Dr Amery Browne: Trinidad and Tobago committed to no nuclear weapons worldwide

Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne told the UN General Assembly TT reiterates its determination to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons.

Speaking at the high-level meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on Thursday, Browne said as a small-island developing state with a long-standing commitment to international peace and security, TT fully comprehends the existential threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity.

“We therefore join with all peace-loving nations to reiterate our determination to achieve the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons. Our resolve remains firm, rooted in our enduring belief that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is not just a necessity, but a moral imperative for the survival of humanity.”

He said TT has consistently championed multilateral initiatives towards nuclear disarmament as a proud state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the Treaty of Tlatelolco of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

“We view these instruments as crucial foundations of international peace and security, aimed at averting the severe humanitarian impacts and environmental devastation that would invariably result from the use of nuclear weapons.”

Browne said regrettably the geopolitical landscape continues to grow increasingly complex and dangerous, shrouded by the increasing threat of the use of nuclear weapons.

“Tensions over the war in Ukraine and in Gaza have undermined nuclear diplomacy and further exposed a global security architecture in peril. Nuclear Weapons States are backsliding on shared commitments and key bilateral arms control agreements remain under strain. Continued investment in nuclear weapons modernisation and the emergence of potentially destabilising new technologies, including artificial intelligence, have raised the risk of a nuclear arms race to frightening heights.”

Browne said the role of multilateralism is more crucial than ever, during this unprecedented rise in global tensions.

“As we reflect on this day, let us pledge to work together to disarm the potency of fear and intimidation and replace them with bridges of understanding and solidarity, to ensure that generations yet to come inherit a world defined, not by the threat of nuclear devastation, but by the promise of enduring peace and security.”

The meeting was one of several events Browne was expected to attend today. The first was participation and intervention at a meeting of the informal ministerial network for the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a voice message, he said,

“The ICC and its staff have been coming under increasing pressure and our country as a founding member, via the work of ANR Robinson, continues to be a leading voice in support of the important work of the ICC.”

Browne said he would attend a meeting of Caricom’s foreign ministers, the high-level meeting on the threat of anti-microbial resistance, and finally the ministerial meeting on the situation in Gaza and the implementation of a two-state solution.