Topic: Lack at Political Freedom and Political Instability

Country: Philippines
Resolution: Be it resolved that developed countries be first to prohibit proliferation of nuclear
weapons before developing countries

Throughout the 20th century, nuclear weapons got deadlier; their range and power have
both increased, bringing the potential for greater devastation to the globe. To limit the spread of
nuclear weapons, the international community adopted the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in
1968, which calls for the secession of the nuclear arms race and abandonment of nuclear
weapons. Recent American attempts to start research in the field of the low-yield nuclear bunker
buster bombs brings important issues of legality of the proposed research in light of Article VI of
the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty because the 2002 National Security Strategy does not prohibit
this grade of weapons, the proposed research by the US military does violate international law
because it is in contradiction to the Article VI of the NPT. It would continue the nuclear arms
race between states, cause a severe humanitarian impact on the civilian population that reside in
areas of the conflict, and would not lead to nuclear disarmament between the states, going in
opposition to the established international treaties that aim to end the spread of the nuclear
weapons. In addition, there are eight sovereign states that have successfully detonated nuclear
weapons. Five are considered to be "nuclear-weapon states" (NWS) under the terms of the Treaty
on the NPT. In order of acquisition of nuclear weapons these are: the United States, the Russian
Federation the United Kingdom, France, and China. Also, three states that were not parties to the
Treaty have conducted nuclear tests, namely India, Pakistan, and North Korea. North Korea had
been a party to the NPT but withdrew in 2003.

The Philippines joins the international community in commemorating and promoting the
International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. At a time when the UN has
already invested so much in development, the environment and peace, this global institution has
the responsibility protect people gains from a devastation resulting from a nuclear disaster. The
Philippines for its part is implementing its Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 to achieve
our vision of a country without poverty by 2040. The Philippines is supportive of an integrative
framework for the global community’s work on the environment. Our approach to peace building
is aligned with the UN’s vision of sustaining peace. The prosperity, the environment, and peace
that the country endeavor to nurture can be annihilated in the blink of an eye with a single
nuclear incident. It is only rational for humanity to eliminate this nuclear threat. In the era of
Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the impact of a nuclear explosion could wipe out an entire city. Today,
nuclear weapons have become significantly more powerful. The Philippines shares the concern
of the other Member States that those nuclear weapons capabilities of the Nuclear weapon states
continue to be modernized and developed. With these powerful tools of destruction, if used the
consequences would simply be catastrophic.

The Philippines firmly believes that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is the
cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for the
pursuit of nuclear disarmament. The Philippines continues to support the 13 Practical Steps and
the 64-Point Action Plan that was agreed in the 2020 NPT Review Conference. The Philippines
firmly believes that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is the cornerstone of the global nuclear
non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament.
Also, the Philippine welcomes the new Agenda for Disarmament of Secretary General António
Guterres, and they are animated by his conviction that “nuclear weapons are never to be used
again under any circumstances” and that the “total elimination of nuclear weapons remains our
priority.” The Philippines takes pride in signing last year the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons, a landmark agreement that fortifies the nuclear disarmament architecture. However,
none of the 9 countries that possess nuclear weapons – the United States, Russia, Britain, China,
France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel – took part in negotiations for the treaty. This
comes as North Korea conducts nuclear tests that have been condemned by the international
community, including the Philippines.

The Philippines' hope for the elimination of nuclear weapons, in line with the specific
provision of our Constitution and the Treaty on the South-East Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free
Zone. Negotiations to ban nuclear weapons need to begin and it will be a great contribution if the
Philippines continues its courageous leadership vis-à-vis this issue for the good of humanity.
Thus, the goal of the future needs to be the abandonment of nuclear weapons and secession of
research in the scope of usage of nuclear material for military purposes. The world is under the
threat of the uncontrollable spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear material. Nuclear states, such
as the US, China, and Russia, must lead the way in setting expectations for the rest of the world,
with the ultimate goal of erasing the words “nuclear weapons” from future history books.