Pakistan has reached a significant diplomatic milestone, formally taking over the presidency of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament on August 17. The leadership role places Islamabad at the center of multilateral efforts to address some of the world’s most pressing security challenges, including nuclear arms control, the weaponization of outer space, and the military applications of artificial intelligence.
Tahir Andrabi, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson and Additional Foreign Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, will serve as the Conference’s president. He has already arrived in Geneva and is scheduled to chair key meetings in the coming days.
Steering Consensus in a Divided Forum
Diplomatic sources indicate that Pakistan’s primary responsibility will be to steer the Conference’s proceedings in an organized, balanced, and consensus-based manner. This is no small task for a body that has struggled for years to overcome deep-seated divisions among its 65 member states.
As president, Andrabi will also prepare the Conference’s annual report, a comprehensive document covering the year’s discussions, negotiations, and progress on its agenda. The report will be presented to member states for adoption and will form the basis for a draft resolution to be submitted to the UN General Assembly, where it is expected to be adopted in November.
Pakistan will also facilitate consultations and negotiations on the Conference’s 2027 agenda, helping to shape the future direction of global disarmament diplomacy.
Outer Space and Emerging Technologies on the Agenda
One of the most challenging items on the agenda is the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS). Pakistan will convene a key debate on the issue this week, but the positions of the United States and European countries differ sharply from those of China and Russia. Bridging this gap will be a central test of Pakistan’s diplomatic skill.
The Conference will also address nuclear disarmament, the prevention of nuclear war, negative security assurances, and the long-stalled Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT). Discussions will extend to emerging technologies, including the military use of artificial intelligence, and their implications for international and regional peace and strategic stability.
A Presidency at a Critical Juncture
Pakistan’s leadership comes at a time of heightened global strategic tension. The Russia-Ukraine war, intensifying US-China rivalry, ongoing modernization of nuclear arsenals, and the accelerating weaponization of space have underscored the urgent need for effective multilateral dialogue.
Recently, 41 countries called at the Conference for a requirement to provide at least 24 hours’ advance notification of long-range ballistic missile and space launch activities, reflecting growing concerns about miscalculation and escalation risks.
The UN Conference on Disarmament remains the world’s only permanent multilateral negotiating forum dedicated to disarmament agreements and arms control. While its record of producing treaties has been mixed in recent decades, its role as a venue for dialogue and confidence-building is widely seen as indispensable.
For Pakistan, the presidency offers a rare opportunity to shape the global security conversation at a moment when the stakes are exceptionally high. Success will depend on its ability to listen, mediate, and find common ground among states with competing interests and divergent threat perceptions.
