UN General Assembly First Committee commences in New York

The 2013 session of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security will meet from 7 October - 5 November 2013 in New York. The Committee will be chaired by Ambassador Ibrahim O. A. Dabbashi of Libya.

Reaching Critical Will (RCW) provides the most up to date information on developments at the First Committee. In preparation, RCW has produced a briefing book which provides a snap shot of some of the most pressing issues for this year's discussions. The book can be downloaded here.

For other information regarding the First Committee, please click here.

First Committee Monitor: Final Edition

Final Edition
2 November 2011

Please find the final edition of the First Committee Monitor, the weekly publication from the NGO Working Group on the First Committee, online for download in PDF or viewing in HTML. The editorial for this week's edition is also included below.

The First Committee Monitor is coordinated, edited, and distributed by the Reaching Critical Will project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Reaching Critical Will also collects and posts online all statements, draft resolutions, and other documentation from the First Committee.

In this edition:

• Editorial: Stalemate continues; more money goes to nuclear weapons
• Disarmament machinery
• Nuclear disarmament
• Nuclear proliferation
• Nuclear energy and the fuel cycle
• Nuclear weapon free zones
• Negative security assurances
• Nuclear testing
• Missile and anti-missile systems
• Outer space
• Biological and chemical weapons
• Arms trade treaty
• Small arms and light weapons
• Cluster munitions and landmines
• Other conventional weapon issues
• Regional disarmament and security
• Information technology and international security
• Disarmament and development
• Disarmament education

If your delegation or organisation is interested in advertising an event or publication in the First Committee Monitor, please email info[at]reachingcriticalwill.org.

 

If you are interested in supporting the First Committee Monitor or Reaching Critical Will's other activities, please write to us!

 

In peace,

Ray Acheson, RCW Project Director

UN First Committee: Week 4 in Review

During the fourth week of the UNGA First Committee delegations continued to discuss regional disarmament and security as well a disarmament machinery. The following African states made presentations - Morocco and Egypt, as well as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

Non-governmental organisations were also given an opportunity to address the meeting. The following presentations were made:

• Military expenditure, human security, and nuclear power, Ms. Alicia Godsberg, Peace Action New York State
• Implementation of the 2010 NPT outcome document, Ms. Katherine Prizeman, Global Action to Prevent War
• Outer space, Ms. Tiffany Chow, Secure World Foundation
• Revitalizing multilateral disarmament negotiations, Dr. John Burroughs, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
• Arms Trade Treaty, Mr. Jeff Abramson, Contol Arms
• UN Programme of Action on Small Arms, Ms. Michele Poliacof, International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)
• Landmines, Mr. Zach Hudson, International Campaign to Ban Landmines
• Cluster munitions, Ms. Alicia Pierro, Cluster Munition Coalition
• UN Programme of Action on small arms and light weapons and the Arms Trade Treaty, Mr. Ted Rowe, President of the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities (WFSA)
• Proposed Arms Trade Treaty, Mr. D. Allen Youngman, Defense Small Arms Advisory Council

For a full list of Draft Resolutions and Decisions, Voting Results, and Explanations of Vote
from First Committee 2011 please click HERE.

UN First Committee: Week 3 in Review

During the third week of the UN General Assembly First Committee, delegations began with statements on 'Other WMD'. No African delegations made statements during the 'Other WMD' session.

South Africa, Senegal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Lesotho, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania and Botswana, as well as the Non-Aligned Movement made statements during the session on Conventional Weapons.

During the session on 'other disarmament matters and security', South Africa and the Non-Aligned Movement Algeria presented statements. The session on 'regional disarmament and security included statements by the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, Algeria, the Non-Aligned Movement and the African Group.

South Africa, the Netherlands and Switzerland together put forward document A/C.1/66/L.39 under 'Proposals for revitalizing multilateral disarmament negotiations'.

The Third Edition of the First Committee Monitor can be downloaded HERE.

First Committee 2011: Week 2

During week 2 of the UNGA First Committee, states concluded the general debate and proceeded with the thematic debate. The following African states made statements during the second week of general debate: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Eritrea,  Liberia, Togo. Copies of the available statements can be found HERE.

From 12 October, the thematic debate commenced with statements by representatives of the UN and intergovernmental organizations including the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs at Geneva, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chempical Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

States then moved on to the theme of nuclear weapons. Thus far, three African states - Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania - have made statements. Copies of these statements can be downloaded HERE.

First Committee 2011: General Debate

The United Nations First Committee opened on 3 October 2011 with the General Debate. UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, H.E. Mr. Sergio Duarte kicked off the session, which continued till 7 October.

A number of African states made statements including Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda, as well as Nigeria on behalf of the African Group and groups including African states such as the Non-Aligned Movement and New Agenda Coalition.

Copies of the statements can be found HERE.

For a copy of the First Committee Monitor, which provides an NGO perspective on the General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security click HERE.

Reaching Critical Will: First Committee Monitor Preview Edition

Preview Edition
3 October 2011

Please find the preview edition of the First Committee Monitor, the weekly publication from the NGO Working Group on the First Committee, online for download in PDF or viewing in HTML. The editorial for this week's edition is also included below.

The First Committee Monitor is coordinated, edited, and distributed by the Reaching Critical Will project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Reaching Critical Will also collects and posts online all statements, draft resolutions, and other documentation from the First Committee.