Geneva (TDI): Pakistan has assumed the presidency of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, marking another significant development for Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts on arms control and international security.
Additional Secretary for Arms Control and Disarmament Tahir Hussain Andrabi is presiding over the conference on Pakistan’s behalf.
According to a Foreign Office statement, Pakistan holds the final presidency of the Conference on Disarmament’s 2026 session and will oversee the conclusion of its proceedings for the year.
During its presidency, Pakistan will lead discussions on the conference’s annual report as well as the related resolution to be considered by the UN General Assembly’s First Committee.
On assuming the presidency, Ambassador Andrabi chaired a meeting with the previous presidents of the conference for the 2026 session and held consultations with representatives of various regional groups.
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The Conference on Disarmament is the United Nations’ principal multilateral forum for negotiating arms control and disarmament agreements. Based at the UN Office in Geneva, the forum has 65 member states, including all nuclear-armed countries.
Its agenda covers some of the most critical issues in global security, including ending the nuclear arms race, preventing nuclear war and stopping an arms race in outer space.
The conference and its predecessor bodies have played a key role in negotiating major international security agreements, including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
The Foreign Office said Pakistan’s assumption of the presidency at a critical time demonstrated the confidence placed by the international community in its diplomatic role.
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The FO added that the presidency would provide Pakistan with an opportunity to contribute to global discussions on arms control, disarmament, international peace and security, while reinforcing its role in multilateral diplomacy.
