Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union. In addition, I would like to make the following remarks in my national capacity.
Chair,
Allow me to express my appreciation for your draft decision on strengthening the review process and welcome many of the proposals contained therein. Our debates during the current PrepCom have emphasized the need to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of NPT meetings, for instance by taking small but impactful steps such as strictly enforcing time limits -- from day one -- to allow more time for substantive and interactive discussions among States Parties.
Furthermore, like others, we believe that a revision of working methods is required to not only strengthen the effectiveness of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but also to ensure that it remains fit-for-purpose going forward. To be clear, strengthening the review process does not entail amending the Treaty itself. Nor will it affect existing obligations or the relationship between the Treaty and other institutions such as the IAEA or the Security Council.
Rather, it is about better organizing our work throughout the entire duration of a review cycle. For instance, by enabling substantive review of the way the Treaty is implemented; enhancing transparency and accountability; improving our collective response to emerging issues that affect the Treaty; and
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facilitating more substantial and more inclusive engagement by all States Parties as well as other stakeholders.
We encourage everyone to have a look at the NPDI’s working paper on strengthening the review process, which contains actionable steps that can be taken to drive our work on this important issue forward.
Chair,
During the General Debate as well as the Cluster I debate, I already noted that a baseline of confidence and trust is necessary in order to make progress on arms control and disarmament. Transparency and accountability are important conduits for trust and confidence. They help to lower the risk of misperception, misunderstanding, and eventually escalation, while helping to establish a baseline for dialogue and negotiations.
Standardized national reporting as mentioned in paragrafph 2(a) and in the first part of paragraph 2(b)I of the draft decision is a key measure to enhance transparency and accountability. For that reason, we welcome the national reports that were submitted to this meeting, in particular those by the nuclear-weapon States France and the UK. We invite all States Parties, especially the nuclear-weapon States, to make use of the reporting templates developed by the NPDI to further aid these efforts.