Statement by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy in the First Committee of the 75th session of the UNGA on cluster 2 “Other weapons of mass destruction”
Mr. President,
Our detailed position on the issues of disarmament and non-proliferation of biological weapons will be included in the compilation.
Now I would like to make a point about our key initiative in this area at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly. We have submitted a draft resolution “Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons.” It is meant to reconfirm the fundamental character of the CWC and BTWC in terms of investigating alleged use of chemical and biological weapons respectively, and to update SGM’s principles and procedures that have not been updated ever since their endorsement by UNGA resolution 45/57 of 4 December, 1990. They have clearly become obsolete and dropped behind present-day reality in the area of chemical and biological security both from technical and political-diplomatic point of view.
Also, the effective document does not stipulate the order of coordination between the Secretary-General and the Member-States when preparing and convening investigations. It does not outline basic parameters that would allow to classify an incident as a case of deliberate use of chemical or biological weapons, which causes irregularities when preparing reports on the results of investigations.
As per the understandings, reflected in consensus final documents of BTWC review conferences of 2006, 2011, and 2016, there is a need to stipulate in an unambiguous manner that use of biological weapons is effectively banned under Article I of the BTWC, and that the updated SGM principles and procedures should envisage an opportunity for the Security Council, if needed, to turn to the Secretary-General and request an investigation of an alleged use of biological weapons.
The draft resolution recommends to the state-parties to assess effectiveness of the SGM and observance of the guiding principles and procedures contained in Addendum I to the SG report of 1989; study the practical role of the mechanism for the CWC and BTWC state-parties; assess, what provisions of the guiding principles and procedures may require an update; and share their considerations regarding any changes needed to update those principles and procedures.
Adoption of this resolution that accounts for considerations of other state-parties, will boost vital joint work that will allow for strengthening and improvement of the Secretary-General’s Mechanism. We call on the member-States to support our draft resolution.
