A/78/PV.68 General Assembly

The General Assembly will now hold a debate, pursuant to resolution 76/262 of 26 April 2022, on the situation in which a veto was cast by a permanent member of the Security Council at the 9591st meeting of the Council on 28 March, under the agenda item entitled “Non-proliferation/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”. In connection with this debate, the Assembly has before it a special report of the Security Council, circulated in document A/78/831. I will now make a statement in my capacity as President of the General Assembly. Statement by the President

We are once again convening today in response to another veto cast by a permanent member of the Security Council. This recurring invocation of the veto initiative serves as a poignant reminder of the entrenched divisions within the Council that are undermining our collective efforts towards peace and security. Yet it is amid that polarization within the Security Council that we can find a compelling call to action  — not for despair, but for unprecedented cooperation between the General Assembly and the Council. This debate should therefore not be seen merely as a procedural necessity. It is an important opportunity to reinforce the indispensability of transparency and accountability to the entire United Nations membership in order to ensure the responsible use of the veto power. In that spirit, I welcome the Security Council’s timely submission of the mandated special report (A/78/831), a record that is a testament to our dedication not only to dialogue but to actionable answerability. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is disquieting, to say the least. It demands an urgent commitment to de-escalating tensions and a renewed pledge to cultivate an atmosphere that is conducive to genuine dialogue and authentic cooperation. I used the occasion of my visit to the Republic of Korea last October to appreciate first-hand the situation along the demilitarized zone. While my visit occurred during a period of relative quiet, the briefing I received depicted a highly tense and fragile situation, with no one able to predict when the next missile or rocket launch might occur. It is vital that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea immediately engage in dialogue without preconditions, adhering to its international obligations, including through an immediate cessation of ballistic- missile launches. The repeated launches are a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and are jeopardizing regional and international peace and security. I therefore echo the strong call for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to fully comply with those binding obligations. I also want to express my support for the invaluable efforts and integrity of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). At a time when the goal of complete nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation is increasingly endangered, we cannot afford to let our guard down. Nor can we overlook any violations of Security Council resolutions related to this matter. The Council’s resolutions must be upheld and implemented without any exceptions, and violations must be documented and urgently addressed whenever they occur. Our concerns about denuclearization extend beyond regional boundaries to the global realm, assuming a truly existential significance. The spectre of nuclear conflict, with its potential for total annihilation, must compel us to move from rhetoric to rigorous verification and tangible action. And in the journey towards a world free of nuclear threats, the General Assembly has a pivotal role to play in support of the Security Council’s mandate in rallying all actors to go beyond mere aspirations and achieve concrete outcomes. As we chart that path forward, let us resist the temptation to mirror divisions within the Security Council — especially at this delicate juncture of heightened geopolitical tensions and eroded trust and solidarity. Let us rather embrace moments offered by the meetings convened under the veto initiative as an opportunity to be solution-oriented and wield our collective wisdom, resources and resolve in the service of peace, security and disarmament. I will conclude by calling on every Member State to reflect on how the General Assembly can constructively contribute to mitigating the looming threats to our collective security and advancing the ambitious objective of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. That is, how do we envisage our progression? What innovative approaches can we employ to bridge divides and forge consensus on nuclear disarmament? The summary of today’s critical debate will not only be a record but will serve as an important signal to the President of the Security Council and to all Member States, affirming our relentless collective pursuit of peace and security in every corner of our world. It was on this same Security Council agenda item that one of my predecessors, the President of the Assembly at its seventy-sixth session, Mr. Abdullah Shahid, convened the first-ever plenary debate of the General Assembly on the veto initiative, in June 2022 (see A/76/PV.77). While the divisions in the Security Council clearly persist, I call on all 193 members of the Assembly to instead unite in a resounding call for disarmament, non-proliferation and dialogue, recognizing that our shared future hinges on our collective resolve to dismantle barriers and foster understanding. Let us forge a path towards a world in which peace and security reign supreme.

On 28 March (see S/PV.9591), the Russian Federation voted against draft resolution S/2024/255, proposed by the United States, on extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006), concerning sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It appears that some countries are expecting us to make excuses for that principled decision today and have already prepared further anti-Russian remarks. I will have to disappoint them, because they have in fact become hostage to their own illusions that extending the mandate of experts who have compromised themselves with their own odious conclusions would in any way contribute to normalizing the situation on and around the Korean Peninsula. The Security Council’s discussion of the issue, exactly two weeks ago, was quite revealing. At the time, before the voting, Western Council members put enormous emphasis on the importance of extending the Panel’s mandate in order to maintain control over the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons on the Peninsula. They emphasized the importance of obtaining independent expert assessments and restoring trust and political dialogue between North and South. However, just 10 minutes later, immediately after our use of the veto, it was as if we were in a completely different meeting. The fate of the Korean Peninsula was no longer at issue. Instead, in a telling demonstration of the true intentions of the supporters of the draft resolution, the members most interested in preserving the Panel began to lament the missed opportunity to conduct investigations of Russia, with predetermined conclusions. I will not list all the far-fetched stories that the Panel of Experts, primarily its Western members, have dealt with in the past few years. Many of them had very little to do with the reasons for the escalation in the region. The Panel’s work was reduced to going along with Western approaches, regurgitating biased information, analysing newspaper headlines and using low-quality satellite imagery. A panel such as this one simply had neither the resources nor the desire to carry out an objective analysis of the accumulated problems. Meanwhile, the situation on the Peninsula has continued to deteriorate rapidly. We have all witnessed the unprecedented pressure that the Washington-led coalition has been putting on the legitimate authorities in Pyongyang, whom the West sees as undesirable. Those policies include sabre-rattling, harsh unilateral restrictions, aggressive propaganda and constant demonization. It is clear that, taken together, all those measures not only make the prospects for a settlement in the region less likely, but they call into question the very possibility of achieving it in the future. The Peninsula’s active militarization, with the direct participation of Washington and other NATO members, is truly unprecedented. Incidentally, some of those States are tens of thousands of kilometres away from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We would like to hear how they justify their involvement in military manoeuvres on what for them is the other side of the world. Today Western delegations will probably talk about the provocative nature of Pyongyang’s ballistic-missile activity. However, they will carefully ignore the fact that on 2 April, the United States, Japan and South Korea conducted yet another test of the American B-52H strategic bomber, with the participation of the three countries’ latest generation of fighter jets. In addition, in March there was another NATO exercise, Freedom Shield, which conducted 48 troop manoeuvres. This is twice as many as during a similar training campaign last year. At the same time, no one even conceals the fact that some training exercises include rehearsals for the physical annihilation of the leadership of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea  — what a perfect illustration of the “outstretched hand” that the United States delegation keeps talking about. My delegation has repeatedly pointed out that, over the years, the sanctions have not contributed to achieving the goals set by the international community, nor have they led to the normalization of the situation on the Korean Peninsula. At regular meetings of the Security Council, most of its members fully recognize this. At the same time, the sanctions have had acute humanitarian implications that have placed a heavy burden on the North Korean population. As a result of the erosion of trust between the United Nations and Pyongyang, there is no presence by United Nations entities on the ground to address this important issue. A new Resident Coordinator in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has recently been appointed, but the prospects of that Office launching full-fledged operations are almost non-existent. In view of these factors, for several years we have been calling for a review the restrictions and their adaptation to the new realities on the ground. An excellent opportunity was missed in late 2017 and early 2018, when Pyongyang declared a moratorium on intercontinental missile launches and nuclear tests and agreed to direct dialogue with the United States President on a settlement. The Security Council failed to respond to that move at the time. Russia and China also put forward a humanitarian draft resolution and other initiatives. However, all of our attempts were met with the absolute unwillingness of Western countries to move away from their logic of “strangling” Pyongyang by any means. And this is important, as they have a unique tool to block any efforts to change this paradigm. The sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are the only country-specific sanctions regime that is indefinite. Basic adjustment mechanisms are not working, and there are no procedures for a fair decision on delisting. All other restrictive measures against individual countries have ultimate realistic goals and are subject to regular review. They are also subject to initiatives to prevent unfair punishment, such as the Swiss ombudsman procedure. But this does not apply to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Pyongyang is denied everything. All the statements made by Western countries about their interest in dialogue on sanctions assessment are empty rhetoric. We have repeatedly received confirmations of this. In reality, everything boils down to nothing more than a new batch of criticism and proposals to enhance sanctions or, at the very least, leave everything as-is. The current situation confirms this. During the negotiations on the draft resolution on the mandate of the Panel of Experts, we made a proposal to bring the oppressive sanctions regime against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in line with practices that are in effect with respect to other countries and to make the restrictions annual. The activities of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) would thereby receive a new and constructive sense, as it would be able to offer realistic ideas for updating Security Council restrictions instead of engaging in endless rhetorical exchanges. That could also encourage Pyongyang to a dialogue. However, our colleagues on the Council rejected our proposal, thereby signalling that their objectives with regard to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remain unchanged. It became clear that they did not want any truly independent investigations or serious discussions. The Western countries were simply afraid of losing the tool that they had so effectively used for so many years to further their self-serving national interests. Russia remains committed to its obligations under international law. For those who are shedding crocodile tears over the 1718 Committee’s Panel of Experts, I should like to say that the 1718 Committee continues to operate. However, we cannot accept the idea of maintaining the status quo with regard to the North Korean file. We hope that, in the future, wisdom and interest in normalizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula will prevail with Security Council members. Maintaining draconian restrictions indefinitely is doomed to failure and does not meet the requirements of today. At this point, a serious process of reflection on updating the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sanctions regime is needed now more than ever. As a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia is guided by special responsibility for the maintenance of peace and stability, and therefore, although we do not see a sensible approach on the part of our Western countries at this point, we are ready to make another attempt at finding a solution for the Panel of Experts. In this connection, we will soon submit to the Security Council a draft resolution that would provide for a one-year renewal of the Panel of Experts mandate and firmly stipulate the imperative for the Security Council to take a decision on updating the parameters of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sanctions regime. This may be the Council’s last opportunity to reach a balanced decision. We urge members not to squander it.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea highly appreciates the Russian Federation’s exercise of the veto against the illegal draft resolution on renewing the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) (S/2024/255) as an independent exercise of the right to international justice and impartiality. To make it clear once again, we have never recognized the Security Council sanctions resolutions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Those resolutions run directly counter to the principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations and the spirit of respect for the right to self-defence of sovereign States. This meeting today is not simply a gathering to hear members’ stance on exercise of the veto. Rather, it serves as an important occasion to determine whether we will continue to allow the Security Council to be a tool of the United States for its arbitrariness or whether we make the Security Council, albeit belatedly, ensure justice and impartiality in the performance of its functions, as required by the international community. In fact, the sanctions resolutions of the Security Council are the products of the heinous and hostile policy of the United States to trample underfoot the sovereignty of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as its rights to development and to exist. As such, those resolutions are rejects of history that should have never made their appearance in the world. If the possession by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of self-defence nuclear weapons is a threat to international peace and security, as claimed by the United States and its followers, we should duly discuss first why the United States is not regarded as a threat to international peace and security, even though it is the only country in the world that has used nuclear weapons and has conducted 1,000 nuclear tests and innumerable ballistic missile launches. The constant political and military threat and war provocations of the United States and its followers against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are considered to be defensive and reasonable, while the exercise of the right to self-defence by a sovereign State for the purpose of defending itself from the world’s largest nuclear-weapon State is taken as a threat to peace. That extremely biased double standard and hostile theory are the basis of the sanctions resolutions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. There exist a number of nuclear-weapon States across the world apart from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, only the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is subject to the most brigandish and vicious sanctions resolutions. That is attributable to the connivance and toleration of the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the United States, which antagonizes the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the unreasonable grounds that it has different ideas and a different system and stands against its unjust policies. Taking this opportunity, I cannot but call into question the inhumane behaviour of the United States and its extreme double standards, which pose a serious threat to humankind and destroy international peace and security by wilfully wielding the privilege accorded by the United Nations Member States in order to realize its geopolitical aims. The United States has used the veto nearly 90 times since the foundation of the United Nations in pursuance of its selfish purposes. In recent months alone, it has mercilessly trampled the unanimous will of the international community for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza Strip and used the veto three times in less than six months, thus causing the undeserved deaths of more than 30,000 innocent Palestinians. In particular, some time ago, it roused the indignation of the international community by letting loose the absurd assertion that the barely adopted Security Council resolution on an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has no binding force. The United States characterizes this use of the veto, which gives licence to genocide and racial extinction and directly threatens the existence of humankind, as a righteous decision and argues that a veto to ensure justice and impartiality is injustice. Such allegations can never persuade anyone. History has shown that the coercive attempts to fetter the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s exercise of sovereignty were faced with stronger defiance and resistance, instead of solving problems. Even if the United States and its followers impose sanctions for hundreds and thousands of years, they will never obstruct independent development and the build-up of deterrence on the part of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. And the longer our people suffer from the United States’ hostile policy towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the bigger the inescapable security threat the United States will face. Gone are the days when the United States could force on other countries the norms and rules it made at will in the international arena by wielding high-handedness. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will never tolerate the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the United States, which wantonly violates the independent rights and legitimate interests of sovereign States. We will fulfil our responsibility and role on the road to establishing a just and peaceful international order.

I now give the floor to the representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member States. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia, the European Free Trade Association country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Andorra and Monaco align themselves with this statement. The European Union deeply regrets that the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution on the annual renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We strongly condemn the use of the veto by Russia (see S/PV.9591), which blocked a draft resolution (S/2024/255) that nonetheless had wide support, with 13 members having voted in favour of it. We note that substantial accommodations had been made to the Russian position during negotiations. Not only does this veto undermine 14 years of credible, fact-based and independent information about the implementation of the sanctions regime, it also directly undermines the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. The objective of the sanctions regime is to curb the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which are in direct violation of numerous Security Council resolutions. Those resolutions also serve as an important tool to incentivize the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to return to dialogue with a view to finding a peaceful, diplomatic solution leading to stability and security on the Korean Peninsula. The Russian veto regrettably makes it more difficult to achieve those goals by making the implementation of the measures imposed less transparent. That is a threat to international peace and security. Therefore, the veto should be a concern to all United Nations Member States. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is using both long-standing and new ways to evade sanctions and procure funds, knowledge and components for its illegal weapons programmes. The reports produced by the Panel of Experts have been vital instruments in presenting an impartial and accurate picture of the situation, thereby supporting the work of the 1718 Committee and assisting all of us in ensuring that the objectives of Security Council resolutions are fulfilled. The fact that Russia chose to exercise its veto is an attempt to conceal illegal arms transfers between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Russia for use in Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. That war is itself a manifest violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. These arms transfers between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Russia constitute a blatant violation of Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 1695 (2006), 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009) and 2270 (2016), which Russia itself supported. We reiterate our strong call on both Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to immediately cease such activities. It is deeply regrettable that the veto will have an impact on the ability of all Member States to implement Security Council resolutions and to address the illegal and destabilizing actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which jeopardize peace and security in North-East Asia and beyond. Russia should be held to account for this deeply irresponsible action, which is undermining the work of Security Council resolutions and the capacity of multilateralism to promote international peace and security. Despite the Russian veto, the United Nations sanctions regime itself will remain in place, as will the 1718 Committee that is responsible for its implementation. The European Union will continue to do its utmost to ensure the faithful implementation of sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in close cooperation with the international community.

I deliver this statement on behalf of the Baltic States, namely, Estonia, Latvia and my own country, Lithuania. We align ourselves with the statement made on behalf of the European Union. This plenary meeting of the General Assembly has been convened because one permanent member of the Security Council  — Russia  — decided to block the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts for the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We strongly condemn this destructive action by Russia, which is once again undermining the authority of the Security Council and misusing its responsibilities as a holder of a permanent seat. Over the past 14 years, the Panel of Experts has played a crucial role in providing credible, fact-based and independent assessments on the implementation of United Nations sanctions addressing the illegal nuclear, ballistic missile and other weapons of mass destruction programmes of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Russia’s veto took place right after the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service visited Pyongyang from 25 to 27 March to ask for the delivery of new weapons, and at a time when the Panel of Experts had launched its investigation into Moscow’s violations of the arms embargo imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The most recent report by the Panel of Experts (S/2024/215, annex) also pointed to sea transfers between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Russia, where the traded containers  — allegedly hundreds  — were later transferred to south-west Russia. The report also indicated that debris from the missile originating from Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was found on Ukrainian soil. Let us be very clear: Russia has been purchasing arms and ammunition from Pyongyang to be used in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The flagrant disregard for international norms and regulations displayed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Russia is eroding the very foundation of the global disarmament and non-proliferation framework and is endangering global security and stability. The use of the right of the veto as a means of concealing unlawful arms transfers between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Russia cannot be tolerated. We call for a thorough investigation by the United Nations into this serious matter of illegal arms transfers in contravention of Security Council resolutions. Similar to Russia’s use of veto to terminate Syria’s cross-border mechanism (see S/PV.9371) and to dissolve the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) on Mali (see S/PV.9408), the current case of Russia’s dismantling of the Panel of Experts on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is yet further proof that this Security Council member is not only abusing its veto power to cover up its own illegal actions, but is also using the veto to sustain the illegal actions of its geopolitical “client” States, who have become complicit in Russia’s war against Ukraine. This dangerous and irresponsible behaviour should not be tolerated, and the United Nations membership should find an alternative way to preserve the work of the experts. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania resolutely condemn the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s pursuit of its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in blunt violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. It is important to underline that the United Nations sanctions regime remains in place despite the efforts by Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to undermine it. There can be no solution other than Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea complying with their obligations and ceasing all illegal actions that are a direct cause of human suffering and destruction of critical civilian infrastructure. The international community must continue its work on restrictive measures to detect, expose and counter individuals and entities that allow or encourage the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to violate Security Council resolutions, including through its growing military cooperation with Russia. We strongly support international efforts towards complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cease all destabilizing actions on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, to abide by its international obligations and to re-engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue with the international community.

I have the honour to speak today on behalf of the three Benelux countries  — the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and my own country, the Kingdom of Belgium. We align ourselves with the statement made on behalf of the European Union, and we would like to add the following three points. First, on the importance of today’s debate, the Benelux countries were proud co-sponsors of resolution 76/262, which mandates that the General Assembly hold a debate within 10 working days of a veto cast in the Security Council. The power of veto is not a privilege. It is a responsibility. Security Council members act on behalf of all of us — all Member States — in carrying out their mandate for the maintenance of international peace and security. My second point concerns Russia’s veto. When the Russian Federation cast its veto against the renewal of the mandate of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (see S/PV.9591), it acted in isolation. With the exception of one member who abstained, all other members of the Security Council, 13 in all, from all regional groups, support the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts. The fact of the matter is that the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea pose a threat to international peace and security. The Security Council therefore imposes sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) oversees those sanctions measures, and that Committee is supported by a Panel of Experts. The Panel gathers, analyses and publishes information in line with the mandate that it was given by the Security Council. As a general trend, Member States seek more — not less — transparency on the actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Russia’s veto runs counter to our collective efforts to strengthen international peace and security. Like the speakers before me, the Benelux countries strongly condemn the veto of the Russian Federation. It is concerning that for the second time in less than a year, Russia has stifled another Panel of Experts. In August 2023, Russia terminated the work of the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) on Mali (see S/PV.9408) when it vetoed the extension of the sanctions regime that targeted individuals who threatened the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali. Today, we want to renew our principled support for the work of all the panels and groups of experts of United Nations sanctions regimes, as well as the publication of their reports. The Benelux countries express their gratitude to the experts from the Panel of Experts on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for their quality reporting, and we extend the same gratitude to all expert panels. My third point is on Russia’s motives. We listened carefully to the justification that the Russian ambassador brought today for the veto it had cast on 28 March. Ye, we remain unconvinced. Russia’s motivation for silencing the Panel of Experts is crystal clear. In its reports, the Panel investigated and published information on the export of military equipment from North Korea to the Russian Federation. Russia started an unprovoked aggression against its sovereign neighbour Ukraine, in flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations. And, in breach of the resolution 1718 (2006) sanctions regime, the Russian Federation is arming itself with weapons from North Korea to sustain an illegal war. We call on Russia to reverse course on both violations and to unconditionally restore the mandate of the Panel. We call on Russia to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in line with the United Nations Charter and in line with the resolutions of the General Assembly. We also call on Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to abide by the resolution 1718 (2006) sanctions regime that was established by Security Council resolutions. All Security Council resolutions are binding on all United Nations Member States.

I speak on behalf of a group of States committed to the implementation of resolution 76/262, otherwise known as the veto initiative: Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Iceland, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore and my own country, Norway. We are concerned by the veto of the Russian Federation of a text that would have extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (S/2024/255). This is a mandate that had been adopted unanimously for 14 years. The veto overrode a text that was subject to extensive negotiations and received 13 votes in favour. The Panel provides vital information and guidance to all Member States in implementing the measures agreed by the 1718 Committee and adopted by the Council. We appreciate the opportunity for accountability and transparency today through the implementation of the veto initiative, which gives Member States the opportunity to discuss an issue that concerns us all. The veto cast on 28 March (see S/PV.9591) both undermines the work of the Council under Chapter VII and impedes the ability of the United Nations membership to comply with its binding resolutions. The membership must have the means of receiving all possible information to effectively uphold the obligation to implement relevant resolutions in accordance with Article 25 of the Charter. If the mandate of the Panel is indeed terminated, we will not receive the vital information and technical expertise needed to implement the resolution 1718 (2006) sanctions regime agreed by the Security Council, which remains in place. This veto is a direct risk to efforts in the context of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to ensure the non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery. States depend on the information the Panel of Experts provides to implement their international obligations, including under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention. We call on the Council to act in accordance with its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and likewise we encourage the Assembly to make the most of its Charter-based role and further encourage necessary action where the Security Council has been prevented from acting by the use and threat of the veto. Given the binding Charter imperative for all Member States to comply with all Security Council resolutions, Member States both inside and outside the Council must consider how we can act in order to retain the functions of the Panel of Experts beyond the expiration of their mandate on 30 April. We urge the Security Council and the Assembly to build on our discussions today by taking steps to that end. We must uphold our obligations to this Organization, beginning with its purpose, laid out in Article 1 of the Charter — to maintain international peace and security. In my national capacity I will also make the following remarks. Norway is deeply concerned by the continued development by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of its unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. Furthermore, we are deeply worried by the evolving efforts to circumvent the Security Council’s sanctions, thus clearly undermining global non-proliferation efforts. Russia’s use of weapons and ammunition from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine is of grave concern. The Panel of Experts provides a critical source of information to all United Nations Member States that enables them to better understand the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s sanctions evasion and sanctions violations and how to improve the enforcement of Security Council resolutions. As former Chair of the 1718 Committee, we know the vital role of the Panel of Experts in the Committee’s work. For the last 14 years, it has provided fact-based assessments, analysis and recommendations and has delivered informative and independent reports to all United Nations Member States. The Panel of Experts has enjoyed the united support of the Security Council and has had its mandate renewed every year by consensus. That vital reporting will now cease because one permanent member chose to cast a veto in the Security Council meeting on 28 March. That is deeply concerning. We also regret that one other permanent member abstained in the voting on the renewal of the mandate. The Council’s unanimously adopted sanctions measures is an essential part of our efforts to slow the development of, and to counter, the prohibited weapons programmes of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Without the Panel’s reporting to the Security Council and to all of us, an important source of information for our efforts to maintain international peace and security is lost. There is a clear need for further action to retain the functions of the Panel of Experts beyond the expiration of their mandate on 30 April.

I find it regrettable that the General Assembly is holding the present debate as a result of the use of the veto in the Security Council meeting on the subject of non-proliferation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (see S/PV.9591). Even more worrisome is the frequent use of the veto in the Security Council in recent months. The General Assembly met three days ago on another veto (see A/78/PV.66 and A/78/PV.67). Once again it is clear that the veto is the result of the failure to reach agreements and that it does not promote the search for mutual understanding. It is a power move, and it obstructs the will of others. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to develop its nuclear programme, in open defiance of the authority of the Security Council and in contravention of international treaties on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The continued launching of missiles and the clear position of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on its intention to further strengthen its nuclear programme are not conducive to peace and stability. The threat of use of nuclear weapons exponentially increases the risks of accidents or miscalculations, which become incentives for proliferation. In keeping with my country’s long-standing position against all weapons of mass destruction, Mexico categorically opposes any activity related to nuclear weapons. The existence of nuclear weapons is, in fact, the greatest threat we face today. It is not part of the solution to any problem. We therefore reiterate that it is through dialogue that disputes must be resolved. We insist on the need for dialogue with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that leads to the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. As regards the substantive content of the vetoed draft resolution (S/2024/255)  — the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts  — we understand that it was simply a renewal of the Panel’s mandate, which the Security Council had done annually for 14 years. I would like to emphasize that preventing the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts has consequences for the international community’s follow- up to the Council’s decisions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and these are not isolated acts or acts confined to the scope of the Security Council. Countries such as mine do not have the intelligence capabilities to make determinations about non-compliance with Council resolutions in North-East Asia, nor can my country simply validate assertions by third States. We therefore depend on the reports of the United Nations, in this case from the Panel of Experts, to obtain impartial, objective and independent information on the implementation or violation of Security Council resolutions. We are therefore concerned that, in the absence of reports from the Panel of Experts, the Security Council’s deliberations and actions will be reduced to political considerations, in addition to the consequent continuation of tensions in that body. The only objective way to adjust the measures imposed by the Security Council, either through new sanctions or by the lifting of the current sanctions, is through evidence and empirical information. Given the atmosphere of paralysis and escalation, and the lack of willingness to reach understandings within the Security Council, Mexico believes that it is time for the General Assembly to take on a more proactive role in fulfilling its own function of maintaining international peace and security. We emphasize that, although the Security Council acts on behalf of the 193 Member States, this does not mean it has a blank check. The General Assembly can and should have greater weight in the decisions of the Security Council. It should also demand accountability for those decisions and democratization of the responses of the international community to challenges that are of interest to all countries. My country is committed to achieving and sustaining a world free of nuclear weapons, through compliance with the obligations of the various legal instruments at our disposal, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Mexico will continue to support all multilateral forums that seek to stop the development of nuclear capabilities for war purposes. At the same time, we must strengthen the international disarmament and non-proliferation architecture to prevent the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons.

We appreciate the convening of this meeting, in accordance with resolution 76/262 as it relates to the matter of nuclear non-proliferation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, on which a veto had been cast (see S/PV.9591). On this matter, we wish to focus on two areas. The first relates to the use of the veto in the Council on the matter, and the second relates to the specific item of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. As relates to the use of the veto on this matter, South Africa would like to emphasize that it does not support the use of the veto on any Council matter that prevents the Security Council from fulfilling its mandate for the maintenance of international peace and security. South Africa continues to reaffirm the central role and authority of the General Assembly as the most inclusive, representative and democratic organ of the United Nations. We would also wish to highlight that, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly has the right, according to Article 10, to discuss any matter, notwithstanding Article 12, paragraph 1, concerning matters that are at the same time being considered by the Security Council. South Africa agrees that on this matter, the General Assembly needs to be able to hold the Security Council accountable and at the same time allow for the Council to execute its mandate. When the Council is deadlocked, bringing the matter to the General Assembly must be aimed at breaking the deadlock and not perpetuating it. We should also recognize that the more frequent use of the veto may signal an increasing lack of unity in the Council. The Charter makes it clear that the Security Council acts on behalf of all the Member States of the United Nations. If the Council displays failures in that regard, the General Assembly must not reinforce those failures but must, instead, lead the international community onto a path of resolution in the maintenance of international peace and security. On the specific issues of nuclear non-proliferation, South Africa reiterates that neither the pursuit of, nor the possession of nuclear weapons can bring about increased security. Accordingly, South Africa supports the efforts of the Security Council to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and its means of delivery by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. We believe that the Council should do all it can to encourage the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to pursue a path towards the complete elimination of its nuclear weapons, re-join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and fulfil its safeguards obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency. In terms of sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the work of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006), which the Panel of Experts had supported, South Africa believes that the implementation of sanctions should always be aimed at supporting the broader peace processes and encourage political dialogue. South Africa emphasizes the need to address the humanitarian situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in accordance with the provisions of Security Council resolutions that empower the Council to exempt, on a case-by-case basis, the provision of humanitarian assistance and other economic activities. We note the complexity of the sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and thus the need for Member States to be provided with reasonable timelines for compliance and reporting, as well as to be supported in their efforts to comply with these sanctions. That includes the provision of capacity- building assistance, upon request, for those countries having difficulties in implementing sanctions, as it is often this challenge rather than lack of political will to comply, that leads to inadvertent violations. Finally, South Africa stresses that the matter of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea can only be resolved through a political solution. We reaffirm our strongest conviction that the total elimination of nuclear weapons in a complete and verifiable manner is the only guard against their use. Furthermore, any credence provided to the notion of nuclear deterrence is an argument for proliferation, and therefore such notions in security doctrines of all States should be categorically rejected.

We appreciate the convening of this formal meeting of the General Assembly to discuss the veto cast on Thursday, 28 March (see S/PV.9591) of a draft resolution (S/2024/255) that sought to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). Chile endorses the statement made by Norway on behalf of a group of countries. We are following this meeting with great attention and interest because, over the past 15 years, the Panel of Experts of the 1718 Committee has performed crucial work in providing independent assessments, analysis and recommendations regarding the implementation of Security Council resolutions. Similarly, the reports of the Panel of Experts are helpful and have assisted all Member States in complying with their obligations to prevent the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from illegally obtaining weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems. Accordingly, we would like to thank all the experts who have participated and contributed to the work of the Panel since its inception in 2009. Likewise, we express our concern for the immediate situation of the experts on the current Panel who had agreed to offer their knowledge and experience and whose work has now been untimely suspended as a result of the veto. The veto of the renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts constitutes a serious blow to the non-proliferation regime, which ultimately threatens international peace and security. We note our deep concern and disappointment in that regard and urge that the current sanctions regime not be further undermined. We reiterate our deep support for the work of the 1718 Committee and hope that it will continue to fulfil its obligations under the relevant Security Council resolutions. We emphasize that the resolutions adopted by the Security Council must always be complied with and respected. Chile strongly supports the work and mandate of the 1718 Committee, as well as the implementation of the sanctions regime established therein. We would like to highlight and express our gratitude for the work carried out by the United States in proposing a draft resolution (S/2024/255) that was met with the approval of 13 members of the Security Council, namely, an overwhelming majority. It is therefore possible to state that that result shows that the negotiations of the text were conducted in good faith. We take note of the special report on the use of the veto at the 9591st meeting of the Security Council, held on 28 March 2024 (A/78/831). We recall that it is essential that tensions on the Korean Peninsula be reduced. We therefore call on all parties and actors involved to avoid provocations of any kind and to concentrate on reaching diplomatic and political solutions to their disagreements. We stress our position on the use of the veto and on the implied danger that arises when a majority is not respected in the multilateral system. We emphasize that the veto is a responsibility  — not a privilege. We maintain that the use of the veto in recent years is detrimental to international peace and security and confirms the urgent need to restructure the Security Council and its working methods. We insist that the veto should be limited only to such circumstances as mass atrocities and war crimes. For the foregoing reasons, we urge further debate that would lead to the General Assembly’s adoption of the Franco-Mexican initiative, which already counts 106 States as signatories, and the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group’s code of conduct, in which Council members pledge not to object to draft resolutions involving crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes, of which 130 States are signatories. We call for more States Members of the United Nations to sign both initiatives. Finally, I would like to point out that the Security Council’s inability to respond to crises has caused the feeling of impunity to spread among perpetrators of war crimes as well as the absence of legality in the actions of some international actors, which in turn has led to intense debate about the security pillar of the United Nations and the true effectiveness of the multilateral system, which is now often seen as a new arena for a struggle between major Powers. We would like for there to be no room for such confrontations.

I thank the President for convening today’s meeting, which is enabling us to take stock of the veto imposed by a single member of the Security Council on draft resolution S/2024/255, proposing to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts in support of the implementation of sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (see S/PV.9591). Switzerland deeply regrets that act, which runs counter to the Council’s responsibilities and further contributes to the disintegration of the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. Switzerland voted in favour of the draft resolution because we consider  — as does the vast majority of other members of the Council — that it represented an acceptable compromise. We thank the United States for its facilitation of the negotiation process and its efforts to reach a consensus. We also acknowledge the commitment of other Council members. Sanctions are an important Council tool for maintaining international peace and security. The sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were put in place to deal with a nuclear and ballistic- missile programme that violates international law and constitutes a threat to international peace and security. The Panel of Experts plays a key role in facilitating the implementation of those sanctions. Its reports — reliable and of high quality  — are an essential source of information for the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2009) and all States Members of the United Nations, particularly at this critical juncture where the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to accelerate significantly its illicit nuclear and ballistic-weapon programme. The decision to block the renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts hampers efforts to monitor and ensure transparency in the implementation of Council resolutions. The arguments in favour of a veto that we have heard are not convincing — neither to us nor to any other Member State. While the Panel was investigating violations of sanctions measures, this veto only fuels suspicions of non-compliance. We reiterate that the import and export of weapons to and from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is contrary to international law and contributes to the undermining of the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. It is nevertheless the duty of the Security Council to maintain and strengthen the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime. As a non-nuclear-weapon State and an advocate of disarmament and non-proliferation, Switzerland expects the Council to fulfil this task faithfully, despite global tensions. The sanctions remain in place. We must all continue to apply them, even if the support for the implementation of the sanctions provided by independent experts will come to an end. We must therefore look for alternatives to respond to this lack of analysis until the Council is again in a position to set up a new panel of experts. Switzerland remains open to exploring solutions, including within the General Assembly. While this veto represents another setback to the great goal of eliminating nuclear weapons set forth in the New Agenda for Peace, we do not have to give up. We remain committed to this goal, both within and outside the Security Council. Dame Barbara Woodward (United Kingdom): On 28 March, Russia vetoed a draft Security Council resolution (S/2024/255) on renewing the mandate for the important work of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) (see S/PV.9591), which upholds the global non-proliferation regime. This veto completely disregards resolutions in favour of which Russia had previously voted, resolutions that protect the global non-proliferation regime and international peace and security. As a result of Russia’s veto, the United Nations membership will no longer receive reports from the Panel about North Korea’s accelerating nuclear and ballistic-missile programmes. It will not receive Panel updates about the sanctions-evasions practices engaged in by North Korea and Russia, which now risk going unreported. This veto was designed to conceal Russia’s partnership with North Korea and make it easier for North Korea to escalate its unlawful weapons programmes. In turn, that enables Russia to breach, circumvent and evade United Nations sanctions to get arms and ammunition from North Korea for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Security Council and the General Assembly know that Russia has procured several dozen ballistic missiles and millions of artillery shells from North Korea for direct use against Ukraine, Ukraine’s people and its civilian infrastructure. With this veto, Russia has therefore abused its position as a permanent member of the Council and undermined the global non-proliferation regime and international security. Let us be clear to Russia. The United Nations sanctions regime is still in place, and the United Kingdom remains committed to holding North Korea to account for its attempts to evade United Nations sanctions. In conclusion, I wish to extend our deep gratitude to the 1718 Panel of Experts and to the United States for its work as penholder in the Security Council. The Panel’s credible, objective and independent reporting enabled the international community to monitor the implementation of United Nations sanctions and helped to prevent the North Koreans’ unlawful and dangerous development of nuclear and ballistic missiles. We will continue to work with all Member States to ensure oversight and implementation of United Nations sanctions on North Korea in support of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and to uphold international peace and security.

Let me begin by aligning Singapore with the statement made by the representative of Norway on behalf of a group of countries. We are meeting today because one permanent member of the Security Council, the Russian Federation, exercised its veto on 28 March (see S/PV.9591) and prevented the adoption of a draft resolution (S/2024/255) that would have extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). As this is the second time this week that we are meeting to discuss vetoes cast by permanent members of the Security Council (see A/78/PV.66 and A/78/ PV.67), allow me to start by making a broader point. We are seeing a rising trend in vetoes from permanent members of the Council across a range of issues. We are barely past the first quarter of the year, and there have already been three instances of vetoes cast this year  — an average of one draft resolution vetoed per month. We hope that that negative trajectory does not continue. The members of the Security Council, and in particular the permanent members, have an obligation to work together and in good faith on all issues under the Council’s consideration to fulfil the Council’s responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The draft resolution vetoed on 28 March would have extended the mandate of a Panel that, inter alia, serves to gather, examine and analyse information, particularly information relating non-compliance with the relevant Council resolutions. The Panel’s reports provide Member States with a good snapshot of developments in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s weapons- of-mass-destruction (WMD) and nuclear programmes and trends in sanctions violations across sectors such as maritime, trade, information technology and finance. The Panel also serves to support the 1718 Committee in developing and improving Implementation Assistance Notices that assist Member States in carrying out their obligations under the most complex sanctions regime of the Security Council. Singapore takes its obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions seriously. We implement them rigorously and consistently, including by prosecuting those who have violated our domestic laws giving effect to those sanctions. Singapore cooperates closely with the Panel, including providing information when relevant. The Panel’s work is helpful in aiding our understanding of developments in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s WMD programme. It is also useful in helping us understand the trends in sanctions-evasion activities and how to implement best practices to better aid our industries in avoiding common pitfalls that could cause them to run afoul of sanctions regulations. Singapore calls on Council members to make a final push for the renewal of the Panel’s mandate because there is still some time before the expiry of the mandate at the end of this month. Singapore also stands ready to discuss options and possibilities in the General Assembly on how to fill the gap left by the termination of the Panel, if consensus in the Council is not possible. In conclusion, Singapore would like to reiterate its long-standing call for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cease all provocations immediately and abide by its international obligations and commitments, including those contained in relevant Security Council resolutions, in order to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

It is to New Zealand’s deep disappointment that we meet again to discuss the use of the veto, only three days since we last did so (see A/78/PV.66 and A/78/PV.67). New Zealand is a core supporter of the veto initiative. We are pleased to see those permanent five members who choose to use their veto power called to account before the General Assembly. However, the regularity with which that still occurs is highly regrettable. New Zealand has a long history of working to advance nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. A core tenet of our foreign policy has been our firm belief that nuclear war must be avoided and that the elimination of nuclear weapons is the only way to properly address their risks and avoid the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of their use. The threat posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in our own region today is acute and confronting. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear and ballistic- missile programmes are one of the greatest threats to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s actions in continuing its illegal ballistic-missile launches and testing are irresponsible and provocative and increase the risk of miscalculation and conflict. New Zealand has worked with partners to help ensure that United Nations sanctions are achieving their objective of constraining the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s illegal development of its weapons systems. The Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) has played a vital role in monitoring the sanctions. Its reports provided independent, thorough and detailed evidence and recommendations available to all members of the United Nations. Its work benefitted New Zealand and other Member States as we collectively seek to respond to the threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes and highlighted where others have been complicit in supporting the circumvention of sanctions. Prior to this year, the mandate of the Panel had the unanimous support of the Council. Its disestablishment weakens the global non-proliferation system and undermines international peace and security. We cannot ignore the aggravating circumstances in which this veto was cast on 28 March (see S/PV.9591). It is shocking that the Russian Federation unilaterally ended the mandate of the Panel following reports of its own potential complicity in sanctions violations. The fact that these potential violations of sanctions are related to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine make its actions even more outrageous. Russia’s actions make a mockery of the Security Council and the United Nations. Supporters of the veto initiative have long advocated the exercise by the General Assembly of its collective political responsibility to address matters of international peace and security where the primary body charged with that responsibility, the Security Council, is unable to do so. New Zealand would therefore support the General Assembly playing a constructive role in finding potential ways forward. That should include considering all options available to it under the United Nations Charter so as to ensure that the international community can respond in an appropriate and informed way to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s illegal weapons programmes and the continued threat they pose to regional and global peace and security.

The General Assembly is meeting today to debate the recent exercise of the right of the veto (see S/PV.9591). Such exercise would not have occurred had it been not for the political selfishness of certain Western members of the Security Council, which constantly seek to unilaterally impose their viewpoints without taking the concerns of other members of the Council seriously. The delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic has listened to the explanations provided by the delegation of the Russian Federation on its vote against the United States draft resolution on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (S/2024/255). My delegation took note of the amendments to the draft resolution proposed by Russia. These should have been taken into consideration, as it must be acknowledged that the situation on the Korean Peninsula has significantly changed and that the Council should not deal with the issues before it in a mechanical manner detached from reality. Rather, it should update its mechanisms to keep pace with developments on the ground. When discussing the imposition of sanctions on States, members of the Council must bear in mind that the first affected and greatest victim of those sanctions are the populations of sanctioned States, given the repercussions that sanctions have on critical sectors, development and the enjoyment of basic human rights. In this regard, the Security Council has failed to spare civilians from the disastrous consequences of such sanctions, or at least to minimize them. Although the United Nations Charter allows the Security Council to take punitive measures in order to maintain international peace and security, resorting to such measures should not be an end in itself. Rather, controls should be put in place to ensure that the purpose of sanctions is achieved while, in this case taking into account the humanitarian situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Given that those sanctions are not time-bound, the proposal to periodically review the Council sanctions imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic would be a step in the right direction and make the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) more logical and effective. The Western States’ prerogative to push the Security Council to impose sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — and their hysterical rush to unilaterally implement coercive measures against the people of that State  — has had unacceptable humanitarian consequences and been a direct threat to its population. Exacerbating in this way the already dire humanitarian situation in there will not resolve the crisis on the Korean Peninsula; instead, it will aggravate the tensions and confrontations related thereto. In conclusion, the Syrian Arab Republic calls for refraining from imposing unilateral coercive measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and for putting an end to military manoeuvres and exercises conducted by the United States on the Korean Peninsula, as well as for avoiding any escalation inconsistent with the Council’s mandate to maintain international peace and security, ensure full compliance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and promote genuine pluralism based on the provisions of international law.

I thank the President for convening today’s important meeting. I must begin by expressing once again our deep regret that Russia chose to cast a veto on 28 March, blocking the renewal of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) (see S/PV.9591), thereby undermining the global non-proliferation regime. We must say Russia’s veto goes against  — and severely undermines  — the heavy collective responsibility of non-proliferation that all States Members of the United Nations entrusted to the Security Council. Let us squarely face what has occurred. To our greatest regret, North Korea is continuing and even advancing its unlawful nuclear and ballistic-missile programme, in flagrant violation of Security Council resolutions. Sanctions evasion and violations are being conducted by North Korea and other actors. Nevertheless, the Panel of Experts, which has played a crucial role in countering those proliferation activities, is being forced to end its operations, owing to the veto cast by one permanent member of the Security Council — the Russian Federation — which bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Let us clearly recall what we are fighting for. The Security Council unanimously adopted multiple resolutions under the agenda item entitled “Non-proliferation/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” including those that renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts. These resolutions are designed to fight the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery, in accordance with our solemn collective responsibility to contribute to global peace and security. Without sanctions, North Korea would have acquired more capabilities than it has today. Accordingly, since its establishment in 2009, the mandate of the Panel of Experts has been unanimously extended every year, and it has played a key role in improving the effectiveness of relevant Security Council resolutions through its credible, fact-based and independent investigative activities undertaken in an objective and impartial manner. The Panel’s work and its reports have been rich and insightful resources for all of us, both inside and outside the diplomatic community. During the weeks of negotiations on the vetoed draft resolution S/2024/255, the overwhelming majority of Council members, including Japan, participated in honest, transparent and frank discussions on the mandate of the Panel of Experts. However, the Russian Federation regrettably insisted on a so-called sunset clause in the sanctions, which would essentially reward North Korea’s unlawful development of WMD with sanctions review and relief, and Russia chose to wield its veto power not only to defend North Korea’s unlawful nuclear and ballistic-missile programme but also to silence the efforts of the Panel of Experts with respect to sanctions evasion around the world by North Korea and the Russia Federation, among others. Let us recall that the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the Security Council, has itself been violating the relevant resolutions by procuring military equipment and munitions from North Korea and using them for its unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, in flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter. These acts by the Russian Federation serve to advance its own interests before the international community’s responsibility in the area of nuclear non-proliferation. They are contrary to its special responsibility in maintaining the global non-proliferation regime as a permanent member of the Security Council and as a nuclear-weapon State under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons regime. Another permanent member, China, through its abstention, sends a signal that also emboldens North Korea’s unlawful and reckless behaviour. It is no exaggeration to say that we are at a critical juncture in history for the prevention of imminent WMD proliferation. No one benefits from weakening the global non-proliferation regime. If these acts go unchecked, the global non-proliferation regime will be shaken to its foundations. If North Korea’s proliferation cannot be addressed, significant consequences will arise in regions beyond Asia, reaching the rest of the world. This is an urgent non-proliferation crisis confronting the entire globe. Accordingly, the Security Council should work to maintain the Panel of Experts. If the Council regrettably fails to do so, it will be the Council’s duty to work to revive it and to see to the full and effective implementation of its resolutions as soon as possible. Under no circumstances should the international community tolerate North Korea’s unlawful nuclear and missile programme or its violations of Security Council resolutions. No violation should be rewarded or tolerated. With unwavering determination, we must take a firm stand against nuclear proliferation and uphold the international order based on the rule of law.

On 28 March, the Security Council was due to vote on the renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Panel was established by a unanimous vote of the Council in 2009 (see S/PV.6141). The Panel was tasked with ensuring compliance with measures that the Council had also unanimously adopted. Every year since then, the Panel of Experts provided valuable information and analysis on the situation and on North Korea’s actions, as well as impartial and indispensable recommendations to ensure that all Member States had reliable information on the implementation of the measures taken against North Korea by the Security Council. On 28 March, Russia vetoed the renewal of the mandate of the Panel (see S/PV.9591). It put forward various pretexts to explain this deliberate blocking of the monitoring of sanctions by an independent mechanism. It claimed, first and foremost, that the situation had changed. Let us look at the facts. North Korea continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic programmes at an unprecedented pace. It has launched four new ballistic missiles since February. A few months ago, it put a military satellite into orbit. The risk of another nuclear test cannot be ruled out. Against this backdrop, who can seriously doubt the need for a panel of experts to document violations of Council resolutions? Russia has claimed that the Panel of Experts failed in its duty of impartiality. That is not true. The Panel of Experts publishes reports based on information that all States are free to share with it. It provides elements of analysis that feed into the deliberations of the 1718 Committee without prejudging its decisions. Russia has claimed that the sanctions against North Korea should be revised. There is no need to abolish the Panel of Experts for such a discussion to take place. Existing resolutions already provide that the Council should stand ready to review sanctions regimes in the event that North Korea complies with its obligations. In a spirit of compromise, the authors of the draft resolution (S/2024/255) took this request into account when it included a paragraph in the draft proposing that such a review be carried out by April 2025. None of these pretexts will make us forget the obvious: Russia wanted to get rid of the Panel of Experts because for months it has been supplying itself with arms and munitions from North Korea, in violation of resolutions whose adoption it had supported. It wishes to pursue this activity with impunity and without witnesses. In so doing, it has given priority to continuing its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine over respecting the global non-proliferation architecture. Russia has used its status as a permanent member to reward a State that violates Council resolutions but supports its war of aggression. France deplores this veto, the consequences of which are damaging for all the States present in this Hall. This veto deprives the Security Council of a precious tool for monitoring the implementation both of its resolutions, in particular the sanctions regimes, but also of the humanitarian exemptions it has instituted. This veto deprives all Member States of a crucial, reliable and independent source of information on a subject of direct interest to their security. Despite this veto, the resolutions adopted by the Security Council in response to the North Korean proliferation crisis remain in force. The abolition of the Panel of Experts is not a blank check. Continued violations of Council resolutions cannot be rewarded by the easing of sanctions. France remains determined to work within the 1718 Committee, and with all Member States, to ensure their full implementation. We remain committed to seeing Pyongyang return to the negotiating table to achieve the complete, irreversible and verifiable ending of its illegal weapons-of-mass- destruction programmes. The Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. As North Korea continues its destabilizing activities, the Council has a responsibility to act. France will continue to be engaged so that the Council can respond to this major proliferation crisis.

Malta aligns itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the European Union. I would also like to make some remarks in my national capacity. As demonstrated by the most recent launch last week, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to relentlessly test ballistic missiles, which is in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions, as well as the sanctions regime. Malta strongly condemns these violations, which threaten international peace and security and undermine the non-proliferation regime. The advancement of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful weapons-of- mass- destruction programme is funded through, and fuelled by, an increasingly sophisticated architecture of sanctions evasions, which include the procurement of prohibited items, illegal transfers of arms and technology, and revenues generated through malicious cyberactivities and overseas workers. For the past 15 years, the Panel of Experts has professionally and impartially investigated violations of the sanctions regime and reported to the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). Its reports have been an invaluable source of information, not only for the Committee, but for the wider United Nations membership. National authorities have used these reports to keep pace with the ever- evolving mechanisms of sanctions evasion investigated by the Panel. It is regrettable that a permanent member of the Security Council cast its veto to block the Panel’s mandate renewal (see S/PV.9591), especially considering that the wider United Nations membership expressed strong support for the Panel during the open briefing of the 1718 Committee on 20 March 2024. Draft resolution S/2024/255 represented a significant set of compromises on the Panel’s mandate. First, it accommodated requests to link the renewal of the mandate to broader discussions on sanctions as well as overarching dialogue on the file. Secondly, it established the confidential nature of the midterm report, greatly affecting the ability of the wider membership to remain informed and engaged on the agenda item. This was the second time in less than a year that the Russian Federation has vetoed the mandate of a Panel of Experts (see S/PV.9408). As we have made clear in the Council, we strongly believe that dialogue is crucial to achieving progress on the overall agenda item. There was no language in the draft that prevented Council members from pursuing it. However, the draft resolution was meant to meaningfully renew the Panel’s mandate. The use of the veto means that the international community can no longer rely on a valuable information source on the most complex and comprehensive United Nations sanctions regime. Let us be clear. Panels of Experts are independent and impartial, and their mandates should be treated as such. Any other discussion on the sanctions architecture, as well as on overarching dialogue, should be kept separate from this track.

For some time now, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has been growing increasingly tense, with rising antagonism and confrontation between the parties causing widespread concern in the international community. Looking around the world today, the Ukraine crisis is still dragging on, and there is no end in sight yet for the conflict in Gaza. Geopolitical tensions continue to grow, and their spillover effects are being felt. The world is turbulent enough and cannot afford more turmoil on the Peninsula. A peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula serves the common interests of the countries of the region and meets the shared expectations of the international community. The more tense, fragile, complex and delicate the situation is, the more important it is for all sides to bear in mind the overall peace and stability on the Peninsula and in the rest of North-East Asia, maintain calm, exercise restraint, avoid mutual provocation, take concrete measures and make every effort to promote a political settlement of the Peninsula issue. The Peninsula issue, as a legacy of the Cold War, has dragged on for decades. In essence, it is a security issue. To resolve the Peninsula issue, it is imperative to uphold the vision of common security and bear in mind the principle of the indivisible security of all countries. No party to the Peninsula issue shall pursue its own absolute security at the expense of the security of other countries. If the security concerns of all parties, especially those of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, remain unaddressed, it will be difficult for the Peninsula to truly emerge from the security dilemma. The Global Security Initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping advocates the vision of shared comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and the peaceful settlement of differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation. It offers a systematic way of thinking and the correct pathway for resolving the Peninsula issue. China calls on the relevant parties to work together in a constructive spirit through sincere and pragmatic dialogue and cooperation to promote the denuclearization of the Peninsula and the establishment of a peace mechanism on it, with a will to ultimately achieve lasting peace and common security in North- East Asia. First, to resolve the Peninsula issue, it is imperative to abandon the outdated approach of confrontation and pressure. The Korean War was over long ago, but the cold-war mentality behind the War continues to linger. One country has used the Peninsula issue to advance its own geopolitical strategies, strengthen military alliances, increase its military presence and stoke bloc confrontation, thereby exposing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to great security and existential threats and seriously jeopardizing the security interests of the Peninsula and the neighbouring countries. Such practices do not help solve the problem but will only intensify antagonism and tensions, making the goals of denuclearization and peace and stability on the Peninsula even more elusive. The imperative now is to desist from acts of deterrence and from applying pressure and to move out of the spiral of escalating confrontation. Secondly, to resolve the Peninsula issue, it is imperative to remain committed to a political settlement. History and practice have repeatedly shown that as long as all parties are willing to engage in dialogue and negotiations and work with each other towards the same goal, the situation on the Peninsula can be eased, and progress can be made in the political process. By contrast, when the parties fail to adhere to the principle of action-for-action or to honour the commitments made in the relevant dialogues, the opportunities for a political settlement are missed, and tensions return to the Peninsula. The parties concerned should take a rational and pragmatic approach, resume engagement, build mutual trust and restart dialogue as soon as possible. They should follow the dual-track approach and the principle of good faith and synchronize their actions to promote the process for a political settlement. Thirdly, to resolve the Peninsula issue, it is imperative for the Security Council to play a constructive role. China supports the full and accurate implementation of Security Council sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but it is China’s consistent view that sanctions are not an end in themselves and that sanctions should not be indefinite or carved in stone. China has always stressed that sanctions should serve the purpose of promoting the denuclearization of the Peninsula, dialogue and negotiations between the parties and the ultimate political settlement of the Peninsula issue. Regrettably, over the past decade or so, harsh assumptions about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have not contributed to the realization of these goals; instead, they have had a serious negative impact on the humanitarian situation and people’s livelihoods. The draft resolution jointly proposed by Russia and China in the Security Council invokes reversible provisions, adjusting the sanctions measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in their humanitarian and livelihood aspects, and using the humanitarian issue as an entry point to create conditions for enhancing mutual trust and promoting the resumption of dialogue. We hope that the draft resolution will be given positive consideration. Just now, the representative of the Russian Federation indicated in his statement that Russia intends to submit a new draft resolution on the extension of the mandate of the Panel created by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). China appreciates the effort. We hope that all parties will seize this opportunity to speed up dialogue and consultations, actively seek consensus and work for a proper solution to the issue of the extension of the mandate as soon as possible. China has always taken a responsible approach in its efforts to promote a political settlement of the Peninsula issue. China is committed to peace and stability on the Peninsula, to pursuing in tandem denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism, and to resolution through dialogue and consultation. As a close neighbour to the Peninsula and a responsible major country, China will continue to work actively to maintain stability, facilitate talks and play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the Peninsula issue, the early resumption of dialogue among the parties and the realization of lasting peace and stability in North-East Asia.

Portugal aligns itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the European Union. As a sponsor of the veto initiative, Portugal deeply regrets the use of the veto against a draft resolution aimed at extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant resolution 1718 (2006) for a year (S/2024/255). It is yet another sign of the Council’s coming up short in delivering stability and peace for the sake of all humankind. The veto cast by the Russian Federation (see S/PV.9591) deprives all States Members of the United Nations of vital information on a matter directly affecting their security and international stability, while also weakening the global non-proliferation architecture and the Security Council’s sanctions regime. This veto poses two major problems. First, the discontinuation of the 1718 Panel of Experts is a blow to the nuclear non-proliferation architecture at a time when it is eroding before our very eyes. It takes away one of the international community’s best tools for implementing the sanctions regime imposed against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for its consistent, deliberate and repeated violations of international law. The nuclear tests and the launches of ballistic missiles carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea warrant our full condemnation. We urge North Korea to cease its illegal activities, abide by its international obligations, and re-engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue with the international community towards the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. For Russia, after its recent de-ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, its veto of the mandate of the 1718 Panel of Experts is yet another step taken with the intention of undermining the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. Secondly, this veto is a poorly concealed attempt on the part of Russia to mask its illegal arms transfers to and from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Democratic People’s Republic’s arms exports to the Russian Federation, in violation of Security Council resolutions, are fuelling its unprovoked, unjustified and illegal military aggression against Ukraine. They cannot be equated with the arms transfers to Ukraine, which is exercising its right to self-defence, in accordance with the United Nations Charter. It is worth keeping in mind that the 2006 sanctions regime on Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remains in force and retains its full legitimacy. In fact, since 2006, the Security Council has renewed the sanctions regime and adopted several additional resolutions condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear and missile activities. The role and mandate of the Panel of Experts is instrumental to monitoring the status and implementation of these sanctions. The discontinuation of the Panel of Experts, while deeply regrettable, does not, and cannot, weaken our resolve both to uphold the international disarmament and non-proliferation architecture and to enforce the Security Council’s sanctions regimes. At a time when we need to rebuild trust among Member States, renew faith in the international multilateral system and invigorate the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, this veto does exactly the opposite. Russia must be held accountable for that. In conclusion, let me reaffirm our unwavering support for the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as its cornerstone.

We are gathered in this Hall today to discuss a case in which the veto was exercised by a permanent member of the Security Council so as to cover up the violation of Security Council resolutions. Two weeks ago, there was a vote at the Security Council on renewing the mandate of the Panel of Experts that monitors the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea (see S/PV.9591). It could have been another technical rollover, identical to others the Council had unanimously adopted for the past 14 years. However, draft resolution S/2024/255 was vetoed by the Russian Federation because Russia did not want the watchtower — the Panel — to shine a light on its dark depravity. The Panel included in its recent report that it had been investigating reports of arms deals between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea that constitute a clear violation of multiple Security Council resolutions. The Panel had been faithfully carrying out its duty for the past 15 years, providing valuable information on the implementation and evasion of sanctions by the world’s most serious nuclear proliferator, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It offered useful recommendations to all States Members of the United Nations on how better to fulfil their obligations. The Panel also investigated possible cases of sanctions violations and sanctions evasion to address any non-compliance by Member States. The uninterrupted record of the Security Council’s unanimously extending the Panel’s mandate for the past 14 years clearly demonstrates the Council’s appreciation for the Panel’s vital work. With that veto, however, we lost a valuable information channel. The veto also tarnished the authority of the Security Council, for it was used simply to gag the Panel’s reporting on the veto-wielding Council member’s unlawful procurement of weapons from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to use in its continued war of aggression in Ukraine. In addition, the veto sends a dangerous message to potential proliferators and therefore undermines the global non-proliferation regime.

Furthermore, the veto may even have a cascade effect on other Security Council sanctions regimes and panels. Whatever assertions the Russian Federation puts forward, they do not stand to reason. First, although the draft resolution in question was simply about the mandate extension, Russia demanded a sunset clause on the sanctions in their entirety. Attaching completely irrelevant and unconvincing terms with a view to abolishing the entire sanctions regime is totally unacceptable, especially when the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues its nuclear and missile programme with its dangerous provocations and increasingly aggressive nuclear policy. Secondly, the Republic of Korea will not accept groundless and harmful blame-shifting narratives, including that our legitimate defence policy against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s destabilizing and unlawful provocations is causing the Democratic People’s Republic to make escalatory moves in self- defence or that the international sanctions measures are the cause of the humanitarian crisis in North Korea. Let us set the record straight: it is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s continued pursuit of its illegal nuclear weapon and ballistic-missile programme that brought about the rigorous sanctions regime, not the other way around. Moreover, the real cause of the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea lies with the diversion of its scarce resources from the economic and humanitarian needs of the people to the advancement of its unlawful weapons- of-mass-destruction programme and the hoarding of luxury goods by its ruling family and the elite. The international community, including the Republic of Korea, has strongly supported efforts to provide humanitarian relief to North Korea, which Pyongyang has declined. Thirdly, it is simply not true that we rushed into the voting. The vote followed an intensive five-week-long period of negotiations. The Republic of Korea even requested that the voting be postponed by a week so as to avoid a veto. Russia insisted on a sunset clause to end sanctions measures imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2025, unless the Council decided to extend them. Needless to say, none of the permanent three  — France, the United Kingdom or the United States  — nor any of the 10 elected members of the Council  — could support that proposal. Accordingly, it is disappointing that China did not come forward to defend a mechanism essential for the Security Council and instead abstained from the voting on the draft resolution. We assiduously tried to make accommodations and actually incorporated many of China’s proposals into the draft resolution, in the spirit of compromise. As a responsible permanent member, China, the largest economic trading partner with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, accounting for more than 90 per cent of North Korea’s trade, the country sharing the longest border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Chair of the past six-party talks should have come forward in defending the Security Council’s essential mechanism for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sanctions regime. The Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) will cease to exist in less than three weeks. Nevertheless, the 10 Security Council resolutions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea unanimously adopted over the past two decades and the Committee remain in place. As such, every State Member of the United Nations should fully abide by the Security Council resolutions. We look forward to the continued cooperation of the President in that regard. Russia’s veto will not silence the international efforts to uphold the global non-proliferation regime. We will find another way to strengthen the monitoring mechanism and to keep tracking the sanctions violations of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Republic of Korea will remain committed to making efforts towards the proper functioning of the Security Council and its mechanisms for the goal of the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Germany aligns itself with the statement delivered by observer of the European Union. I would like to add some national remarks, and they are the following. Russia´s veto against the extension of the mandate for the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006), concerning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (see S/PV.9591), is an extremely serious blow. It is a blow against our joint endeavour to prevent North Korea from illegally building up its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal, which threatens both regional and global peace and stability. The veto was a calculated and short-sighted assault on that established, authorized and widely appreciated United Nations monitoring instrument. The motivation is obvious: to protect Russia’s illegal, immoral and harmful weapons deals with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in order to continue its unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine. Thirteen members of the Security Council demonstrated, by their vote, that they understood that context very clearly. Once again, Russia does not live up to the responsibility of a permanent member of the Security Council. Once again, Russia is misusing its veto power in order to pursue its unlawful war against Ukraine, in violation of the Charter of the United Nations. In doing so, it recklessly undermines the sanctions established by the Security Council itself as a reaction to the grave violations of international non-proliferation regimes by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. It also recklessly creates severe risks for regional security and weakens international non-proliferation rules. For many years, the Panel of Experts has provided credible, fact-based and independent assessments to the 1718 Committee and to all States Members of the United Nations. The Panel was a crucial element of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea sanctions regime and the wider international non-proliferation architecture. Without the valuable work of the Panel, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would have been able to build up its nuclear and missile programmes at a much faster rate and in a much more sophisticated way. The restrictive measures that the Security Council adopted in a series of subsequent resolutions remain in force. Today they are more necessary than ever given that Pyongyang has shown no intention of discontinuing its illegal nuclear and missile programmes. To the contrary, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea persists in activities that threaten regional security and global peace. In order to improve the implementation of the measures that the Security Council agreed, the Panel put forward a number of valuable suggestions. It is inconceivable that a permanent member of the Security Council would agree on measures but would prevent such measures from being implemented properly. We should not allow a permanent member of the Security Council to misuse the veto in order to conceal its own illegal and destabilizing activities. The matter is important not only for the stability in the region, but also for the credibility of the United Nations as a whole. Here at the General Assembly, let us stand united and strong against that flagrant misuse of the veto by Russia.

I thank the President of the General Assembly for having convened this meeting, in accordance with the provisions of resolution 76/262, due to the veto exercised by the Russian Federation in the Security Council on 28 March (see S/PV.9591) when considering a draft resolution (S/2024/255), submitted by the United States delegation, to renew the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006), concerning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In that case, in accordance with the first part of paragraph 3 of Article 27 of the Charter of the United Nations, it is regrettable that the Council was once again unable to adopt a draft resolution that had the majority support of its members due to the use of the undemocratic privilege of the veto, thereby breaking 14 years of unanimous support for the work of the Panel of Experts. Ecuador believes that the text proposed by the drafter contained the necessary basis for the renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the 1718 Committee and the continuity of its professional and independent work. We therefore voted in favour of the proposed draft resolution. With that decision, not only will Member States lose access to authoritative sources of information, but also the implementation of sanctions could be left in a state of limbo without an effective and independent monitoring mechanism. Moreover, such a veto, in practice, constitutes a serious threat to the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture; it undermines the efforts made by the international community in the face of the threat posed by the nuclear and ballistic missile programme of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and it exacerbates mistrust. We cannot allow that setback to paralyse our efforts to achieve the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Nuclear proliferation represents an existential threat to humankind. Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation are a moral and ethical responsibility that the international community must address with determination and concerted action. In conclusion, I reiterate my delegation’s conviction that the mechanism created by resolution 76/262 contributes to accountability and transparency, strengthens the authority of the General Assembly and its relationship with the Council and therefore reinforces the United Nations system. We must therefore assess how the veto affects the Security Council’s primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Italy fully aligns itself with the statement delivered by the observer of the European Union and would like to add some considerations in its national capacity. Italy expresses profound concern over Russia’s recent veto at the Security Council (see S/PV. 9591), blocking the annual renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) in support of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Sanctions Committee. That veto serves as a deliberate attempt to suppress and silence the independent and objective investigations conducted by the Panel. For more than a decade, the Panel has been the epitome of reliability, providing meticulous analyses, fact-based assessments and invaluable recommendations that have ensured the effective implementation of Security Council resolutions against the nuclear proliferation activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The tireless efforts of the Panel over the past 15 years have been instrumental in assisting Member States in fulfilling their obligations under Security Council resolutions that address the persistent and unlawful pursuits of weapons of mass destruction by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Russia’s recent veto undermines the very foundation of those efforts, in turn destabilizing not only the global non-proliferation regime but the United Nations system in its entirety. Furthermore, Russia’s veto will significantly hamper the implementation of United Nations sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Vetoing initiatives aimed at shedding light on violations of international law impedes progress towards international peace and security and sets another dangerous precedent of shielding nations from accountability for their actions. That veto is a stark reminder of the current and dangerous challenges that we continue to face in upholding the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the rule of law in the international arena. Contrary to Russia’s justification of the veto, the responsibility for the aggravation of the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is not a consequence of the sanctions imposed by the United Nations. In the light of the humanitarian exemption established by the 1718 Sanctions Committee, the international community is ready, and has always been ready, to provide humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the North Korean people. Addressing humanitarian concerns must remain a paramount objective in achieving international peace and security. Italy emphasizes the urgency of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s complete, verifiable and irreversible termination of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes, in strict compliance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. We therefore call on the Security Council to reconsider its position and extend the mandate of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Panel of Experts. Despite the veto, the United Nations sanctions regime against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will remain in place, as will the 1718 Committee, which is responsible for its implementation. Italy reiterates its unwavering commitment to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure its full implementation, addressing the illegal and destabilizing actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and ensuring peace and security in North-East Asia and beyond.

Bulgaria aligns itself with the statement made by the observer of the European Union and by the representative of Norway on behalf of the States committed to the implementation of resolution 76/262. In my national capacity, I would like to further emphasize the following points. We are meeting today because of yet another veto by the Russian Federation  — this time on a Security Council draft resolution (S/2024/255) that would have extended the mandate of the United Nations Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) for a year. Bulgaria strongly condemns the veto by the Russian Federation, which aims to obstruct the work of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718, to silence the investigations into violations of the Security Council’s resolutions by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to prevent all States Members of the United Nations from receiving objective and impartial information on the implementation of the sanctions regime and to seriously impede the prospect of a peaceful diplomatic resolution of one of the world’s most dangerous nuclear proliferation issues. To the dislike of those trying to cover up the evasion of sanctions, the veto, putting an end to the mandate of the Panel of Experts at a time when the Panel is investigating violations of sanctions measures, only fuels further suspicions over such violations. The veto does not strike off the Security Council sanctions regime against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, neither does it cast a shadow over the impartiality and the hard work of the Panel of Experts. While the sanctions remain intact, the Russian veto has immense consequences in undermining the integrity of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and the Council’s credibility in upholding Security Council resolutions. Bulgaria reiterates its full support for the work of the Panel of Experts and for the targeted sanctions as an important tool of the Security Council for maintaining international peace and security. The work of the Panel of Experts is essential in facilitating the implementation of the sanctions and, for my country, as for many other States Members of the United Nations, the reports of the Panel serve as a valuable and unique source of information on the implementation of the sanctions. For that reason, and given the binding nature of all Security Council resolutions, Bulgaria stands ready to engage in efforts to maintain the functions of the Panel of Experts and would like to encourage other Member States to make the utmost use of the functions and powers of the General Assembly, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and to take a step to that end.

Poland strongly condemns the Russian veto blocking the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). The Panel, contrary to Russia’s claims, is not a politicized body but a group of independent individuals, whose role is to assess the implementation of, and compliance with, the sanctions regime. As a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia bears a special responsibility in that organ’s decision-making process with regard to both the adoption of the Council’s resolutions and their subsequent implementation. It is deplorable that, due to purely political motives, Moscow decided to deliver a significant blow to the work of the 1718 Committee and to its objective, impartial and professional Panel of Experts. The Russian veto is not coincidental and serves to limit the debate on the supply of North Korean armaments to Russia. The military cooperation between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is a clear violation of the 1718 sanctions regime, makes Russia the main beneficiary of the situation. The tragic consequences of such non-compliance can be seen in Ukraine, where arms shipped from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are being used by the Russian armed forces to target civilians and civilian infrastructure. In that context, we once again call on Russia to abide by international law, cease its activities aimed at avoiding sanctions and accept the role of the Panel of Experts, as it did in the past. The target of the sanctions regime, again contrary to Russia’s claims, is not the civilian population of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Its aim is to curb the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which constitute a blatant violation of numerous Security Council resolutions. Before the borders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were closed, the international community had worked hard to provide its people with necessary aid. We hope that, along with the gradual reopening of the borders and the consequent re-establishment of the presence of international aid organizations in Pyongyang, the flow of aid will resume. Finally, we remain convinced that a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula can be achieved only through peaceful means. Therefore, we will continue to call upon the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to engage in denuclearization talks, abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and fully comply with the Security Council resolutions, as well as the other international commitments. We encourage all United Nations Members to join us in calling on Russia to stop its obstructive behaviour and to stand together in support of the 1718 Committee and its Panel of Experts, as well as the full and effective implementation of all Security Council resolutions pertaining to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Ukraine aligns itself with the statement made by the observer of the European Union, and we would like to make few remarks in our national capacity. Ukraine strongly condemns Russia’s veto of the Security Council draft resolution (S/2024/255) that would have renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). For the past 14 years, the 1718 Committee Panel of Experts has provided fact- based, objective, independent assessments, analysis and recommendations on the implementation of United Nations sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Panel’s reporting has been a crucial source of information for all States Members of United Nations to better understand the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s sanctions evasion and their violations, as well as to implement the Security Council resolutions. As a result of Russia’s veto, the mandate of the Panel of Experts will expire on 30 April. That action gravely undermines the international non-proliferation regime and poses a threat to international peace and security, as well as dealing a serious blow to the overall sanctions mechanism against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Ukraine denounces the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s ongoing unlawful pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. Only in the past few months, Pyongyang launched a number of ballistic missiles, endangering regional peace and stability. We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to refrain from conducting any ballistic missile tests and to fully implement and respect all Security Council resolutions related to its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programmes. Ukraine categorically rejects the narratives that sanctions are causing a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Let us be clear: the only cause of the Pyongyang humanitarian crises is its decision to divert resources from its humanitarian and economic needs towards its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programmes. It is also clear that the rejection of the draft resolution will only encourage the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to further develop its nuclear and missile programmes, thereby increasing threats to global and regional security, as well as delaying a peaceful and diplomatic solution leading to stability and security on the Korean Peninsula. Russia vetoed the draft resolution at the very time when the Panel of Experts was investigating Moscow’s violations of the arms embargo imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by purchasing arms and ammunition from Pyongyang, including ballistic missiles, used by the Russian aggressor in its war against Ukraine. We would like to stress that the continued procurement of arms and related material from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a flagrant violation of the Security Council resolutions. Therefore, Russia should be held to account for flagrant violations of international law, including the Security Council resolutions. No doubt, Russia aims to lift the sanctions regime, which is obviously seen as an obstacle to deepening its military and technical cooperation with the regime in Pyongyang. Russia’s track record of the use of the veto on resolutions on sanctions matters already speaks volumes. In addition to the vetoed draft resolution on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Panel of Experts, last year Moscow terminated the United Nations Mali sanctions. What is also alarming is that it threatens to cast additional vetoes of United Nations sanctions mandates in the future. We call on all States Members of the United Nations to condemn Russia’s veto of the draft resolution on the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the 1718 Committee and the gross violations of Security Council resolutions by Moscow and Pyongyang, as well as to take decisive steps to put an end to the supply of arms and ammunition from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to Russia for the needs of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

For the second time this week, we have been summoned to a plenary session of the General Assembly to discuss the situation in which the prerogative of the veto was used in the consideration of a Security Council draft resolution (S/2024/255). The increase in the exercise of the veto, to the detriment of the critical mandate entrusted to the Security Council to maintain international peace and security, is worrisome. Colombia regrets the fact that, due to the use of the veto, the mandate of the Panel of Experts established by resolution 1874 (2009), which ends on 30 April, has not been extended. My country recognizes the technical, objective and independent work of the Panel of Experts to ensure compliance with each of the measures imposed on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and, in that regard, to assist the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) in carrying out its work. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s non-compliance with Security Council resolutions, that country’s continued provocations and the lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency affirm the need for the assessments, analysis and recommendations of the Panel of Experts in order to not only carry out the Committee’s mandate, but also support all States in implementing the resolutions and the measures prescribed by each of them. Given the polarization and geopolitical tensions, multilateralism is the tool par excellence that allows us to find solutions to build and maintain international peace and security. The non-adoption of a draft resolution that has the majority support of the members of the Security Council and that is significant to the disarmament and non-proliferation regime is regrettable. For Colombia, it is clear that the veto is an unjustifiable prerogative, which restricts the effectiveness of the Security Council in fulfilling its mandate. It is therefore necessary to continue to advocate for its abolition. In the meantime, we emphasize the need to strengthen and broaden the adherence of Member States to all those mechanisms that limit the use of the veto and increase accountability when it is invoked, particularly in cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity  — atrocity crimes against which there is a collective responsibility to act. We refer specifically to the Franco-Mexican initiative, the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group code of conduct, Uniting for Peace, the veto initiative and Article 27, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations.

This meeting of the General Assembly was a very worrisome and disheartening decision on account of a State that is not only a permanent member of the Security Council, but also one of the depositaries of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). A State that has a special responsibility and role under both the Charter of the United Nations and the Non-Proliferation Treaty decided to remove international monitoring of sanctions compliance against the only State that has withdrawn from the Non-Proliferation Treaty and has conducted tests in the twenty-first century. Costa Rica supports the work of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006). The reports of the Panel of Experts, which have always been adopted by consensus, have been comprehensive, independent, fact-based and of a high quality. Its biannual reports provide all States with valuable information detailing the sanctions evasion activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They also highlight emerging trends and document the country’s advancement in its ballistic missile programmes. The failure to extend the Committee’s mandate brings to an end a body charged with overseeing compliance with one of the world’s most comprehensive and complex sanctions regimes. However, the significance and consequences of such a veto are more profound. On the one hand, as long as sanctions remain in place, the Security Council will lose access to an essential tool for monitoring the implementation of its resolutions, including sanctions, as well as humanitarian exemptions, with regard to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. On the other hand, the veto also raises questions about the future of other Committees and instruments should a permanent member of the Security Council decide that they do not serve its national interests, regardless of the value of its non-proliferation bodies. The subordination of non-proliferation and international security objectives to other considerations contributes to the further undermining of the international nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime, which is of grave concern to us. Moreover, the lack of unity among Security Council members regarding non-proliferation is also a reminder of the many failures to implement disarmament commitments under article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the agreements of previous Review Conferences. Costa Rica reiterates its call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme and to rejoin the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon State. We urge it to fully comply with all the relevant Security Council resolutions and to cooperate without delay with the International Atomic Energy Agency with regard to the full and effective implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. In addition, we urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as other relevant States, to renew their diplomatic engagement, including through the six-party talks, to help to achieve that goal. Costa Rica also urges the nuclear-weapon States to reflect seriously on their responsibilities and obligations under the NPT and the Charter and their obligations in relation to disarmament and non-proliferation, since they should fulfil their responsibilities to achieve the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.

Finland deeply regrets the use of the veto by the Russian Federation in the Security Council on 28 March (see S/PV.9591), blocking the extension of the mandate of the Panel of Experts, which assists the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) in monitoring the implementation of sanctions on North Korea. The vetoed draft resolution (S/2024/255) had wide support within the Security Council. The penholder had worked hard to seek a compromise, and 13 votes were cast in favour of the draft resolution. That was the second time within a year that the Russian Federation used the veto against a mandate of a Panel of Experts of a United Nations sanctions regime. That is an alarming development. The use of the veto by the Russian Federation undermines the role of the Security Council, on which Member States have conferred the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations is not a minor undertaking by Member States. The veto ignores the principles of the United Nations Charter, which States Members of the United Nations keep defending on a daily basis. During its existence, the Panel of Experts has been the main source of widely and internationally available, reliable, impartial and objective information on the implementation of the United Nations sanctions. Although the veto does not challenge the sanctions themselves, it has serious implications. The Panel of Experts’ work is invaluable in providing a credible assessment in support of all States Members of the United Nations and the national authorities responsible for implementing the sanctions, as well as businesses and civil society organizations. It is important to note that the Panel of Experts also monitors the possible unintended humanitarian consequences of the sanctions for the civilian population. Finland underlines the significance of resolution 76/262. The two-year-old veto initiative is a vital tool in making the Council more transparent and accountable. It accentuates the General Assembly’s capacity to take action and uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter when the Security Council is unable to conduct its duties. The ongoing nuclear and ballistic missile-related activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea represent a serious threat to international peace and security. Such activities undermine the global non-proliferation and disarmament regime. Moreover, the arms transfers between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Russia also violate several Security Council resolutions. In conclusion, it is deeply regrettable that the veto of one Member State stands in the way of using the means that the Security Council has at its disposal to effectively maintain international peace and security and to use those measures that are available to the United Nations to promote peaceful settlement and solutions, including on the Korean Peninsula.

Allow me to thank the President for having convened this regrettable debate in the General Assembly to discuss the use of the veto by a permanent member of the Security Council on the draft resolution (S/2024/255) that would have renewed the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006), concerning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, Member States confer on the Security Council the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, recognizing that the Council acts on behalf of the membership as a whole and that its actions are in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Indeed, under Article 25 of the Charter, we have agreed to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council. As such, the decisions and resolutions adopted, as well as its representation and action, give it a high level of accountability to all Member States. However, despite that, once again, the Security Council has failed in its primary function of maintaining international peace and security due to the irresponsible use of the right of veto by one of its permanent members. Guatemala is very concerned that the renewal of the mandate of that important Panel of Experts has been vetoed. Its role is vital. On 18 March, North Korea conducted three more ballistic missile launches. A few months ago, it put a military satellite into orbit, in contravention of many resolutions, which were widely supported, including by the very country that used the veto. Another nuclear test cannot be ruled out. In that context, who can seriously doubt the need for an independent Panel of Experts to document violations of the various resolutions? Guatemala deeply regrets the veto against the extension of that mandate. That prevents the General Assembly from having an essential tool to follow up on the implementation of Security Council resolutions, including sanctions, as well as humanitarian exemptions. The veto deprives all Member States of a crucial source of information on an issue that directly affects their security and international stability. Finally, it is also a factor that undermines the disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. It cannot be said that the Panel of Experts has failed in its duty of impartiality. The Panel of Experts does not judge States but draws on the information that all States are free to share with it through voluntary periodic reports. It contributes elements of analysis to the deliberations of the members of the 1718 Committee without prejudging the decisions to be taken. Moreover, we should not forget that the renewal of the mandate of the Panel of Experts would apply not only to resolution 1718 (2006), but also to all those involving the various measures imposed on that country, such as the presentation of the mid-term report in August 2024 and a final report in 2025. There is no doubt that the contributions of the Panel of Experts have been of great importance and are a valuable contribution not only to the implementation of the Committee’s regime under resolution 1718 (2006), but also to the international disarmament and non-proliferation architecture. North Korea continues its destabilizing activities, and the Security Council had a responsibility to act and respond to that serious proliferation crisis. I would like to reiterate that Guatemala is committed to international peace and security. We have therefore repeatedly condemned the continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and we have urged that country to respect and comply with its international obligations and commitments in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. Such actions, in open defiance of the authority of the Security Council, lead to increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which endangers peace and security in the region and throughout the world. Despite knowing the risks of nuclear annihilation, humanitarian devastation and environmental destruction associated with the proliferation of such weapons, in some cases possessor States continue to invest in the modernization of their nuclear warheads and delivery systems. We must commit to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons because that is the only way to dispel any risk. In the light of that, based on the conclusions of the 1718 Committee and as evidenced by the current situation regarding the non-proliferation regime, my country believes that the conditions are not in place for trust and to allow it to run its course without the necessary expert monitoring, which, in this case, was carried out by the Panel of Experts. Unity in the Security Council is paramount to meeting the challenges of international peace and security. We trust that Council members have the capacity to address such issues in a spirit of cooperation and compromise. Divergences should not continue to hamper the work of the Council. The mandate of the 1718 Committee remains unchanged, and its work will undoubtedly be hampered without the support of the Group of Experts. However, we trust that, as Chair of the Committee, Switzerland will continue to safeguard the work of the Committee and seek ways to provide members with the relevant information to assess the implementation of sanctions, report on the work of the Committee and support efforts to comply with Security Council resolutions. In conclusion, the delegation of Guatemala recognizes the fundamental role played by Security Council resolutions in the area of disarmament and international security. Because of the impasse before us, we urge that the negotiations on Security Council reform continue in order to be able to overcome the challenges facing us in the pursuit of complete, verifiable, transparent, irreversible nuclear disarmament within clearly established time frames and subject to appropriate international control.

The delegation of the Republic of El Salvador expresses its gratitude for the convening of this plenary debate, held in accordance with the provisions of resolution 76/262, which provides a permanent mandate for the holding of debates in the General Assembly when the right to veto is exercised in the Security Council. It is crucial to highlight the importance of such debates as a significant step towards strengthening accountability mechanisms and transparency within the Organization. As we have reiterated on several occasions, my country recognizes the primary responsibility of the Security Council to maintain international peace and security, in accordance with the principles established under the Charter of the United Nations and international law. In that regard, we appreciate the creation of specialized mechanisms to address those issues, such as the establishment of the Panel of Experts that assists the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) with regard to sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. We believe that both the 1718 Committee and its Panel of Experts play an integral role in the provision of information available to Member States by supplying relevant data on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which enables informed and evidence-based decision-making. The frequency and completeness of reports issued on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are essential, particularly with regard to compliance with sanctions. We also believe that it is essential that the work of the Panel of Experts be kept free of political considerations, as its impartiality is crucial to preserving stability on the Korean Peninsula and to contributing to denuclearization efforts in the region. For El Salvador, the veto regarding that important Panel weakens the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture and could result in an escalation of the arms race in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, especially with regard to nuclear weapons. My country has repeatedly condemned actions that endanger regional stability, such as military tests, including nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, which go against the international community’s efforts to reduce nuclear tensions, particularly at a time of high geopolitical tension over arms control, disarmament and international security. In line with our long tradition of promoting nuclear disarmament, general and complete disarmament and non-proliferation, we express our concern about the measures taken by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to strengthen its military capabilities, particularly in the nuclear field, which runs counter to the international goal of nuclear disarmament. We firmly believe that the use of nuclear technologies should be exclusively for peaceful purposes for the benefit of humankind and be subject to strict supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In that regard, we urge the Council to undertake negotiations in good faith to renew the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the 1718 Committee. We call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with its international obligations and engage in constructive dialogue to promote lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. In conclusion, as a State party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), we advocate the adherence of all States to its non-proliferation control regime and the IAEA Safeguards System for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to rejoin the NPT and its safeguards system as soon as possible.

I thank the President for convening this meeting. The veto initiative is an important mechanism for promoting transparency and accountability in the use of the veto. Australia expresses its grave concern over Russia’s veto in this instance (see S/PV.9591), and we reaffirm our support in the strongest terms for maintaining all elements of the sanctions regime against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The destabilizing actions of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea present one of the gravest threats to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and to the world at large. Its deliberate and ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction undermine collective efforts to support regional and global security and avert catastrophe. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s actions also violate numerous Security Council resolutions. It is the Security Council’s duty under the Charter of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. That must include enforcing its own resolutions. Without that, the credibility and authority of the Council are undermined. In this case, a permanent member of the Security Council has undermined the Council’s own sanctions regime, breaking 14 years of consensus on the issue. The Panel of Experts of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) is central to upholding the 1718 sanctions regime. Their reports provide transparency into a State that lacks verifiable information and have helped all Member States to uphold their obligations. But, as we know, the Panel’s reports had started to expose Russia’s unlawful weapons transfers with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to support its illegal war in Ukraine. It is clear that that is the reason that Russia used the veto to silence the Panel’s independent, objective investigations into the blatant violations of Security Council resolutions by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In doing so, it condones the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s illegal pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, to the detriment of the global non-proliferation regime and to international peace and security. That is not the behaviour of a responsible State Member of the United Nations, and we all have a responsibility to call it out. We call on those who have influence over Russia to press it to consider the grave implications of its actions for international peace and security. Australia remains committed to upholding all United Nations measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes. We call on the Security Council, as well as other Member States, to implement Council resolutions and work towards our shared goal for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to abandon all nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

We have heard the last speaker in this debate for this meeting. We shall hear the remaining speakers this afternoon at 3 p.m. in this Hall.