News

Statement by the Republic of Lithuania at the Second Committee General Discussion on the Agenda item 18 Sustainable Development on Wednesday, 10 October 2023. 

Mr. Chair,

The disposal of chemical weapons into the sea is a matter of global concern due to its potential to pose significant environmental and health risks. With the increasing use of sea transportation and high levels of economic activity, coupled with natural processes, there are additional complexities in safeguarding the health of ocean and sea environments where these chemical weapons have been discarded. Consequently, this issue transcends mere environmental worries, carrying economic and social implications as well.

Mr. Chair,

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition and awareness of the potential challenges and threats associated with the chemical weapons dumped at sea. They degrade slowly and leak toxic substances posing a danger to human health, marine ecosystem and economic activities. Just to give a couple of examples that are close to us – recent scientific studies have revealed cytogenetic damage in native Baltic Sea fish species that are located close to chemical munition dumpsites; each year white phosphorus burns are recorded around the Baltic sea when beachgoers confuse white phosphorus ammunition residues with amber and place clots of phosphorus in their pockets; explosions that blasted holes in the underwater Nord Stream gas pipelines last year sparked concerns over possible damage, particularly considering that the blasts happened in the vicinity of a historical dumping ground for chemical warfare, including mustard and arsenic agents. Therefore, we should also take into consideration that more and more economic activities are taking place in open waters: from fishing to wind energy.

Mr. Chair,

In 2010, Lithuania led an initiative that resulted in the United Nations General Assembly, during its sixty-fifth session, unanimously adopting a resolution titled "Cooperative measures to assess and increase awareness of environmental effects related to waste originating from chemical munitions dumped at sea." This milestone achievement was the product of robust collaboration among all United Nations member states, with significant contributions from the scientific community and civil society. The primary aim of this resolution, subsequently reaffirmed in 2013, 2016, and 2019, is to encourage nations, international and regional organizations to actively monitor this global issue, voluntarily share pertinent information, and strengthen international efforts to enhance awareness, thereby fostering a safer, cleaner, and more sustainable environment for all. Important to note that the implementation of this resolution also contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially Climate Action #13 and #14, Life Below Water.

We commend the Secretary General for the Report “Cooperative measures to assess and increase awareness of environmental effects related to waste originating from chemical munitions dumped at sea”, distributed on 2 August 2023. This report also explores  the possibility of establishing a database and options for the most suitable institutional framework for such a database. As it was widely agreed in previous years, cooperation on waste originating from chemical munitions dumped at sea needs to be strengthened within existing frameworks. As support for the creation of a database on chemical munitions dumped at sea with voluntary shared information has been expressed already in 2013, therefore the time has come for concrete steps.

The Report of the SG provides views of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regarding the practical modalities of establishing the suggested database.  The need for such a database is acknowledged in the OPCW responses. Important to note that the Secretariat of OPCW has specialized knowledge of sea-dumped chemical weapon and the verification procedures. This was also acknowledged unanimously during the negotiations over the final document of the Fifth Review Conference. Unfortunately, the final document was not adopted, but the agreement on this mater was reached.

As there were no particular conclusions or recommendations provided in the report, with the renewal of the Resolution we would be keen to ask the SG to submit the report suggesting the most suitable format of such a database, the possible way forward and identify the appropriate intergovernmental bodies within the UN system for further consideration and implementation.