27 Oct 2023
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
Singapore would like to reiterate our clear and consistent position on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Our abstention on draft resolution A/C.1/78/L.24 and our approach towards all other resolutions and paragraphs that make reference to the TPNW are in line with this position.
2 Singapore is a strong supporter of concrete and meaningful progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, which is essential to strengthening international peace and security. We believe that there are multiple pathways to a world free of nuclear weapons. A comprehensive and practical approach to nuclear disarmament should involve all relevant parties in a collective global effort. We recall that our concerns were not fully addressed when the TPNW was adopted, and reiterate that the TPNW should not in any way affect the rights and obligations of States Parties under other treaties and agreements, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as treaties establishing regional nuclear-weapon-free zones. We urge the international community to find a realistic and complementary role for the TPNW within the existing global disarmament architecture, of which the NPT remains the cornerstone.
3 Thank you.
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