The United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee has approved a draft resolution on conventional arms control tabled by Pakistan and Belarus, titled “General and complete disarmament: Conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels”.
The resolution was adopted on Monday, 2 November 2026, with 180 votes in favour, two against and no abstentions. India and Israel were the only two countries among the 193-member body to vote against it.
Explaining India’s vote, Anmol Sher Bedi, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said national security concerns cannot be restricted by geographical boundaries and that conventional arms control is a global issue which should not be pursued primarily through regional and subregional frameworks. He said India voted in line with its longstanding position on the subject.
India also questioned the resolution’s request to the UN Disarmament Commission to consider formulating principles that could serve as a framework for regional agreements on conventional arms control, and its emphasis on maintaining a balance in defence capabilities within individual regions or subregions.
India separately voted against a paragraph referring to conventional arms control proposals made in the context of South Asia.
The resolution argues that conventional arms control should be pursued primarily at the regional and subregional levels, since most threats to international peace and security in the post-Cold War period have emerged among countries within the same geographical region.
Note: The featured image is an AI-generated illustration of the UN General Assembly hall, not a photograph of the vote.
Sources: The Hindu (3 Nov 2026), Times of India (3 Nov 2026), Economic Times (3 Nov 2026), Tribune India/ANI (3 Nov 2026), New Indian Express (3 Nov 2026), Deccan Herald (3 Nov 2026).