UN General Assembly
2009

This Organization was born in the shadow of nuclear weapons; that shadow remains today. One truth 47 09-52228 remains absolutely clear: the proliferation of nuclear weapons can never make any country more secure. The nuclear test by North Korea this year was rightly condemned across the international community. It reiterates that the only path to safety is through the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons. Australia is encouraged by the commitment of the United States and Russia to further reduce their nuclear arsenals, but the international community must also progress the broader disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has played a crucial role in limiting the spread of nuclear weapons, but the Treaty today is under grave challenge. We must work to ensure that its global security benefits are reinforced by a successful Review Conference in 2010. To reinvigorate global consensus and activism ahead of that Conference and beyond, Australia and Japan last year established the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, which in the next few months will produce its final report. Its aim