The First Committee of the General Assembly of the UN, which meets for an annual session in New York for five weeks, examines all issues related to disarmament and international security. This body processes, negotiates and approves all the texts of the resolutions on the matter, that will then be submitted to the General Assembly for their final adoption. It also receives, assesses and approves the annual report of the Conference on Disarmament, prior to its adoption by the General Assembly.
Each session of the First Committee is divided into three parts: general debate, thematic discussions and action on draft resolutions. The discussions and resolutions issued by the Committee constitute the basic steps for the advancement of disarmament and security policies, as they define the international agenda, decide on the creation or continuation of specific processes (e.g. negotiations), determine their mandate and, of course, draw recommendations for concrete actions.
Italy, which considers disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation as essential components of its foreign policy, actively participates in the work of the First Committee, both at national level and in the framework of the coordination and definition of the European Union policy-making in the UN.
Main Statements
78th Session (2023)
Amb. Leonardo Bencini: General Debate (4 October); cluster I – nuclear weapons (16 October) ; Briefing on the IX Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) (17 October) ; cluster II – Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (18 October) ; cluster III – outer space (20 October) ; cluster V – Other disarmament measures and international security (24 October); cluster VII – Disarmament machinery (25 October).
Dr. Elena Gai: cluster IV – conventional weapons (23 ottobre)
77th Session (2022)
Amb. Leonardo Bencini: General debate (4 October), nuclear weapons (14 October).
Cons. Pietro De Martin: other disarmament measures (24 October).
Cons. Tancredi Francese: other weapons of mass distruction (18 October), conventional weapons (20 October), outer space (26 October), machinery (on behalf of a group of States, 27 October)
76th Session (2021)
Amb. Stefano Stefanile: General debate (7 October).
Cons. Pietro De Martin: Clusters I-IV (nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, outer-space) (13 October).
Cons. Tancredi Francese: statement on behalf of the “broadly like-minded” group (14 October)
75th Session (2020)
Amb. Stefano Stefanile: General debate (19 October). Nuclear weapons; Other weapons of mass destruction; Conventional weapons; Outer space; Other disarmament measures and international security.
74th Session (2019)
Amb. Gianfranco Incarnato: General debate (14 October); Nuclear weapons (22 October); Other weapons of mass destruction (22 October); Conventional weapons (24 October); Outer space (29 October); Other disarmament measures and international security (29 October).
73rd Session (2018)
Amb. Gianfranco Incarnato: Conventional weapons (29 October); Other weapons of mass destruction (24 October); Outer space (24 October); Nuclear weapons (19 October); Dibattito generale (12 October)
72nd Session (2017)
Amb. Vinicio Mati: Conventional Weapons (18 October); Outer Space (17 October); Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (16 October); Nuclear Weapons (13 October); General Debate (4 October)
71st Session (2016)
Ms Palma D’Ambrosio: Other Disarmament Issues (24 October); Conventional Weapons (21 October)
Amb. Vinicio Mati: Outer Space (19 October); Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (17 October); Nuclear Weapons (17 October); General Debate (5 October)
70th Session (2015):
Amb. Vinicio Mati: Other Disarmament Issues (30 October); Disarmament and Regional Security (29 October); Conventional Weapons (26 October); Outer-Space (23 October); Joint Meeting of the First and Fourth Committee on Outer-Space (22 October); Fissile Material Treaty (20 October); Nuclear Weapons (20 October); General Debate (14 October)
69th Session (2014):
Amb. Vinicio Mati: General Debate (3 October)
Documenti e risorse utili
General Assembly of the United Nations
First Committee on Disarmament and International Security