UN General Assembly and the threats of Nuclear War: UN First Committee urged to pick up on the G20 statement that: "The threat or use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible"

Posted: 13th October 2023

UNFOLD ZERO Newsletter

On October 9, the Global Security Institute a co-founder of UNFOLD ZERO, sent a letter entitled Reducing the Risk of Nuclear Weapons Use to representatives of UN Member States meeting over the month of October at the UN General Assembly First Committee(Disarmament and International Security).

The letter:

highlights the ’truism’ affirmed by the G20 leaders at the Bali Summit in November 2022 and the Delhi Summit in September 2023, that “The threat or use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible”,
connects this to the Reagan/Gorbachev dictum that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought“ and
asks the delegations to include the G20 affirmation in deliberations of the First Committee and in resolutions to be adopted at the end of October.

The letter complements the UNFOLD ZERO update earlier this week UN First Committee (Disarmament) meets under a cloud of international conflicts, which highlighted the joint statement Common Security v Nuclear Deterrence: How to replace the current reliance on nuclear weapons with sustainable security for all, and announced the LAW not War launch event coming up on October 23.

“It is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. This includes defending all the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and adhering to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and infrastructure in armed conflicts.”

“The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue are vital. Today’s era must not be of war.”

Group of Twenty (G20) 2022 Bali Summit Declaration
Cited in the Global Security Institute letter to UN Member States participating in the UN First Committee.

Yours sincerely
UNFOLD ZERO