The high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament began in Geneva yesterday under the presidency of Ambassador Omar Zniber of Morocco and will continue until 25 February 2026.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, addressed the Conference via video message on the first day, emphasizing the importance of a strong multilateral system to overcome current global challenges and ensure lasting peace and security for present and future generations.
Reaffirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to achieving the Conference’s goals, Minister Herath highlighted the country’s active role in global disarmament efforts over the years as a developing island nation from the Global South.
He underscored Sri Lanka’s commitments to preventing an arms race in outer space, pursuing the total elimination of nuclear weapons, and supporting the establishment of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones in the Middle East. Minister Herath also noted the impact of emerging technologies on International Humanitarian Law and advocated for the early commencement of negotiations on a legally binding instrument to prohibit Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems.
Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, addressed the Conference, stressing the need for renewed commitment to multilateralism amid current geopolitical tensions. Foreign Ministers from Armenia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Norway, along with senior U.S. officials and the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), also spoke in person, while other leaders joined via video statements.
Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, attended the segment in person, representing the country.
The Conference on Disarmament, recognized by the Tenth Special Session on Disarmament of the United Nations General Assembly in 1978, serves as the sole multilateral disarmament negotiating forum for the international community. It comprises 65 member states, including the five nuclear-weapon states, with Sri Lanka having been a member since 1978.
