12-Apr; India is committed to preventing the illegal transfer of conventional weapons and has established a strong legal and regulatory system to implement global non-proliferation measures.Speaking at the UNSC open debate, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, she said that illicit transfer and illegal diversion of arms, including conventional arms and ammunitions, Small Arms and Light Weapons, as well as Weapons of Mass Destruction, their delivery systems and related materials, equipment, and technology to non-state actors, armed and terrorist groups, pose serious threats to international peace and security.Ms. Kamboj highlighted that the quantum of these threats multiplies when certain states with dubious proliferation credentials, in view of their masked rapidly growing networks and deceptive procurement practices of sensitive goods and technologies conspire with terrorists.She also pointed out that there is a serious challenge to the country of cross-border supply of illicit weapons using drones, which cannot be possible without active support from the authorities in control of those territories.The international community should condemn such behaviour and hold such states accountable for their misdeeds. Ms. Kamboj thanked the delegation of the Russian Federation for organizing the Open Debate.
