PH Says Onus of Ridding the World of Nuclear Weapons Rests on Nuclear Weapon States
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Carlos D. Sorreta speaks at at the General Debate of the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on 01 August 2022. (Photo from NYPM. Credit: UN Photo Library).
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK 05 August 2022 – Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations Carlos D. Sorreta headed the Philippine delegation to the 10th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on 01 August 2022. Speaking on behalf of the Philippines, Undersecretary Sorreta said that the “onus to rid the world of nuclear weapons remains on the shoulders of Nuclear Weapon States (NWS)”.
“The nuclear weapon states must make meaningful progress to reduce and eliminate all types of nuclear weapons in a transparent manner, and to further diminish the role of such weapons in their military and security concepts, doctrines, or policies”, the Undersecretary added.
Undersecretary Sorreta also highlighted the commitment of the Philippines to the NPT noting that it “emanates from our people’s aspiration to achieve freedom from the threat of nuclear weapons and forge a path to sustainable development that includes harnessing the potential of nuclear energy.” Article II Section 8 of the Philippine Constitution states that "The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory."
At the General Debate, Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo said that “the Philippines attaches great significance to the enduring role of the Treaty in the 21st century, to keep nuclear weapons states firmly on the path of completely eliminating their stockpiles as well as to address the modernization of nuclear arsenals, enhance transparency and establish security dialogue mechanisms among relevant regional actors.”
For this round of the Review Conference, the Philippines attaches importance to issues such as Article VI/Action 5 implementation, negative security assurances, transparency, nuclear risk reduction, nuclear weapons free zones, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
In his capacity as Vice President of the Review Conference, Undersecretary Sorreta also presided over the General Debate of the 10th NPT Review Conference on 02 August 2022.
The Philippines is one of the vice-presidents elected on the first day of the Review Conference. The vice-presidency of the Philippines signifies the country’s commitment to be a bridge-builder and a catalyst that aims to work for a comprehensive, balanced and decisive consensus document for the 10th NPT Review Conference.
The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.
NPT States Parties meet every five (5) years at a Review Conference to review the operation of the Treaty. The 10th NPT RevCon was originally scheduled to take place from 27 April to 22 May 2020 which was supposed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the treaty, but had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 10th NPT RevCon is being held in a full in-person format with participation from regional and international organizations and civil society representatives. The NPT RevCon is chaired by Ambassador Gustavo Zlauvinen of Argentina.
Complete records of the meeting can be accessed through the UN WebTV, https://media.un.org/en/webtv.
Link to the full statement of Undersecretary Sorreta: https://bit.ly/3vMB4Sg
For more information, visit https://www.newyorkpm.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.un.int/philippines or https://www.facebook.com/PHMissionNY/. END.