Geneva

Estonia stands for international peace and security and is highly committed to multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, being a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC), Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BWC), The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT).

Estonia supported the 2016 UN General Assembly resolutions on the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) and on nuclear disarmament verification. The Government of Estonia, upon the invitation of the UN Secretary General, nominated an expert to participate in the work of the High-Level Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) Expert Preparatory Group that convened in 2017-18.

Estonia is a reliable and competent partner in arms control and export control international efforts Estonia has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty and is working towards the goals of its universalisation and strengthening of its implementation.Estonia is a member of three export control regimes: Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), Australia Group (AG), both since 2004 and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) since 2005. Estonia has been a candidate for the full membership in the MTCR regime since 2003.

The Conference on Disarmament (CD)

The Geneva based Conference on Disarmament (CD), established in 1979, is the single multilateral forum of the UN to negotiate disarmament affairs. The CD deals with all multilateral arms control and disarmament topics focussing on the following issues: nuclear disarmament, prevention of nuclear war and all related matters, prevention of an arms race in the outer space, assurances for non-nuclear-weapon states against the use of nuclear weapons, new types of weapons of mass destruction, comprehensive programme of disarmament, and transparency in armaments.

Among others, the CD has established the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The Conference conducts its work by consensus. Regrettably, the CD has been unable to agree upon a Programme of Work since 1998 and has not started negotiations on any new conventions or treaties.

The CD currently includes 65 member states and over 40 non-member states. Estonia has participated in CD’s work as a non-member state since 2000 and applied for a full membership in 2001. The last enlargement of the CD took place in 1996.