The President’s remarks to the plenary meeting of the Disarmament and International Security Committee, the First Committee, at the opening of its work for the eighty-first session. They are reproduced in full below, as delivered, and are available as issued in PDF.
In His Words
Quoted verbatim from the speech as delivered. The full text follows below.
No State can build lasting security on the insecurity of another.
H.E. Dr. Khalilur Rahman
Plenary meeting of the Disarmament and International Security Committee, 6 October 2026
The Speech in Full
Your Excellency, Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, Chair of the First Committee,
Madam Under-Secretary General and High-Representative for Disarmament Affairs,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
It is a privilege to join you today.
Allow me first to congratulate you, Mr. Chair, and the other Members of the Bureau, on your election.
You assume these responsibilities amid an increasingly fractured international security environment.
It is fair to say that the First Committee carries a unique responsibility.
The United Nations was born with the stated goal “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”.
And the very first resolution adopted by the General Assembly, on 24 January 1946, called for the elimination of the threat of nuclear weapons.
Eighty years later, that founding purpose retains its full urgency.
We must face reality: the world today is increasingly complex, increasingly at odds, increasingly fragmented.
Today, conflicts are multiplying and trust is eroding. Nuclear risks persist; arms-control arrangements are under pressure, and new technologies are transforming the character and speed of conflict.
In 2025, nuclear-armed States spent nearly $17 billion more on their nuclear arsenals than the year before, an increase of nearly 20 per cent.
Global military expenditure reached nearly $3 trillion that year, an overall record capping 11 straight years of growth.
This is the amount, ten times over, that it would take to fully vaccinate every child in the world. Seven times over what it would cost to close the gender equality gap in developing countries. And 31 times what it would take to end global hunger by 2030.
Excellencies,
In such a complex and difficult environment, the work of this Committee is indispensable.
It allows every Member State to voice security concerns, sustain dialogue across political divides, and seek practical convergence.
As you begin your deliberations, I offer you three considerations:
First, we must defend and strengthen multilateral disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms-control architecture.
This becomes all the more important in an increasingly complex world. We must use every available tool and forum to ensure that conflicts do not escalate further.
That requires political courage, sustained diplomacy, respect for international law, and attention to the security concerns of others.
No State can build lasting security on the insecurity of another. Our common objective must be undiminished security for all.
Second, this Committee must remain equipped to address emerging and evolving threats to peace and security.
Technological innovation offers important benefits, but it also creates serious risks when applied to military systems without adequate safeguards.
Artificial intelligence, autonomous weaponry systems, cyber capabilities, space technologies, and advanced data tools are changing the speed, reach and character of conflict. They also raise urgent questions concerning human control, accountability, transparency, and compliance with international law.
It was this understanding that led the General Assembly, in 2024, to adopt its first resolution on “Artificial intelligence in the military domain and its implications for international peace and security”, in resolution 79/239. Its broad support reflected the recognition that military AI requires sustained multilateral attention.
The Committee should advance inclusive dialogue, drawing on scientific and technical expertise while preserving the central role of Member States.
Innovation must serve humanity, not outpace our capacity to govern it.
Third, we must ensure that the Committee’s methods of work are equal to its mandate.
Effectiveness is not measured by the number or length of resolutions, reports or meetings, but by whether our work facilitates implementation and contributes to peace and security.
At a time of acute financial pressure, better working methods are not merely administrative preferences; they are institutional necessities.
The Committee should therefore continue to rationalize reporting requirements. Reports should be concise, timely and focused on implementation, results, gaps and decisions required from Member States.
Where several mandates request substantially similar information, reporting might be consolidated or aligned. Reporting cycles may reflect genuine policy needs, including biennial or triennial reporting where annual consideration adds little additional value.
Resolutions containing only technical updates could be considered less frequently.
Clustering has long helped the Committee organize complex subjects into coherent thematic discussions. That approach should be strengthened.
Joint consideration of overlapping questions can promote coherence, avoid repetitive interventions, and free time for negotiation. This would reduce fragmentation, ease pressure on delegations and the Secretariat, and direct scarce resources towards implementation.
Technology can further support this effort. A secure, accessible and multilingual digital workspace could bring together schedules, draft texts, amendments, voting information, statements, and relevant reports in one single place.
The reforms should be practical, incremental, and Member State-driven. Efficiency must never limit participation, weaken substantive mandates or disadvantage delegations with fewer resources.
On the contrary, well-designed reform should make participation more equitable and outcomes more meaningful.
Last year, this Committee stood out as one of the most efficient, adopting a wide range of revitalization recommendations, including microphone cut-offs and shorter speaking times.
I ask that you build on these gains and remain focused on consensus building, effectiveness, efficiency, ambition and relevance.
Excellencies,
The credibility of the United Nations – and public trust in it – depends not only on the principles we proclaim, but also on our capacity to deliver.
A more focused and technologically enabled First Committee can devote less time to repetition and more to diplomacy; fewer resources to process and more to results.
I therefore encourage you to approach this session with ambition and pragmatism: protect what works, reform what does not, and place implementation and durable, inclusive results at the centre of your efforts.
The people of the world look to this Committee for more than words.
They look to you to reduce risks, rebuild trust, and help secure a more peaceful future.
I wish you a productive session, and I thank you for your attention.