India, Israel Reject Pakistan-Backed UN Arms Control Resolution, Cite Security Concerns

India and Israel have voted against a Pakistan-Belarus-backed resolution at the United Nations seeking conventional arms control at regional and subregional levels, with New Delhi arguing that countries' security concerns extend beyond geographical boundaries.

The draft resolution, titled ‘General and Complete Disarmament: Conventional Arms Control at the Regional and Subregional Levels’, was approved by the UN General Assembly's First Committee on Monday with 180 votes in favour, two against and no abstentions. India and Israel were the only countries to oppose the proposal in the 193-member UN body.

Explaining India's position, First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Anmol Sher Bedi, said conventional arms control was a global issue and should not be pursued primarily through regional and subregional frameworks. He added that New Delhi's opposition was consistent with its longstanding position.

India also questioned the resolution's request to the UN Disarmament Commission to formulate principles for regional arms control agreements. Bedi pointed out that the Commission had already adopted three consensus outcomes on the subject: guidelines on regional disarmament in 1993, conventional arms control and disarmament in 1999, and practical confidence-building measures involving conventional weapons in 2017.

He questioned the need for another round of deliberations on an issue that had already been extensively discussed, saying India failed to understand why the UN disarmament machinery needed to revisit it.

New Delhi also objected to the resolution's approach towards maintaining a balance in defence capabilities within a region or subregion.

"This assumes that the security concerns of States politely stop at their regional borders. They do not," Bedi said, arguing that national security interests extend beyond narrowly defined geographical boundaries. He also described the idea of preserving military balance within a region as unrealistic.

The resolution argues that most threats to international peace and security in the post-Cold War era emerge among countries within the same region, making regional arms control agreements necessary. It also calls for strengthening regional peace and security with the lowest possible levels of armaments and military forces.

India separately voted against a paragraph referring to conventional arms control proposals in South Asia. The resolution also states that militarily significant countries and those with larger military capabilities have a special responsibility to promote regional security agreements.