Statement by Pakistan on Thematic Debate on Conventional Weapons
Mr. Chair,
1. We align ourselves with the statement delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.
2. The Final Document of SSOD-I provided a robust roadmap for limitation and gradual reduction of armed forces and conventional weapons within the framework of general and complete disarmament. States with the largest military arsenals have a special responsibility in pursuing the process of conventional armaments reductions.
3. Regrettably, this agreed vision has not been realized. Instead, we find ourselves amidst a persistent increase in global military expenditures. According to SIPRI, last year saw a 3.7 per cent increase in world military spending to reach a new high of $2240 billion.
4. Astoundingly, the entire budget of the UN comprises less than 1% of the world's military spending. This disparity is staggering, revealing a reality where a disproportionate 150 times more funds are allocated to fueling conflicts rather than preventing them.
5. Moreover, attempts to regulate conventional weapons, as seen in initiatives like the Arms Trade Treaty, have only seen partial success. Despite the treaty's call on states parties to evaluate arms transfers based on human rights, legal, and peace and security criteria, we observe an unyielding flow of advanced armaments into volatile regions with festering disputes.
6. We are left to wonder: What value do criteria for arms transfers hold when their application remains subject to political and strategic considerations? Waivers and exemptions are granted with alarming frequency, often undermining the pursuit of peace and stability in various regions.
7. Many of these worrying trends are amplified in South Asia, where one state is being supplied with advanced weapons and technologies despite its destabilizing policies in the neighborhood and beyond, its aggressive posturing and rhetoric, and its complete defiance of the UN Security Council resolutions.
8. Pakistan, for its part, is committed to the establishment of a strategic restraint regime in South Asia, which includes an element of conventional force balance. Pakistan neither wants, nor is engaged in an arms race in the region.
Mr. Chair,
9. There are three major factors impeding progress in addressing adverse impacts of conventional weapons:
• First, the pursuit of a partial approach i.e. attempts to separate motivations for arms production from the controls of their trade and transfer.
• Second, an exclusive focus on managing the effects of trade in arms, without adequately addressing the causes that propel such a trade in the first place.
• Third, lack of faithful implementation of existing international, regional or national commitments and obligations.
10. Only by addressing these impediments, we will be able to progressively pursue the vision that was laid down in SSOD-I.
11. For over three decades, this Committee has adopted Pakistan’s resolution on promotion of conventional arms control at the regional and sub-regional levels. This resolution is anchored in the core SSOD-I principles of undiminished security of all States, and balanced reduction of forces and of conventional armaments. We look forward to its adoption with widest possible support this year.
12. As a party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and all of its five Protocols, Pakistan remains fully compliant with their provisions. The success of the CCW lies in the delicate balance that it seeks to maintain between humanitarian considerations and the legitimate security interests of States. We share concerns over the possibility of acquisition and use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by non-state actors and terrorists. The CCW remains the most appropriate forum to address the issue of IEDs in a comprehensive and balanced manner.
13. The ongoing work within the ambit of the CCW on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) should continue with an aim to develop international rules through a new Protocol. Such a Protocol would need to clearly spell out prohibitions and regulations governing autonomous weapon systems to ensure compliance with the International Humanitarian Law and consistency with the objectives and purposes of the CCW. In this context, we would like to draw attention to a proposal submitted by Pakistan in the CCW on an “International Legal Instrument on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS)”.
14. Without prejudice to the discussions in the CCW that pivot on IHL, there are other aspects of use of Artificial Intelligence in military capabilities and autonomous weapon systems that need to be addressed. We will be sharing our views on this during our debate on the next cluster.
15. We also look forward to the Fourth Review of the Progress in the implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons in 2024. We welcome the conclusion of the Open-ended Working Group on Conventional Ammunitions, and the adoption of its outcome document containing a set of political commitments as a new voluntary global framework that will address existing gaps in through-life ammunitions management.
Thank you.