Pakistan assumes presidency of UN disarmament conference: FO

Pakistan has taken on the role of presiding over the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD), the Foreign Office announced on Monday. Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi will be leading the conference meetings. The CD is the world's primary forum for negotiating disarmament and arms control treaties, convening 65 member states, including all nations with nuclear weapons.

The conference, held at the United Nations Office in Geneva, will tackle critical issues such as halting the nuclear arms race, averting nuclear war, and preventing the militarization of outer space.

This will mark the CD's concluding presidency for the 2026 session. The statement emphasized that Pakistan will guide discussions on the CD's Annual Report and the associated resolution in the UN General Assembly's First Committee during its tenure. Pakistan has already begun consultations as president of the CD. Ambassador Tahir Hussain Andrabi chaired a meeting of previous CD presidents for the 2026 session and held talks with representatives from regional groups.

The Foreign Office highlighted that the CD and its predecessor bodies have negotiated some of the most significant agreements in international security, such as the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Pakistan's assumption of the CD presidency at this pivotal moment underscores the international community's confidence in Pakistan's diplomatic leadership and its constructive approach to multilateral arms control and disarmament efforts.

The statement concluded by emphasizing that Pakistan is now at the forefront of the global conversation on arms control, disarmament, and international peace and security.