Yet the disarmament stalemate continues. The solution clearly lies in greater efforts by states to harmonize their actions to achieve common ends. Here are some specific actions that all states and civil society should pursue to break this impasse:
Support efforts by the Russian Federation and the United States to negotiate deep, verified cuts in their nuclear arsenals, both deployed and un-deployed.
Obtain commitments by others possessing such weapons to join the disarmament process.
Establish a moratorium on developing or producing nuclear weapons or new delivery systems.
Negotiate a multilateral treaty outlawing fissile materials that can be used in nuclear weapons.
End nuclear explosions and bring into force the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Stop deploying nuclear weapons on foreign soil, and retire such weapons.
Ensure that nuclear-weapon states report to a public UN repository on nuclear disarmament, including details on arsenal size, fissile material, delivery systems and progress in achieving disarmament goals.
Establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
Secure universal membership in treaties outlawing chemical and biological weapons.
Pursue parallel efforts on conventional arms control, including an arms trade treaty, strengthened controls over the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, universal membership in the Mine Ban, Cluster Munitions and Inhumane Weapons Conventions, and expanded participation in the UN Report on Military Expenditures and the UN Register of Conventional Arms.
Undertake diplomatic and military initiatives to maintain international peace and security in a world without nuclear weapons, including new efforts to resolve regional disputes.
And perhaps above all, we must address basic human needs and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Chronic poverty erodes security. Let us dramatically cut spending on nuclear weapons, and invest instead in social and economic development, which serves the interests of all by expanding markets, reducing motivations for armed conflicts, and in giving citizens a stake in their common futures. Like nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, such goals are essential for ensuring human security and a peaceful world for future generations.
No development, no peace. No disarmament, no security. Yet when both advance, the world advances, with increased security and prosperity for all. These are common ends that deserve the support of all nations.
The author is the secretary-general of the United Nations.
(China Daily 08/29/2012 page9)
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