GA: Nordic Statement in the 1st Committee General Debate

Joint Nordic Statement in the 1st Committee General Debate, held by Teemu Sepponen, Director for Arms Control, Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 7 October 2026.

Mr Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic countries: Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country Finland.

We congratulate you and the other members of the Bureau on your election and assure you of our full support.

  1. We meet at a difficult time. Armed conflicts, geopolitical tensions and growing distrust continue to challenge international peace and security. This makes accountability and international cooperation more, not less, necessary.

The Nordic countries defend the UN Charter and remain firmly committed to multilateralism and a global order based on international law and common norms. These principles have helped provide peace, security and prosperity for generations.

  1. We strongly condemn Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia continues to egregiously violate the UN Charter and undermine the rules and principles upon which international peace and security rest. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine's self-defence, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia must end its war now and withdraw its forces from the territory of Ukraine. This would also serve to end the current threats to nuclear safety and security in Ukraine stemming from Russia’s war.
  2. Regarding the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Nordic countries call on all parties to commit to the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Plan and Security Council resolution 2803, urge an immediate halt to settlement expansion and violence, and underscore the need to comply with international law. We remain firmly committed to the two-State solution.
  3. Conflicts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East illustrate a broader reality: we must step up our efforts for the benefit of the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.
  4. The world faces serious threats that have to be met with determination. Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon and must resume full cooperation with the IAEA. The DPRK must abandon all its weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missile and nuclear programmes. And both states must comply with the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Nuclear weapons

Mr Chair,

  1. Following the 2026 NPT Review Conference, the Nordic countries reaffirm the central role of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. The Review Conference demonstrated the enduring importance of the Treaty and the need to redouble our efforts to advance its objectives across all three mutually reinforcing pillars.

Amid growing tensions and diminished trust, nuclear risk reduction remains essential. We encourage all nuclear-weapon States to make full use of available measures to reduce risks, increase predictability and prevent miscalculation.

We welcome the renewed engagement among the P5 during the Review Conference and strongly encourage them to build on this momentum. We call on the P5 to deepen their dialogue on strategic stability, reducing international tensions and increasing transparency, building mutual trust and advancing nuclear risk reduction.

  1. The expiry of the New START Treaty has left the international community with fewer safeguards and less predictability. We call for urgent efforts to establish a new legally binding framework limiting the largest nuclear arsenals and encourage all nuclear-weapon States to participate and contribute constructively to strategic stability.
  2. We continue our strong support for the IAEA and its independent, impartial and professional work. Its safeguards system is indispensable to the global non-proliferation regime and must be fully respected. We welcome the recent conclusion of the Syria safeguards file, which demonstrated the value of full cooperation with the IAEA in line with safeguards obligations.
  3. We underline the importance of the CTBT (this year celebrating its 30th anniversary), and the importance of its verification system. We urge all States to uphold its object and purpose, and call on those who have not yet signed and ratified it to do so. We further support the immediate commencement of Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty

Chemical and biological weapons

  1. The Nordic countries remain fully committed to the BTWC and the CWC and will continue to defend the global prohibition against the use of biological and chemical weapons under any circumstances. We condemn any use of such weapons. Russia’s use against Ukraine of the choking agent chloropicrin, a prohibited schedule III toxic chemical, and of riot control agents as a method of warfare, constitute clear violations of the CWC. We reiterate our full support for the OPCW and emphasise the importance of accountability for all violations of the Convention. We urge all States Parties to work constructively towards a substantive outcome at the December session of the BTWC Working Group on the Strengthening of the Convention.

Conventional weapons

  1. As regards conventional weapons, their illicit trade and diversion continue to fuel violence and instability in many parts of the world. We remain committed to strengthening relevant international instruments and reaffirm our strong support for the ATT and call for its universalisation and effective implementation. We support the development of an ambitious and action-oriented five-year strategy for the ATT.
  2. The Nordic countries also remain major supporters of humanitarian mine action.
  3. The Nordic countries underline the importance of gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security agenda across disarmament and international security. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women in disarmament processes is essential.

Emerging technologies

Mr. Chair,

  1. The international community must keep pace with emerging technologies to ensure their responsible use, in accordance with international law.
  2. The Nordic countries welcome the landmark consensus reached in the CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems on the set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures. We look forward to the CCW Review Conference agreeing on an ambitious way forward within the CCW framework, towards a possible instrument addressing LAWS.

Export control regimes

  1. Finally, we underline that multilateral export control regimes are important elements of the non-proliferation architecture and serve to facilitate international cooperation on peaceful uses of technology.

Thank you.