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STATEMENT BY

H.E. IKRAM MOHAMMAD IBRAHIM

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS IN VIENNA

 

AT THE CLOSING OF THE

TENTH REVIEW CONFERENCE OF THE

TREATY ON THE NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

 

NEW YORK, 26 AUGUST 2022

 

 

Mr. President,

 

Malaysia associates itself with the statement delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned States Parties. My delegation expresses appreciation to you, Mr. President, and your team, for exerting your best efforts in attempting to reconcile the diverse positions of States Parties. Similarly, we express appreciation to the Chairs of the Main Committees and Subsidiary Bodies.

 

Mr. President,

 

2.       We joined this Review Conference with the fervent hope that States Parties attached the same degree of importance to the NPT as the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. We joined this endeavour to make tangible commitments to advance the objectives of the Treaty, including towards achieving a world free of nuclear weapons. We have engaged in good faith in a constructive manner, and have demonstrated flexibility throughout the deliberations of this Conference.

 

3.      However, there is clearly no desire on the part of a handful of States Parties to fulfill their disarmament obligations, while at the same time the majority is required to shoulder additional non-proliferation burdens with limitations on access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

 

Mr. President,

 

4.      While we profoundly regret the failure to adopt a consensual substantive outcome, it should not come as a surprise. Many of us had consistently emphasised the need for balance across the three pillars of the NPT. Unfortunately, the sheer refusal to take concrete, measureable and time-bound actions towards nuclear disarmament by the Nuclear Weapon States has been and continues to be the major impediment in striking this balance. In fact, we have heard on several occassions remarks that question the validity of the commitments agreed upon in past Review Conferences. There are also those who suggest the status quo on the continued existence of nuclear weapons. It is paradoxical that these States Parties are advocating for the NPT to be upheld, when they are the very same parties that continue to undermine the Treaty through blatant disregard of their obligations.

 

5.      In addition to the imbalance across the three pillars, there is imbalance in the reflection of current realities. We saw countless attempts by a number of States Parties to prioritise certain developments while turning a blind eye on other factual and equally important realities. We cannot deny the fact that there has been a lack of progress in nuclear disarmament. We cannot deny the fact that there are Non-Nuclear Weapon States that are part of nuclear military alliances, which further complicate the quest for nuclear disarmament. We cannot ignore the fact that some States Parties had provided unimpeded access to nuclear materials and technology to States Not Party to the NPT. It is therefore disingenuous for these States Parties to accuse others of being inflexible when they are exercising selective truths, while living in their selfish selective reality.

 

Mr. President,

 

6.      We must reflect and learn from our failure to adopt a consensual outcome for two consecutive Review Conferences. Maintaining the current trajectory will further aggravate frustrations among Non-Nuclear Weapon States, and risk unravelling the NPT regime. For the next review cycle, we must work in earnest to bridge the differences among States Parties in order to ensure that the Treaty remains relevant and fit-for-purpose as the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. My delegation is hopeful that we will be able to adopt an ambitious outcome document by consensus at the Eleventh Review Conference in 2026, thus bringing us a step closer to the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.

 

I thank you.