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How Indonesia can reduce distrust in Conference on Disarmament
As a nation that has adhered to international norms and treaties governing arms control, Indonesia can offer valuable insights into fostering responsible behavior in the global community.
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Words of peace: Anti-nuclear weapons activists demonstrate on Oct. 14, 2022, outside of the Kluczynski Federal Building in Chicago, Illinois, the United States to call for de-escalation of tensions between nuclear powers. (AFP/Getty Images/Scott Olson)
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s Indonesia prepares to assume the presidency at the Conference on Disarmament (CD) later this month, my dual role as the permanent representative of Indonesia to the United Nations in Geneva and the president of the conference, the world’s sole standing multilateral disarmament negotiating body, will be set against a backdrop of daunting challenges.
The current global disarmament landscape is marked by unprecedented challenges. The rise in geopolitical tensions, the modernization of nuclear arsenals, and the widening distrust among nations have cast a shadow over the efficacy of international efforts toward disarmament. The world is witnessing a troubling decline in the commitment to arms control agreements, a trend that threatens global stability and security.
Reversing this alarming trend would therefore be one of Indonesia’s contributions to reshape the discourse and advance the cause of peace. Indonesia’s consistent role as a bridge builder and peacemaker has it well placed to carry out this task.
Exactly one year ago, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi delivered a strong message addressing the high-level segment of the CD. She acknowledged the perilous state of global security, emphasizing the conference's decades-long paralysis due to an absence of political will, and a complex global security environment further underscored by the modernization of nuclear arsenals and the continued reliance on nuclear deterrence in military doctrines.
The minister aptly warned that standing still in this scenario equates to standing at risk, and the risk only intensifies with escalating tensions between great powers.
Against this disconcerting backdrop, Indonesia has not and will not stand still. As it assumes the presidency at the CD, it will do so with a resounding call to action, encapsulated in two main themes: overcoming stagnation: ensuring the improved and effective functioning of the conference; and addressing contemporary challenges: the promotion of measures to reduce distrust and build confidence.
These two themes will be featured in the first-ever high-level interactive discussions during the High-Level Segment of the 2024 Session of the Conference on Disarmament, a forum that will be attended by the United Nations secretary-general, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and high-ranking officials from the 65 member states of the conference.
