and, in the meantime, the implementation of an associated moratorium, and the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, c/ the continuation of work on nuclear disarmament verification and d/ work on strategic risk reduction.

(3) Work towards a comprehensive and balanced program of work, which takes into account the subjects most ripe for progress, including the FMCT. In this respect, we regret that this conference was unable to reach agreement on a program of word last year. We are ready to help find the compromises needed to renew the subsidiary bodies and advance the substantive work of the CD. In doing so, we would ask you to bear in mind the coherence of our work with that being carried out in other First Committee forums, such as in the space field, where work on preventing a "nuclear arms race" is under way, notably through the establishment of norms for responsible behavior.

Finally, as I am wont to point out, we will also be pursuing our efforts to promote multilingualism in this forum, and more broadly in our work in the field of disarmament. This year, we will be working with UNIDIR to launch a series of courses on disarmament aimed at a French-speaking audience, with a view to the Francophonie summit to be held on October 4 and 5 in Villers-Cotterêts, at the new Cité Internationale de la France et des Cultures Francophones, and in Paris.
Mr. President,

I’d like to thank you for your efforts to consult with all the members of this Conference, even before our meetings. You can count on France’s support in accompanying the work of this forum in the weeks ahead in a spirit of constructive cooperation.

Thank you very much./.

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