Geneva, AUG 17 /DNA/ – Pakistan officially took over the presidency of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD) today, assuming the final presidency of the 2026 session at the UN Office in Geneva.
Ambassador Tahir Hussain Andrabi, Additional Secretary for Arms Control and Disarmament and Spokesperson for Pakistan, is presiding over the meetings on behalf of the country. His immediate focus includes steering negotiations on the Conference’s Annual Report and the corresponding resolution in the UN General Assembly’s First Committee.
In his first day in office, Ambassador Andrabi chaired a meeting with previous presidents of the 2026 session and held consultations with regional group representatives.
The Conference on Disarmament, which comprises 65 member states—including all nuclear-weapon states—is the world’s sole multilateral forum for negotiating disarmament and arms control treaties. Its agenda covers critical issues such as halting the nuclear arms race, preventing nuclear war, and averting the weaponisation of outer space.
Historically, the CD and its predecessors have produced landmark agreements, including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
Pakistan’s presidency at this pivotal moment underscores the international community’s confidence in its diplomatic leadership and constructive role in multilateral disarmament efforts, placing the country at the heart of global security discourse.
