EU Statement – UN General Assembly 1st Committee: draft UNGA Resolution on the Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East
Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Member States of the European Union concerning the draft Resolution L.1 (Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East).
The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina* align themselves with this statement.
It remains a strategic priority of the EU to support peace and stability in the entire Middle East. The EU reaffirms its full support for the establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction and their delivery systems, as agreed by NPT States Parties. The EU remains committed to the implementation of the Resolution on the Middle East adopted at the 1995 NPT Review Conference, and to the path for action as set out in the 2010 Action Plan as the most promising basis on which to proceed.
As agreed at the 1995 NPT Review Conference, nuclear-weapon-free zones should be established on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region. The EU strongly urges all stakeholders to engage urgently in meaningful consultations to build an inclusive and consensus-based process to implement the 1995 Resolution on Middle East. Dialogue and confidence building among stakeholders is the only sustainable way to agree on arrangements for a meaningful conference, to be attended by all States of the Middle East. The process must be inclusive for it to be effective.
The EU has consistently presented this position at the UN. The EU welcomes the sixth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMD, held from 17 to 21 November 2025 in New York. The EU reconfirms its readiness to assist the process leading to the establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMD and their delivery systems, as it has done in the past by facilitating dialogue among States of the region.
Since 2019, the EU has been supporting a process of confidence-building leading to the establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMD and their delivery systems, most recently through Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/1729 of 10 July 2026 in support of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East (ME WMDFZ) in a dynamic regional security environment. Its objectives are to assist in mitigating regional WMD proliferation trends, encourage regional security arrangements and arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament norms and processes, develop a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between the Middle East WMD Free Zone and current regional and international developments, and promote an effective, verifiable, inclusive, and sustainable Middle East WMD Free Zone. The EU also continues to assist the Middle East region, via its "Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centers of Excellence Initiative", launched in response to the need to strengthen the institutional capacity of countries outside the Union to mitigate CBRN risks. The Centers of Excellence established in Jordan, Algeria, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates all contribute to enhanced capacity building in the region and cooperation between these States.
The EU continues to call on all States in the region, which have not yet done so, to accede to and abide by the NPT, CWC and BTWC, to sign and ratify the CTBT, and to conclude a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, the Additional Protocol and, as applicable, a modified Small Quantities Protocol with the IAEA. We also encourage subscription to The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missiles Proliferation that could contribute to regional confidence building, which is necessary for progress towards a Middle East WMD-free zone.
- North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.