Topic: 2025 – No First Use Policies and Nuclear Disarmament
Country: France
Delegate Name: Olivia Sokol
Country: France
Delegate: Olivia Sokol
School: Williamston High School
Committee: General Assembly: DISEC
Topic: Nuclear Disarmament
The pressing threat of nuclear warfare at times of war has sparked controversy whether nuclear warfare is justified. Nuclear weapons pose a significant threat to world peace and can destroy societies and populations upon impact. With the institution of nuclear disarmament, it decreases the threats, and reallocates military spending to other areas of need. However total disarmament has not been achieved. There have been several inflictions that countries have put forth to motivate the spread of disarmament, one of them being a No-First-Use policy implemented by China, and others like the Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. However, it is stressed that there is not the guarantee of complete elimination, and the United Nations need to see change.
France is one of the nine countries that houses nuclear weapons within its borders, it is also the only European Union member to possess independent non-NATO nuclear weapons. France possesses 300 total weapons, 290 which are operational. Since 2018, France has consistently voted against the ratification of the Treaty of Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW); France states that the claims made by the treaty do not contribute to the development of international law, and that it does not reflect the increasingly challenging international security nor does it align with the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968. France will continue to vote against the treaty and will encourage other countries to do so as well. Despite voting against the treaty, France has put forth several nuclear disarmament policies. France not only completely dominated its ground-to-ground nuclear components by 2008, it also voluntarily reduced one-third of its missile-launching nuclear submarines in service. They are also under the legal obligation to pursue global disarmament under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
France would like to continue to enhance the spread of promoting nuclear disarmament. They have already reduced the size of their arsenal significantly, so France is likely unwilling to further reduce it based on maintaining national security. For the future, the country is in support of negotiating a verifiable Fissile Material Cut Off Treaty, and they will adhere to the idea that nuclear disarmament must be done in the context of general and complete disarmament. Even though France does keep an independent arsenal, they would still like to continue cooperation with countries like the United Kingdom (under the Northwood Declaration) and the United States.
Sources:
https://www.icanw.org/france
