During the 2026 session of the High-Level Segment, which opened today, Monday 23 February 2026, Ambassador Bencini, speaking on behalf of Italy (statement), drew attention to the concrete risk of a new arms race, including a nuclear one. He also reiterated the need to preserve and strengthen the multilateral disarmament system, underscoring in particular the central role of the Conference on Disarmament, and expressed the hope for a full resumption of its negotiating function.
The Ambassador stressed that Italy considers the launch of negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons to be an absolute priority, and supports the strengthening of Negative Security Assurances. He further confirmed that there is no alternative to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and called on States possessing the largest arsenals to live up to their responsibilities in the areas of disarmament, transparency and nuclear risk reduction.
Finally, he reaffirmed Italy’s support for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and for the strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention, emphasizing that, despite the deterioration of the international security environment, current negative trends can be reversed.
At the High-Level Segment, interventions were also delivered, among others, by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and by the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Robert Floyd.
