Delivered by: Ameirah AlHefeiti, Deputy Permanent Representative

Mr. President,

I thank Mr. Adedeji Ebo for his briefing.

Mr. President,

The United Nations was established following World War II with an objective to save humankind from the scourge of war. Ensuring that weapons of mass destruction of any kind are never used is at the very heart of this commitment. This Council must be unified in sending a clear message that any use of biological, chemical, or other weapons of mass destruction – under any circumstances – is unacceptable and would constitute an attack against our shared humanity.

The international consensus around the prohibition of the use of weapons of mass destruction is built on well-established international legal frameworks, including the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), to which the UAE is committed. According to this Convention, biological weapons must never be developed, produced, stockpiled, acquired, retained, or transferred. Their use in a conflict setting or in any setting is unacceptable. We also recall the importance of supporting and facilitating the research of biological agents for peaceful purposes, including notably for the prevention of disease, in line with the Convention.  

We encourage all state parties to the Convention to resolve their disagreements through constructive dialogue. In practical terms, this means that when issues arise under the Convention, parties consult one another and cooperate to resolve differences. The formal consultative meetings held in August and September represented an example of this commitment by the States parties.

Finally, we once again call for de-escalation, a cessation of hostilities throughout Ukraine, and finding a diplomatic solution to this conflict. We stress again that dialogue is the only sustainable way to avoid the dangerous path that we now find ourselves on. We urge the parties to identify and commit to working on specific areas where positive steps forward may be feasible. We also believe that by building confidence in an incremental way, we may work towards achieving a sustainable peace.

Thank you, Mr. President.